By NANCY HILER
"Bayou Landfall," which was produced and directed by Bellmore's own Leslye Abbey, garnered the Alan Fortunoff Humanitarian Award. The film was about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on a Native American tribe living in its path along the Louisiana coast. The Houma Indians, a state-recognized tribe, have been fighting for Federal recognition for decades.
The film "Approaching Union Square," which was produced by former Bellmore resident and 1994 Kennedy High School graduate Jody Girgenti received Jury Prize Best Feature. The feature told the story of eleven 30-something New Yorkers searching for love and connection in the big city. His production was adapted from a work called "Love and Sex: Tales from the Trenches" by screenwriter/director Marc Meyers.
More than 70 short and feature-length independent films were screened at the expo this year. Other events included opening and closing night ceremonies, a demonstration of 3D animation, and panels on script-writing, musical score legalities, and the ins and outs of distribution. A special breakfast featured filmmakers offering personal war stories about their film careers.
The winners were announced at the annual Salute to Independent Filmmakers and Awards Ceremony Gala, which was held this year the evening of Thursday, July 20 at the Chateau Briand in Carle Place.
