For more than 25 years of the Long Island Film Festival’s existence, the festival has provided venues to literally hundreds of aspiring filmmakers. Created at the peak of the "Independent Film Movement" in 1983, the Long Island Film Festival has had the pleasure to showcase creative talents from their earliest years. Our alumni are but a small portion of the formidable scores of young filmmakers who have matured over the years and consistently honed their talents. This year, 2010, we will screen works by filmmakers who presented their first works with us while fresh out of film school back in the early 1980's. Many have continued to work as total "independents" outside of the Hollywood system, others have brought their innovation and creativity into the studio system becoming part and parcel of films which have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars and entertained millions of movie goers around the world. To each and every one of them we say, "a job well done" and thank you for being part of the Long Island Film Festival.
Christopher Cooke, President and Founding Director
Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley is a native of Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York. He graduated from SUNY Purchase, and brought his earliest short films, KID, DOGS, and THE CARTOGRAPHERS GIRLFIEND to the Long Island Film Festival while still an undergraduate. His first feature film THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH (filmed in 11 days!) established him as an American auteur at the Toronto Film Fest.. His features TRUST and SIMPLE MEN solidified his place as a filmaker of unique style and ability at SUNDANCE and the CANNE FILM FESTIVAL. He has now directed another five features as well as directing Opera, music videos, and experimental films.
Kimberly Peirce
Kimberly Peirce was born in Harrisburg, PA. She grew up and attended college in Miami and received an MFA at Columbia University. Her short film THE LAST GOOD BREATH was shot on the beach at Port Washington. It received 1st prize at the Long Island Film Festival for Best Student Experimental Film and later THE PRINCESS GRACE AWARD. In 1999 she wrote and directed BOYS DON'T CRY produced by Christine Vachon's Killer Fillers and starring Hillary Swank and Chloe Sveigne. She directed the L WORD for Showtime and attended the Sundance Institute. Her film STOP-LOSS was released by Paramount Pictures.
Matthew Harrison
Matthew Harrison grew up on Long Island in Port Washington, Ocean Bay Park, and in New York City. His short film TWO BONEHEADS premiered at the Long Island Film Festival in 1989. This was followed by his first feature, the bowling-noir film, SPARE ME, co-written with Christopher Grimm (winner of the French Avignon Festival) and RYTHMN THIEF (winner of the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Festival). His third feature, executive produced by Martin Scorcese, KICKED IN THE HEAD was released by October films. Harrison co-founded the filmakers collective FILM CRASH.
Kevin Jordan
Kevin Jordan's latest feature film BROOKLYN LOBSTER (executive producer, Martin Scorcese) was based on Kevin's family business of many years, the family's famous seafood restaurant and the perennial harvesting of Long Island's waters for lobster. In the film, the patriarch, Georgio, is played by Danny Aiello. The film received excellent reviews as the epitome of an independent feature film that succeeded without the benefit of a multi-million dollar marketing campaign. Previous to BROOKLY LOBSTER, Jordan wrote, produced and directed the documentaries ANTI-TRUST EDISON vs. LAEMMLE and ODE TO A WRITER.
Jordan's first feature SMILING FISH & GOAT ON FIRE was written and produced with two boyhood friends about their travails pursuing careers in Hollywood. Kevin Jordan attended NYU film school where he became part of Martin Scorcese's mentor program that allowed him to follow Scorcese around the world to the exotic locations of Scorcese's projects. Kevin's NYU thesis film was showcased at the Long Island Film Festival and nominated for a Student Academy Award. Kevin is presently in pre-production on FLICKER BOX.
Scott Saunders
Scott Saunders, a native of California, came to New York City to attend film school but dropped out when he decided his time and tuition money would be better spent learning by doing. He was one of the founding members of FILM CRASH, a unique NYC filmmakers collective where active members created short films every couple of months that were exhibited at public screening parties on a regular basis. Saunder's first short, THE MAN WHO INVENTED THE TWINKIE was screened at the Long Island Film Festival and was co-directed by Karl Nussbaum. Several other shorts lead to his first feature THE LOST WORDS. His second feature THE HEADHUNTER'S SISTER gained significant recognition as a high quality "indie" feature shot on video. His latest film THE TECHNICAL WRITER starred Tatum O'Neal and William Atherton. Saunders is recognised as a pioneer in the shift of the creative talent in the film industry to the use of high-end video technology from 16mm to video to 35mm to Hi Def.
Edie Falco
Edie Falco's character, Carmella, the strong willed, but long suffering wife of mobster Tony Soprano, became an international hit, along with a stellar cast, of HBO's THE SOPRANOS almost ten years ago. Edie Falco, a native of Northport, Long Island, won an EMMY award and many others that made her a household name.
Her career from the beginning, consisted of dozens of independent films and stage work, after graduating from S.U.N.Y. Purchase. She appeared in a small role in Hal Hartley's debut feature THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH, but garnered a lot of attention in the intense supporting role as Adrienne Shelly's tough sister in Hartley's Sundance Festival winner TRUST.
But it was in Nick Gomez's gritty first feature LAWS OF GRAVITY, a film about a gang of losers from the "hood" with Peter Greene that allowed Edie Falco to finally give up her day job and work full time as an actress. With the spotlight shining brightly on her, she was soon working with Woody Allen in BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, doing theatre in London, television programs like OZ, and then a part in a little HBO series called THE SOPRANOS!
Edie probably has more screen time in the Long Island Film Festival
over the past fifteen years, than any other actress. She always attended festival
screenings, awards galas, and Filmmaker’s Network seminars, and helped
support fellow filmmaker's on Long Island. Her first leading cinematic role
COST OF LIVING was directed by Stan Schofield and shot in
Montauk, premiered in the Long Island Film Festival at Stony
Brook. Her other notable role in the festival was in a film called JUDY
BERLIN.
Tamara Jenkins
Bill Plympton
Gavin O'Connor
Kathleen Turner
Lee Grant
Peter Boyle
Ralph Macchio
Uta Hagen
Vincent Pastore
Steve Buscemi
Anne Meara
Edward Albee
Fred Carpenter
Frank Coraci
Karen Young
Keith Hamilton Cobb
Madeline Kahn
Michael Questa
Stan Schofield
Stephen Bogart
Tom Noonan
Vincent Gardenia
