Stony Brook Film Festival Presents: An Online Short Film Series

"(April 27, 2020) Stony Brook, NY - This May, the Stony Brook Film Festival, sponsored by Island Federal, will offer a series of award-winning short films from past Festivals. The shorts will be available for free online and will be released on Tuesdays and Fridays every week through June. The first film will be released on May 5 at 12:00 pm. To gain access to the films, visitors can subscribe online at stonybrookfilmfestival.com or stallercenter.com/athome.

For 25 years, the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University has hosted the Stony Brook Film Festival. The Stony Brook Film Festival is a ten-day festival hosting short and feature independent films from all over the world. Over the past several years, the Staller Center has encouraged filmmakers to submit their films using the FilmFreeway, an online submission site. The Festival receives between 2,500 and 3,000 submissions annually through the FilmFreeway and distributor submissions.

The Festival committee watches every film submitted, and the committee narrows the final choices down to approximately 40 films, including shorts and features. Filmmakers, directors, and actors of many of the films participate in a live Q&A with the audience following their premieres. The Festival hosts nearly 10,000 people over ten days every July, and that audience helps to determine who wins the awards at the end of the Festival.

This year, in response to the CoVid-19 pandemic, the Staller Center is sharing a selection of short films from previous Film Festivals to watch at home. The short films will be released weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays, starting on May 05, 2020. "We receive numerous requests every week from our patrons and followers asking for more content to be available at home during this crisis. These shorts are a great way to give them a taste of what the Stony Brook Film Festival is, and it shows what kind of films we premiere," said Staller Center and Stony Brook Film Festival Director Alan Inkles. Stony Brook Film Festival Presents includes introductions from Festival Co-Programmer, Kent Marks, and Q&A footage from previous festivals will also be available online.

For now, the Staller Center team continues to work safely from home, planning for their next Stony Brook Film Festival and the 2020-2021 season. "We are excited to see all of our patrons soon, but until then, be safe and stay healthy, and we hope you enjoy this selection of shorts from the Stony Brook Film Festival," said Inkles.

The Stony Brook Film Festival, sponsored by Island Federal, hopes to celebrate its 25th Anniversary this July, but until then, patrons and fans can visit stonybrookfilmfestival.com to watch award-winning short films from past Festivals."

Stony Brook Film Festival