Stony Brook Film Festival To Open July 20

Stony Brook Film Festival – Staller Center. Photo: Brian Kachejian

The yearly Stony Brook Film Festival will open on Thursday July 20th 2017 and run to Saturday July 29th 2017. The Stony Brook Film Festival takes place at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center on the grounds of Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York. The Stony Brook Film Festival will be celebrating its twenty second year in existence. The film festival is an extraordinary cultural experience that drew over fifteen thousand people in 2016 for its ten day performance schedule. Each day of the festival features two feature films and accompanying half hour short films. There are more films shown on the weekends. Fans attending the festival have the choice of purchasing tickets for individual films or a festival pass.

Ticket prices for individual films are twelve dollars. Senior citizen prices are ten dollars while Stony Brook students with a valid ID pay only five dollars. All individual performance tickets include one feature film and one short film. The film festival pass which allows patrons to view all the festival’s films cost only eighty five dollars which is a pretty good deal considering there will be twenty feature films and 20 short films shown throughout the festival. Film pass holders also receive a fee tote bag, and a laynard (neck strap) that holds the commemorative film pass. Coupons for discounts at local restaurants are also give to pass holders. Most importantly, pass holders are allowed into the theater first allowing them to cherry pick their seats. All of this for only eighty five dollars which is about half the price of one Billy Joel ticket at MSG

For those who wish to experience more than just the films themselves, patrons have the option of buying a Gold Pass. The Gold Pass allows attendees to sit in the VIP sections of the theaters with the film makers and guests. It also allows access to the opening and closing night receptions. The Gold Pass cost two hundred and twenty five dollars.

This year’s festival opens and closes with two comedies. The film Welcome To Germany which was directed and written by Simon Verhoeven opens the festival on Thursday night. It is the film’s U.S. premier which is what film festivals are all about. The film touches on issues of racism, xenophobia, and politics in a comedic sense. Seemingly a perfect way to open a film festival in the summer of 2017. The closing night film, Text To You is another German comedy about a grieving women who keeps sending text messages to her deceased lover without realizing somebody else has been assigned her lovers old cell phone number.

The Stony Brook Film Festival also will be presenting a documentary about Long Island’ own Elliot Murphy. The former Long Islander who hailed from Garden City currently resides in France. Elliot Murphy had released a string of albums on Columbia records in the eighties and and has made multiple appearance on stage with Bruce Springsteen. However, the former Long Islander has found that his biggest fan base to be located in France. For those familiar with Stony Brook University’s Sunday Acoustic Concert Series hosted By Charlie Backfish and WUSB, fans may remember that it was less than ten years ago in 2009 that Elliot Murphy performed at the Stony Brook Union University Cafe as part of the Sunday Street Acoustic Concert Series. It is a series that has now continued just down the road from Stony Brook University at the Long Island Museum.

The Stony Brook University Film Festival represents an astounding commitment to the arts by a University that is often taken for granted by Long Islanders who do not recognize the outstanding University that is seated right in their own back yards. For such a low price, film lovers have the opportunity to view an extraordinary amount of great films for a very low rice. It is an experience often celebrated only in major cites. Having the opportunity to experience a city like film festival on Long Island should not be missed.

For tickets click on the link below