Festival Data:

• Established: 1998
• Genre: General
• Attendance: 4500
• Total Number of Films Submitted: 400
• Total Number of Films Screened: 133

• Competitive
• Has Panels
• Workshops

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

The Long Island Film/TV Foundation and the Nassau County Film Commission are proud to host the Long Island International Film Expo.  Past festivals have screened from 50 - 155 short and feature-length independent films from all over the globe during this weeklong film festival. Several panels are held during the first weekend of the Long Island International Film Expo – usually consisting of a distribution panel, a scriptwriting panel, legal music panel and a filmmaker panel and breakfast.

The Long Island International Film Expo is a competitive festival.  Some of the categories awarded may include: Best Director, Best Story, Best Feature Film (in 35 mm, 16 mm and Video), Best Short Film (in 35 mm, 16 mm and Video), Best Long Island Film, Best Student Film, Best Animation, Best Foreign Film and others. There will be several technical categories judged before the film festival by special entry. Technical categories will include: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Lighting and possibly others.

Once the winners of the Long Island International Film Expo are chosen by a combination of audience ballot and judging committee, they are honored at the Long Island International Film Expo Closing Night Party and Awards Ceremony, where they receive their trophies and winners' prizes (which vary every year from free editing time, DVDs, free rentals of lights, etc.)

Past festivals/closing night awards ceremonies have been attended by Steve Buscemi (Trees Lounge, Armageddon), Billy Baldwin (Backdraft), Cliff Robertson (Charley, PT109), Danny Aiello (Moonstruck), Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Judy Berlin), Steve Guttenberg (Cocoon), Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid), Kelly Rutherford (Melrose Place), Oleg Cassini (fashion designer), Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Arc, The Perfect Storm), Eddie McGee (Big Brother), Brian O’Halloran (Clerks, Dogma), Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years), Abe Vigoda (Barney Miller) and others.

Film Submissions:

• Accepts direct submissions
• Submission formats: VHS, 16mm, 35mm, MiniDV, DVCam