The annual New York Long Island Film Festival (NYLIFF) took place from October 16 to October 20 at the South Shore Theatre Experience and the Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge, both located in Lindenhurst.
The latter location was the site of the awards brunch grand finale on Sunday, where local filmmakers and their fellow artists helming from elsewhere all congregated not in competition, but in celebration.
Top prizes were awarded to such films as “Art Thief” (Best Supporting Actor), “Lady of the Lake” (Best Cinematography), “Horse Town,” (Best Horror Feature), “The Greatest,” (Best Dramatic Feature), and “Rest in Memories” (Spirit of NYLIFF).
“When I see the word ‘spirit,’ I think of soul. However the film turned out in the end, I certainly gave a lot of my soul to this,” writer, director and star of “Rest in Memories,” Jack Tomlinson, 24, previously seen
on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), shared in his acceptance speech—the very last given before the festival’s conclusion.
“I made it as a love letter to my mother and my aunt who are no longer with us,” the actor and Long Island University graduate adds, “but I also made it as a love letter to all of us who are still here in the grieving process. Whether it’s to find joy in those memories, rid yourself of any guilt, or positively express all that unexpressed love.”
Founder Gerry Ferretti—also plugging season 2 of his passion project, the mob web-series “The Fontana’s” on the day—spoke with The South Shore Press shortly thereafter.
He revealed he created the festival over a decade ago to provide a forum “for the overlooked,” citing larger festivals that are not even watching many of the thousands of submissions they regularly receive.
“So we said, ‘Why don’t we create a serious film festival for the seasoned filmmaker, or someone who's just got an idea—they may even be just 12 years old.’ When you know your work is good, but not being seen… where does that person go to be inspired and get some hope, and how do we make that continue?”
Ferretti proudly adds that the festival, through its additional community-serving endeavors, grows every year. “More people in attendance. More people involved. We’re the kind of people who are never going to rest on our laurels, no pun intended. We're very happy when we see the filmmakers connecting, staying inspired… We've met so many wonderful people. They’ve become part of the NYLIFF family and we’re going to continue that for many years to come.”
"Lady of the Lake" director Maria Capp—whose film the South Shore Press profiled after it premiered at The Sayville Theater back in August—brought forth one of the higher-scaled projects of this year’s NYLIFF programming.
“I am pleased to return to the NYLIFF with my feature film, ‘The Lady Of The Lake’ and grateful to be nominated in four categories: direction, ensemble cast, cinematography, and best drama,” Capp said ahead of the event.
The Ronkonkoma native eventually accepted the best cinematography award on behalf of her director of photography, Elle Schneider, during Sunday’s awards brunch.
Co-star of the film, local comedian Christopher Roach (“Kevin Can Wait”), also grew up in Ronkonkoma, and remembers knowing the “Lady of the Lake” urban legend all too well. “When Maria approached me with her idea for her movie, I was all in,” he told The South Shore Press.
“Maria really knows how to bring out the best in every actor. It was a pleasure working with her and her crew and a real treat getting to work with Seth [Gilliam].”
Sunday’s biggest star-power in attendance included Twisted Sister’s Mark Mendoza, of West Hempstead, and Lindenhurst’s own Dan Lauria, who played family patriarch Jack Arnold in ABC’s “The Wonder Years” (1988-1993).
Ahead of the final presentations, the prolific Hollywood character actor was invited to the podium, where he shared his thoughts on the festival and the next generation of filmmakers. “With today’s technology, one of the best things is that everybody can make a movie. And one of the horrible things, is that everybody can make a movie,” he cheekily before channeling the classic conviction of his most beloved characters.
“It’s important for venues like this to keep going,” Lauria added. “I saw a film here this week, and told the director, ‘You really have that kernel of a great movie here. You are not just looking at a final project; you are looking at the future. And us writers and actors cannot thank you enough.”
Best Supporting Actor winner Chris Lazzaro, of Bay Ridge—also plugging the Smithtown born-and-bred “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” starring Michael Cera this fall in addition to “Art Thief”—admits he tends to play bad guys who bring the audience on their side.
“They are definitely humorous,” he said, “and perhaps made bad decisions in life, but you can sympathize with them.”
His winning turn as Bobby “the Rat” in “Art Thief,” currently available for purchase on Amazon, and which also netted filmmaker Arthur Egeli NYLIFF’s best director prize, is no exception. Shot in Boston, the film tackles the true story of the largest heist in American history.
Lazzaro told the South Shore Press his film is “for every type of audience, as it captures themes of youthful scenarios as well as romance, theft, art, redemption, and comedy.”
“Akilles” director Maximus Papsadore, of Cape Cod, won “Best Student Film” for an unintended feature effort he interestingly does not intend on distributing, despite five-fold festival acceptance nationwide. He discovered NYLIFF by refreshing the FilmFreeway online service–through which tickets to the fest are also provided—daily.
Papsadore feels the production came together expressly for the 35 friends and family members he made it with, and for them to forever cherish the memory of willing something this large in scope, yet small in budget into existence. The fact that inside jokes have landed beyond their lot is a testament to the infectious reach of creativity, he believes.
“I don’t care about making money off this film,” said Papsadore. “When I started this, I looked at it as a spectrum, where you can go the 100 percent commercial route, which is something purely watchable for outside audiences; or, you can go 100 percent the passion or the artist route. Where you do just what you want to do… I felt like with this film, I could meet somewhere in the middle.”
If “meeting in the middle” means screening what’s much more than a thesis, and certainly a far cry from a one-trick pony’s one-hit wonder before a community center crowd as a somehow understated moosehead hung from above to oversee the festivities, then Papsadore most definitely did.
Visit NYLIFF.com for information on how to enter a submission to be considered for next year’s 2025 festival slate. The festival’s goal is “to give equal opportunity to filmmakers, writers and artists who put their heart and soul into filmmaking, especially those who may not have all the resources necessary.”
Whether you have a $10 million indie or an ultra-low-budget iPhone short,” reads their site, “we are interested in you.”