The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook will launch its first-ever LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival from Friday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 10, showcasing a lineup of music-focused documentaries and live performances.
“One of the things that is very cool—and you can look it up to verify it—I believe that this is America’s very first and only music documentary, exclusively music documentary film festival,” Festival Executive Director Tom Needham said. “Music documentaries are very popular at film festivals, but they're usually mixed in with other kinds of movies. This Film Festival is unique in that we are only showing music documentaries…and I think people are going to love it.”
The festival begins at 11 a.m. and runs into the evening each day, with most of the activity taking place at the Hall of Fame, located at 97 Main St. in Stony Brook.
As many as 24 documentaries, curated by Needham and Artistic Director Wendy Feinberg, reflect a variety of musical subjects, from Building the Beatles to The Bronx Boys and Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity.
“We’re going to be having film screenings,” said Needham. “We have short films and feature films. We have films that are local from America. We have international films.”
In addition to screenings, the festival will feature musical performances by artists such as Billy J. Kramer, who appears in Building the Beatles, and Mick Lynch of Guggenheim Grotto, who will perform after Friday’s screening of Coming Home: The Guggenheim Grotto Back in Ireland Short. Other performers include Public Enemy’s DJ Johnny Juice, Naked Blue, Brady Rymer, Jennifer Silecchia-Hackett, Sandra Taylor, and Mega Infinity, according to a Hall of Fame press release.
Attendees can also expect Q&As with filmmakers from around the country.
“They will be right here in our museum; people will be able to rub elbows with the film makers,” Needham said. Notable guests include Robert Schwartzman, director of Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary Feature, scheduled for Sunday. Schwartzman is lead singer of the band Rooney and appeared in The Princess Diaries.
Festival-related events include a closing night gathering at Mirabelle Tavern next door.
“There’s a million different places to choose in Stony Brook Village, which is right on the water. It’s very nice,” Needham said.
Needham said the idea for the festival began after the Long Island Music Hall of Fame changed its name to include entertainment.
“I myself have been involved with the Hall of Fame since the beginning, really since our first induction ceremony in Patchogue back in the early 2000s, and I separately have hosted a show called Sounds of Film radio show for over 35 years and they've been involved with films. So, when the Long Island Hall of Fame changed their name, I've been pitching different projects to try and bring film into our organization. We've only inducted up until this point musicians, but we're going to be starting to induct actors and film directors and stuff like that in the near future.”
He said music documentaries provide a natural bridge between the film and music industries. Planning for the festival began more than a year ago.
“It's really gone 1,000 times better than I ever thought it would,” he said.
With screenings held inside the museum rather than a traditional theater, Needham said, “I don’t think there’s going to be another film festival quite like this.”
One of the highlights of the festival is an anniversary screening on Friday marking the 50th anniversary of the song “Cat’s in the Cradle,” written by Harry Chapin and inspired by a poem by his wife, Sandy.
“It’s a big deal—the 50th anniversary, and he’s an inductee in the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame,” Needham said.
Members of the Harry Chapin Foundation, a Huntington-based nonprofit supporting causes including education, food, and agriculture, are expected to attend. In collaboration with Long Island Cares, the museum is encouraging attendees to bring nonperishable food items for donation.
For the full schedule and additional information, visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org.