Award Winners Jeff Waxman, Chad L. Coleman, Catherine Curtin, Greg Cergol Honored at the 25th Long Island Intl Film Fest

Top Films and Film Professionals Recognized and Honored at 25th Anniversary Film Festival and Expo Finale

Recently, discerning film aficionados across Long Island gathered at the historic Bellmore Movies located at 222 Pettit Ave, Bellmore, NY as Producer Jeff Waxman (Don’t Look Up, John Wick, Narc) received the “Excellence in Film & TV” award, Actor Catherine Curtin (Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things) received the “Excellence in Creative Achievement” award, Actor Chad L. Coleman (The Wire, All American, The Walking Dead) received the “Inspirational Work in the Sci-Fi Genre” award and long time Channel 4 WNBC-TV Newscaster Greg Cergol received the “Excellence in Newscasting” award at the closing ceremony of the 25th Anniversary presentation of the Long Island International Film Expo. Ms. Curtin, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Cergol all appeared in person to accept their recognition.

Kevin Brown and Chad L. Coleman

Hosted by Kevin Brown (30 Rock) with presenters Lukas Hassel (The Blacklist), Sal Rendino (Billions), Chad L. Coleman (The Walking Dead), Tara Westwood (The Grudge) and others, the LIIFE closing ceremony also featured, in person, many of the fine actors, directors, producers of the incredible films that were shown all week. 

Lukas Hassell and Catherine Curtin

For this, the 25th anniversary, LIIFE was proud to feature 22 films made by Long Islanders, 12 World Premieres, 4 US Premieres, 39 New York Premieres, 36 Long Island Premieres, and Films from 12 countries! There were also 40 Female Directors, a record for LIIFE. 

Mitchell Bard (Moderator), Craig Coleman (Whatever Happened to Calistra Zipper), Diana Porter (Subscribed), Sassy Mohen (How to Hack Birth Control), Philip Dae Han (The Prague Conspiracy), Nicholas Markovich (Left of the Dial), Martin Balaguer (Adam), and Sherene Strausberg (Cool For You)

Long Island International Film Expo 2022

Winners and Nominees and Honorees

Student Film Winners

Best Student Film – Peaches

Best Actor – Professional Therapy – Jeremy Lister

Best Actress – Writer’s Block  – Nik Noto

Best Story – Embryo

Best Editing – The Prague Conspiracy

Best Director – Peaches – Dir. Benjamin Hunt

Best Cinematography – The Prague Conspiracy

Screenplay Winner and Runner Ups

Typhoid Maria – Winner

Streetball Is Life – Runner up

Chiro Killer – Runner Up

Midnight Madness Winner

Trucked

Honorees

Jeff Waxman – Excellence in Film And TV

Catherine Curtin – Excellence in Creative Achievement

Greg Cergol – Excellence in Broadcasting

Special Recognition Awards

Alan Fortunoff Humanitarian Film Award – Hot Water on Long Island

Jury Award Best Animation  – Billy

Marc Stein Comedy Award – Adam

Inspirational Work in the Sci Fi Genre – Chad L. Coleman

Winners and Nominees

(Winners are in Bold)

Best Feature

Montauk77

Natalie

Marijuana Minutes

Delivering Hope

Dear Audrey


Best Short

Eureka 

West Virginian Starfish

Little Drummer Boy

You are Mine

The Bridge

Best Director

The Little Drummer Boy – John Gray

The Wound – Sahar Nourmonavar

You are Mine – Adi Wojaczek

The West Virginian Starfish – Hyten Davidson and Tommy Martin

Rising Lotus – Gurinder J. Singh

Best International Film

Annavespa

The Wound

You are Mine

Dear Audrey

Call Me Lina

Best Documentary Feature

Delivering Hope

Hot Water on Long Island

Cycle of Memory

Devils Among Angels

Dear Audrey

Best Documentary Short

Heirloom

The Shave

The Girl with the Accent

Why Is My Grandfather’s Bed in Our Living Room?

Sound of Memories

Best Actor

Sold – Dutch Welch

The Little Drummer Boy – Xander Berkeley

Parrot – Ian Morrison – runner up

Defense Contract – Matt Roszak

Hudson Falls – Richard Kind

Best Actress

Removable – Yi Liu

Marijuana Minutes – Becca DeMarco – runner up

Hudson Falls – Tara Westwood

The West Virginian Starfish – Melanie McNulty

Divorce Diaries – Michele Marie Traina

Best Story

Little Drummer Boy

West Virginian Starfish

The Bridge

The Wound

Removable

Best Music Video

Lobo

Dru Serkes – Stormy

Tied Up in Song

Spun – A Music Video

When It All Goes Down

Best Long Island Film

Montauk77

Even the Darkness Has Arms

Domestic Bliss

Launch at Paradise

Harbor Me

Best Horror Film

Golem

Domestic Bliss

Even the Darkness has Arms

Something Wrong with Paul

Cook With Heart

Best Episodic

Left of the Dial

How to Hack Birth Control

Divorce Diaries

Hudson Falls

Best Cinematography

Golem

The Bridge

Eureka

Rising Lotus

Sold

Best Editing

Subscribed

Little Drummer Boy

$tack$

The Girl Who Is Selling Fish

How to Hack Birth Control

Best Art Direction

Domestic Bliss

Golem

The Sands of Time

The Call

Sold

Audience Choice

UFO Club

Founders Henry Stampfel, Debra Markowitz and Anne Stampfel were surprised with a Founders Award for creating LIIFE 25 years ago and presented by LIFTF Board Member Lindsay Serrano and advisor’s Kory Diskin and Trish Appello with a tribute reel by LIIFE Technical Director Manny Serrano.

Kory Diskin, Kevin Brown, Lindsay Serrano, Henry Stampfel, Debra Markowitz, Anne Stampfel

The Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE) is the premier filmmaker community on Long Island, and one of the most respected festivals of its kind in the world; showing almost 125 independent films in many different genres each year. Sponsored by the Long Island Film-TV Foundation (LIFTF), the County of Nassau, the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency and Gold Coast Studios, this year the 25th Anniversary installment was held from July 13th – July 17th, 2022 at the historic Bellmore Movies and featured panels, networking forums and films from around the globe. 

Festivals of the past have included such luminaries as the late Danny Aiello and Ed Asner, Robert Clohessy, Abigail Hawk, Ralph Macchio, John Amos, Daniel Baldwin, Ally Sheedy, Cathy Moriarty, Steve Buscemi, Ed Burns, William Sadler, Ilene Kristen, and so many more. 

Debra Markowitz and Greg Cergol

LIIFE has become a must attend festival for filmmakers of all levels with local and foreign film screenings, celebrity appearances, entertaining and informative panels, a star-studded awards ceremony, Q & A with filmmakers from the world over and networking galore. Sponsored by the Long Island Film-TV Foundation (LIFTF), the County of Nassau, the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency and Gold Coast Studios.

Tara Westwood, Kory Diskin, Catherine Curtin, Debra Markowitz, Anne Stampfel, Chad L. Coleman, Henry Stampfel, Rick Eberle

For More Information on LIIFE, please visit: www.LongIslandFilm.com 

LIIFE’s sister festival, Scared for Your LIIFE, a short horror festival, is open for submissions at https://filmfreeway.com/ScaredforyourLiife  

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