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The Stony Brook Film Festival returns to Staller Center this July 21-30 for the festival’s 27th installment. The festival packs 38 films from more than 28 countries.
Scroll down for the full lineup. Click here for festival passes.
“This year’s festival is somewhat of a family affair, with several real-life family members making films, and members of our Stony Brook family returning,” says Kent Marks, festival co-programmer. “Our Sunday night independent feature, the very touching This is a Film About My Mother, which was shot in Ithaca, stars real-life siblings Tess and Will Harrison and was written and directed by Tess.”
Opening the 2022 Stony Brook Film Festival will be the North American premiere of Peaceful, starring Catherine Deneuve, Benoît Magimel, and Gabriel A Sara.
A life-affirming drama about acceptance and resilience, Peaceful follows Benjamin, an acting teacher with a terminal illness, as he navigates his final months and days.
The beating heart of the film comes from Gabriel Sara — a cancer specialist from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan in real-life — who portrays Benjamin’s very humane specialist, Dr. Eddé.
“Catherine Deneuve’s powerful performance as Benjamin’s mother is unforgettable,” the festival organizers promise.
Reflecting on current issues, two films in the Festival, Olga and Berenshtein, both take place in and around Ukraine, and both are from times when the Ukrainian people faced down an oppressive regime — be it from the Nazis or their own government.
Festival-goers can purchase a Gold Pass ($250) or a Festival Pass ($125) ahead of time. Click here to see what you get at each kind of pass. Individual passes start at $20.
Women will also take center stage at this year’s festival, both in front of and behind the camera. The opening and closing night features and shorts were all helmed by female directors.
In all, 17 of the festival’s 38 films were directed by women.
“The diversity of filmmakers is a hallmark of Stony Brook Film Festival, with student filmmakers, seasoned pros, and nine first-time directors represented this year,” Inkles said. “We are very excited to have filmmakers from all over the world join us in-person this year for their premiere screenings.”
He also boasted that the Staller Center, located on the Stony Brook University campus, is home to Long Island’s largest screen, “to see movies the way they were meant to be seen.”
“Not only are these films not available on any streaming format, but you also get to hear directly from the filmmakers themselves, ask them a question at our live Q&A, and even vote for your favorite,” Inkles added.
For 27 years, the Stony Brook Film Festival has hosted 549 filmmakers from 78 different countries and featured nearly 55 world premieres and over 75 U.S. premieres.
The festival has screened almost 1,100 independent films from all over the world. It kicks off with an opening night party and closes with an awards ceremony and closing night party.
All pass-holders will hear from filmmakers throughout the festival and have the opportunity to rate and vote on favorite films to help choose the winners for 2022.
Visit stonybrookfilmfestival.com for more information.
The Festival Schedule
OPENING NIGHT
Thursday, July 21, 2022
8:00 pm
Feature: Peaceful,122 min, France (North American Premiere)
Short: Lentini, 11 min, United States
Friday, July 22, 2022
7:00 pm
Feature: Olga, 95 min, Switzerland, France, Ukraine
Short: Kitchen Tales. 22 min, United Kingdom
9:30 pm
Feature: Glob Lessons, 101 min, United States
Short: Before Seven, 15 min, United States
Saturday, July 23
4:30 pm
Documentary Feature: The Jackie Stiles Story, 94 min, United States
7:00 pm
Feature: Contra, 108 min, Germany
Short: The Little Drummer Boy, 10 min, United States
9:30 pm
Feature: Peace in the Valley, 88 min, United States
Short: Elevate, 15 min, United States
Sunday, July 24, 2022
4:30 pm
Documentary Feature: Nasima, 85 min, United States
7:00 pm
Feature: Berenshtein, 110 min, Israel and Ukraine
Short: The Switcheroo, 10 min, United States
9:30pm
Feature: This is a Film About My Mother, 60 min, United States
Short: North Star,30 min, United States
Monday, July 25
7:00 pm
Feature: Hit the Road, 93 min, Iran
Short: Summer of Bees, 23 min, Finland
9:30 pm
Feature: Seokkarae, 23 min, Korea
Short: Saving Elodie, 11 min, United Kingdom
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
7:00 pm
Feature: Hard Shell, Soft Shell, 99 min, France
Short: Almost Winter, 14 min, United States
9:30 pm
Feature: The Justice of Bunny King, 101 min, New Zealand
Short: The Dress, 10 min, United States
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
7:00 pm
Feature: Image of Victory, 128 min, Israel
Short: Milk, 9 min, United Kingdom
9:30 pm
Feature: The Test, 85 min, France
Short: Free Fall, 19 min, France
Thursday, July 28, 2022
7:00 pm
Feature: Haute Couture, 100 min, France
Short: Jungle, 15 min, Australia
9:30 pm
Feature: Sons of the Sea, 82 min, South Africa
Short: Ousmane, 25 min, Canada
Friday, July 29, 2022
7:00 pm
Feature: Vera Dreams of the Seas, 82 min, Kosovo, Albania, and Republic of Macedonia
Short: All that Glitters, 23 min, United Kingdom
9:30 pm
Feature: Black Box, 129 min, France and Belgium
Short: Aysha, 13 min, Germany
Closing Night
Saturday, July 30, 2022
8:00 pm
Feature: Lost Transport, 101 min, Netherlands, Luxembourg, German
Short: Mila, 20 min, United States
CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS
10:30 pm
To purchase passes or tickets or for more information, please visit www.stonybrookfilmfestival.com or call (631) 632-ARTS.
