The Stony Brook Film Festival, produced by the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, has been delivering a regular slate of high-quality independent cinematic experiences for Long Islanders every summer since 1996, and the excitement continues as the full schedule for this year’s event – set to be held Thursday, July 17, to Saturday, July 26 – has officially been released.
2025 will mark a huge milestone in the Stony Brook Film Festival’s deep history: it is the 30th year that Stony Brook University has been hosting the prestigious event, which was originally founded by the Staller Center’s director, Alan Inkles, as a means to make use of the facility during the summer break.
In the beginning, the university initially teamed up with an established film festival for a couple of years, but eventually Inkles made the decision to create a festival that was run entirely in-house instead. The result was an event that took the busy lives of Long Islanders into consideration to ensure that they would be able to enjoy the event to its fullest.
Taking that into consideration, the festival is run in the evenings, with two films – each preceded by a short film – featured in the Staller Center’s main stage theater at night, one at 7:00 p.m. at one at 9:30 p.m. This schedule ensures that Long Islanders can view the films at night while still juggling their day jobs without interruption.
The 2025 Festival will showcase 36 films from 19 countries – carefully curated from over 2,000 submissions each year – including world premieres, U.S. debuts, and exclusive screenings that can only be experienced in person at the Staller Center, which boasts the largest movie screen in the region.
Some of the cinematic fare that will be on offer at 2025’s event includes the East Coast Premiere of The Ties That Bind Us, a beautiful, surprisingly realistic film in which a set-in-her-ways 50-something single woman finds herself in a slowly shifting relationship with two children who live in her apartment building. This intimate, poignant, and ultimately joyous film wrestles with the question of what defines family.
Other films include Way Home, featuring the story of a father struggling to bring his radicalized son back home from war-torn Syria; the drama Nawi, in which a young Kenyan teenage girl’s dreams of attending High School are jeopardized by her father’s plans to marry her off; the hilarious Mazel Tov, where a quick-talking, neurotic man who has been estranged from his siblings, returns to Argentina to mend his broken relationships; and The Umesh Chronicles, an Indian film that follows a woman from a privileged background considering the very different life of the servant-boy that grew up with her.
Also featured during the festival are three acclaimed American dramas. Based on Long Island, Westhampton is a beautifully shot tale of forgiveness and acceptance by LI-native Christian Nilsson; JT Walker’s epic La Gloria stars David Morse as an aged rancher struggling to earn the trust of an immigrant woman he accidentally wounded; and Mad Bills to Pay: (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), a film that explores the struggles of a 19-year-old man-child navigating his new responsibilities after bringing his pregnant girlfriend to live with his family in the Bronx.
There is also a plethora of outstanding independent features hailing from across the globe peppered throughout the event as well, such as the beautiful period drama Mistura; the uplifting documentary Ali Eats America; the wildly unique western/horror/mystery Animale; the surprisingly light-hearted biopic Midas Man; and Gala Gracia’s first feature film, The Remnants of You.
All trailers for the above-mentioned films can be viewed here.
Of course, getting single tickets – which are available after July 1 – for this amazing event offers you the opportunity to experience the magic of independent cinema first-hand, but for those looking for something more, there are several Stony Brook Film Festival pass options up for grabs, including a VIP Gold Pass, a Flex Pass, and a Regular Pass, all of which come with Priority Seating, Q&As with filmmakers, voting eligibility for the Audience Choice Awards, discounts at partner locations, and a festival gift. There are several differences between the three pass tiers, however.
The popular Flex Pass grants access to any five days of the festival, excluding Closing Night. The Regular and Gold Passes allow holders to attend all ten days of the festival, but the Gold Pass also grants access to exclusive Opening and Closing Night parties held at swanky Long Island-area restaurants – the Opening Night party at Elaine’s Restaurant and Bar in East Setauket, and the Closing Night party at Curry Club at SāGhar in Port Jefferson Village – along with VIP reserved seating with filmmakers and actors, early theater admittance, and an exclusive festival gift.
Needless to say, if you’re a serious cinephile looking to make the most of the once-a-year Stony Brook Film Festival experience, the various passes being offered are more than worth investing in.
To find out more about The Stony Brook Film Festival, view the full schedule of film showings, and to purchase tickets, please visit https://stonybrookfilmfestival.com.