On Sunday, July 17th 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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