The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) will host its first music documentary film festival in August.
Officially titled The LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival, the event will showcase films ranging from specific artists' biographies to music's transformative power. The purpose is to combine music with storytelling and allow filmmakers to showcase their talents and knowledge of music history. Any genre, ranging from rock to jazz to classical, is acceptable as well.
Executive Director Tom Needham said he’s impressed with the submissions thus far and hinted this festival could be the first of many.
“The submissions so far have been outstanding, showcasing a diverse range of compelling stories that align with the spirit of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame,” Needham said. “Given the enthusiasm and quality of submissions, I believe we have a very strong foundation to make this film festival an annual tradition.”
Founded in 2004, this Stony Brook-based museum has honored legendary artists such as George Gershwin, Louis Armstrong, and Long Islander Billy Joel. This festival aims to celebrate music in its entirety.
“It is exciting,” said Artistic Director Wendy Feinberg, “and I'm just so thrilled to be part of it.”
Because this is LIMEHOF’s first-ever music documentary film festival, Wendy does not believe there will be many submissions.
“We're hoping to have [between] 12 to 15 films over three days, which is still quite a lot, starting in the morning and going into the night and having a party afterwards,” she said.
The festival will be held August 8 through August 10, with two award ceremonies: the Jury Award and the Audience Choice Awards. One short and one feature-length film will be victorious, each, making four total possible awards. A “short” film is below 60 minutes while feature-length is over 60 minutes.
The filmmakers of each documentary will have a chance to participate in Q&A sessions with the live audience, participate in interviews, and even perform on the Hall of Fame stage.
Feinberg said she hopes the judges will be unbiased in picking each winning documentary, but suggested that it may be fairly difficult.
“A lot of variables will be used [by the judges] to choose the films in the festival. Since it's our first year, we are not at the point of talking about judging yet,” Feinberg said. “I think people just have to be fair and just be unbiased and neutral, as far as choosing [the] film that they think deserves an award.”
“I know for the Audience Award, it's the audience that chooses it,” she added. “We will have ballots, and people will vote on how they feel about the film, and [these votes will] be just tallied up.”
However, the winning films will be “very difficult to choose,” exclaimed Wendy about the films that have been submitted thus far. “The quality has been really, really good and very interesting. The cinematography and the sound have been right on.”
She’s keeping the submissions confidential until the festival, but teased one title: “The Cats in the Cradle: 50th Anniversary,” which is a documentary about Long Island-born Harry Chapin. The singer-songwriter was killed in a car crash on the Long Island Expressway in 1981. The title comes from his 1974 hit song, “Cats in the Cradle”.
Chapin was supposed to perform at Eisenhower Park on the night of his death. He is commemorated at LIMEHOF on the second floor.
“I was [at Eisenhower Park] with my husband and my seven-year-old son, waiting for him to come to perform, and my son, all these years later, still remembers it like it was yesterday, because it was so heart wrenching,” Wendy remembered of Chapin, adding that his family are avid members of the LIMEHOF community.
The festival will feature both domestic and international movies. Audience members will likely come from all over the globe. International films must have subtitles, or they won’t be considered for any awards. Propaganda, misleading, or discriminatory content is prohibited.
Every film will be shown “as long as it's appropriate to show,” Wendy said, laughing. “We don’t want to be arrested or something.”
Submissions are due by May 1 and cost $40. Applications can be submitted online.
