The Stony Brook Film Festival was chock-full of amazing, innovative content from a variety of domestic and international directors.
The festival, presented by Island Federal, showcases the best in independent film premieres over a ten-day span. All films are presented at the Staller Center’s main stage at the university.
Recently finishing its 27th year, the event allowed for Q&A or a pre-recorded interview with the filmmakers. In-person attendees were also given a chance to vote on their favorite films.
From July 21-30, thousands gathered to watch and comment on a variety of films. Berenshtein, directed by Roman Shumunov and written by Simon Shechter and Tasha Karluyka, took home the 2022 Jury Award for Best Feature. This should come as no surprise to those who attended the event. The movie, set at the height of World War II, follows the true story of Leonid
Berenshtein, the last surviving member of his partisan battalion that located Hitler’s secret weapon. The film craftily utilizes actual footage from Berenshtein’s life and the time period to deliver a masterpiece to audiences.
Beyond the period allure and cinematography, the actor, Yaroslav Kucherenko, delivers a stunningly convincing performance that portrays enduring humanity throughout the even most horrific parts of the war.
Contra, directed by Sönke Wortmann and written by Doron Wisotzky, won the 2022 Audience Award for Best Feature. With national discussions on racism and institutional racism common, the movie delivers a very timely yet light-hearted depiction of a fictitious professor, Dr. Richard Pohl, played by Christopher Maria Herbst, making a racist comment toward a student, Naima Hamid, played by Nilam Farooq. The unlikely duo is forced to cooperate when the university president places them in an unlikely odd-couple situation.
Glob Lessons, directed by Nicole Rodenburg and written by Nicole Rodenburg and Colin Froeber, won the 2022 Spirit of Independent Filmmaking award. The movie’s writers also played the leading roles. The duo starred as two thirtysomething strangers performing children’s theater in a minivan across the Midwest. Consisting of a repressed gay and an enigmatic woman, the duo traverses the cold tundra as much as they traverse themselves in the comedypacked tale.
Summer of Bees, a film by Ida-Maria Olva, took home the 2022 Jury Award for Best Short.
Gabriel A. Sara – Peaceful, directed by Emanuelle Bercot and written by Emanuelle Bercot and Marcia Romano, won the 2022 Humanitarian Award. The film explores the terminal illness of an actor, played by Benoit Magimel, who attempts to come to terms with his imminent demise. Medical professionals double as sherpas along the path to conquering the fear and anxiety associated with death, as well as letting go.
The film also explores the family dynamic of the afflicted family as they come to assume new roles and boundaries.
More on the film festival can be found at https://stonybrookfilmfestival.com. Information from https://stonybrookfilmfestival.com/winners/ was utilized for this article.