Arts & Entertainment

Film Guide: What to See at the Stony Brook Film Festival, Part 1

A breakdown of the festival's offerings from Thursday to Sunday.

For the next ten days, film lovers from all over Long Island will flock to the Staller Center for the 16th annual Stony Brook Film Festival. Here is Part 1 of Patch's film-by-film guide to the festival, breaking down films showing between Thursday and Sunday.

Thursday, July 21, 8:00 p.m.:

  • U.S. Premiere (The Netherlands)
  • 132 minutes
  • In Dutch & German with subtitles
  • Watch the trailer

Based on actual events and the bestselling novel by Annejet van der Zijl, Sonny Boy takes a look the rigidity and prejudice of pre-World War II Dutch society. Directed by Maria Peters; written by Peters and Pieter van der Waterbeemd.

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Friday, July 22, 5:00 p.m.: (Gang de Qin)

In the midst of her parents' divorce, a young girl in a 1990s factory town in China will make her decision on which parent to live with based on who can acquire a piano for her. Written and directed by Zhang Meng.

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Friday, July 22, 7:00 p.m.:

  • New York Premiere (U.S.A.)
  • 100 minutes
  • Starring Eric Stoltz, Kate Connor, Lyndsy Fonseca, Andy Hirsch, Camryn Manheim and others.

A heartfelt drama about a man who moves to Wisconsin with his family to become a barber for the American army's prisoner-of-war camp at Fort McCoy. Written by Connor. Directed by Connor and Michael Worth.

Accompanying short film: Something Special (3 minutes). By Kristi L. Simkins. A young war veteran relives a difficult memory while exploring New Zealand.

Friday, July 22, 9:00 p.m.:

  • U.S.A.
  • 95 minutes
  • Featuring several musicians with ties to Long Island

A classic rock roadie goes home to visit his mother in Queens when a work trip fall through.

Accompanying film: Cockroach (14 minutes). By Luke Eve. A man is given a second chance at life.

Saturday, July 23, 5:00 p.m.:

A documentary about legendary track and field coach Al Buehler, who has touched the lives of thousands of athletes including Olympians like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carl Lewis and more. Directed by Amy Unell.

Saturday, July 23, 7:00 p.m.:

Is there an exact science to love? A romantic comedy in which a Harvard graduate student sets out to apply scientific principals to determine whether her boyfriend is the right one for her. Written and directed by Valerie Weiss.

Accompanying short: Cataplexy (7 minutes). By John Salcido. A successful man has the solution to an unusual medical problem – but his old friends may complicate things.

Saturday, July 23, 9:30 p.m.:

Set in Germany in 1772, we meet poet Johann Goethe as he attempts to practice law – until Lotte enters his life, and he finds the inspiration to write The Sorrows of Young Werther. Written by Philipp
Stölzl, Christoph Müller and Alexander Dydyna, and directed by Stölzl.

Accompanying short film: Misdirection (18 minutes). By Doron Kipper. The grandson of a famous magician discovers a dangerous secret.

Sunday, July 24, 3:00 p.m.:

  • Free special screening – no tickets required
  • World premiere (U.S.A.)
  • 105 minutes

Responders to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks share their stories of emerging from underneath the shroud of the disaster. Members of Stony Brook University Medical Center’s World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program are featured in the film.

Sunday, July 24, 7:00 p.m.:

  • U.S. premiere (Poland)
  • 95 minutes
  • In Polish with subtitles

A voice over actress and an illustrator kiss, with devastating consequences, in a romantic comedy about finding one's voice and vision. Written and directed by Ewa Pytka.

Accompanying short film: Time Freak (11 minutes). By Andrew Bowler. An inventor invents a time machine and gets lost – yesterday.

Sunday, July 24, 9:00 p.m.:

  • U.S. premiere (The Netherlands)
  • 84 minutes
  • In Dutch and Arabic with subtitles

Based on true events, Don't Touch My Children is a thriller exploring the lengths a mother will go for her children. When her ex-husband, the children's father, takes them to Syria, it's the beginning of a heartbreaking struggle. Directed by Ron Termaat. Written by Marian Batavier and Nicolette Steggerda.

Accompanying short film: The Encounter (20 minutes). By Angela Matemotja. In a community where the remains of apartheid are still apparent, a young woman gets stuck in an elevator with an older African man.


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