Arts & Entertainment

Local Filmmaker Featured at Stony Brook Film Festival

Michael Stern is a Comsewogue HS graduate.

Among the international roster of producers, directors, and writers whose movies were celebrated by audiences at the Stony Brook Film Festival this year, there is one whose name may be a little more familiar around here.

Filmmaker Michael Stern of Port Jefferson Station produced and directed the short film Berenice, based on the Edgar Allan Poe short horror story, which screened Monday night at the Staller Center for an audience of about 1,000.

The film has collected awards including "Best Drama" at the Cape Fear International Film Festival, "Best Thriller" at the Los Angeles International Television Festival, and "Best Short" at the Long Island International Film Expo."

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"I’m overwhelmed and excited that the response has been positive," Stern said. "I was originally mixed on the way it was coming out. It’s very dark material and it has a lot of depth."

Stern's team of talent included U.K.-based screenwriter Iwan Benneyworth, actor Faron Salisbury, and costume designer Jill Coratti. He also worked with up-and-coming cinematographer Zac Halberd, whom Stern said is able to "see the same thing" he does when he envisions a scene.

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A 2000 graduate of Comsewogue High School as well as a former Patch freelancer, Stern has produced numerous music videos and commercials via his production company, Visitor One. He's even done a music video for Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son. He produced Berenice with a $3,000 budget between November of 2011 and February of 2012. It was shot at a mansion in Nassau County as well as other places including Avalon Park in Stony Brook.

Stern said Berenice has even sparked interest in a miniseries for a TV network; he has already picked out the next Poe tale he'll tackle, The Tell-Tale Heart. But beyond that, he said he is hoping to broaden – and brighten – his portfolio.

"I’m personally looking to get out of the darker material because I’ve done a lot of that over time," he said. "I’m looking to move towards more meaningful material that will inspire people in a lighter way."

His advice for young filmmakers: "It’s going to take 10 years. Slow down and have fun and enjoy the ride because it takes a [long] time."

Like a magician who won't reveal his methods, Stern declined to discuss those who have influenced him in his career. But, he said, living on Long Island's north shore has been an inspiration that he eventually hopes to capture on film in some way.

"There’s this feeling of mystery in the air and in the trees and over by the water and everything," Stern said. "That’s always intrigued me in a way, and something I would like to put into film one day."

RELATED: Watch the trailer for Berenice here.

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