Amateur and professional filmmakers invited to submit works to be featured at Cinema Arts Centre

The Made in Huntington Film & TV Festival is inviting both amateur and professional filmmakers to submit their works for an exciting opportunity: the chance to be featured at the Cinema Arts Centre from April 3 through April 6. The extended deadline for entry is February 12. 

The festival provides a platform to showcase new creative talent and innovative storytelling, while encouraging filmmakers to produce their next project within the Town of Huntington. The festival is expected to feature 40 film screenings and 20 seminars. Distinct from others in the New York and Long Island areas, the Made in Huntington festival supports emerging filmmakers through an “Industry Day” filled with panel discussions featuring industry leaders and opportunities to meet one-on-one with potential investors and distributors. Filmmakers will have access to greenlighting network executives who can underwrite, affiliate and assist with the distribution of selected films, according to a town press release. 

In anticipation of the festival and in partnership with the New York State Governor's Office of Motion Picture & Television Development, the festival will host a virtual tour for filmmakers later this month. It offers the Town of Huntington the opportunity to provide filmmakers and location scouts with exclusive tours of some of the Town of Huntington’s most iconic filming locations.

The festival’s programming also includes a series of standalone events titled “Meet the Filmmaker.” The first Meet the Filmmaker event, focused on fashion film and photos, took place in November at the Spotlight Room in The Paramount in Huntington Village. The sold out event featured Huntington filmmaker Mark Bozek’s documentary “The Times of Bill Cunningham,” and included special guests Tonne Goodman from Vogue, model Pat Cleveland, artist Ruben Toledo and The New York Times’ Carol Dietz, who discussed the making of the documentary surrounding famed fashion photographer Bill Cunningham.

Future Meet the Filmmaker events will focus on “Making it in Huntington” and a “The Reality of Reality TV” session, which is scheduled for March at Drave Media Studios in Melville. 

The festival and additional programming are all part of the Department of Film and Television’s mission to drive local film productions in the Town of Huntington. The growing  film industry in town has already generated incremental revenue for the local economy, according to town Supervisor Ed Smyth. A variety of new productions have been filmed locally, including fashion photo shoots with Bergdorf Goodman at Crab Meadow Beach and Netflix’s upcoming series “Sirens,” which was shot at Caumsett State Park on Lloyd Neck.

For more information on the Made in Huntington Film & TV Festival, visit their website. Screenings for the selected finalists will take place at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington from Thursday, April 3 through Sunday, April 6. Tickets for these screenings will be available for purchase from the theater and on their website starting in late February. 

To submit entries, visit the Made in Huntington Film & TV Festival’s page on Film Freeway. Filmmakers who are Film Freeway Gold members can take advantage of a 50% discount on entry fees to the festival for both regular and late submission deadlines.