Stony Brook University

06/10/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/10/2025 12:22

Stony Brook Film Festival Unveils Schedule for Landmark 30th Anniversary Year

The Stony Brook Film Festival (SBFF) has officially released the full schedule for its milestone 30th anniversary, from July 17-26 at Staller Center for the Arts, which will showcase 36 films from 19 countries, including world premieres, U.S. debuts and exclusive screenings that can only be experienced in person on the region's largest screen.

The festival is more than a cinematic event - it's a cultural experience. Two feature films each evening - each preceded by a short film - are shown on Staller Center's 40-foot screen, often followed by intimate Q&As with the filmmakers, cast and crew.

The 2025 Festival kicks off with the East Coast Premiere of The Ties That Bind Us, a surprisingly realistic film in which a set-in-her-ways 50-something single woman finds herself in a slowly shifting relationship with two children who live in her apartment building. This intimate, poignant and joyous film wrestles with the question of what defines family.

Opening night features the East Coast Premiere of The Ties That Bind Us.

The examination of the strength and limits of family continues through many of the films in this year's festival, including the action-drama Way Home, that features a father struggling to bring his radicalized son back home from war-torn Syria; the challenging and inspiring drama Nawi, in which a young Kenyan teenage girl's dreams of attending high school are jeopardized by her father's plans to marry her off; the hilarious Mazel Tov, where a quick-talking, neurotic man who has been estranged from his siblings returns to Argentina to mend his broken relationships; and a thought-provoking reverie from India called The Umesh Chronicles, which follows a woman from a privileged background considering the very different life of the servant-boy who grew up with her.

Don't miss the hilarious Argentinian film, Mazel Tov.

Three American independent dramas are highlighted this year. Finn Wittrock gives a finely layered portrayal of a filmmaker plagued by his past in the offbeat and witty Long Island-based feature Westhampton, a beautifully shot tale of forgiveness and acceptance by Long Island native Christian Nilsson. Shot on location at his grandfather's scenic ranch near the border of Mexico, JT Walker's epic La Gloria stars David Morse as an aged rancher struggling to earn the trust of an immigrant woman he accidentally wounded. Director Joel Alfonso Vargas has created a work of art that harkens back to the 1970s heyday of independent cinema with Mad Bills to Pay: (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), a film that explores the struggles of a 19-year-old man-child navigating his new responsibilities after bringing his pregnant girlfriend to live with his family in the Bronx.

Animale is a Western/horror/mystery from the South of France.

Other must-see films include the unique Animale, featuring SBFF favorite Oulaya Amamra. In this Western/horror/mystery from the South of France, a bull-racer notices disturbing changes occurring around her following an injury. And music fans will enjoy the light-hearted biopic Midas Man about Beatles manager Brian Epstein.

Closing night includes Gala Gracia's debut feature film, The Remnants of You.

Closing night features the American premiere of Gala Gracia's first feature film, The Remnants of You. This subtle film follows a woman putting her career as a jazz pianist on hold following the sudden death of her father.

Stony Brook Film Festival pass options include a VIP Gold Pass and a Regular Pass, granting access to all 10 days of the festival, and the Flex Pass. Single tickets are also available after July 1.

See the complete film schedule

View all trailers

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Staller Center Stony Brook Film Festival
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