Sayville natives and industry veterans Paula Hart and Melissa Joan Hart of Hartbreak Films will headline the inaugural Sayville International Film Festival (SIFF), where they will receive the festival’s Vanguard Legacy Award. The festival will take place Aug. 13–16 at the Sayville Movie Theater, with the awards ceremony at CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale.
The festival was founded by Maria Capp, a filmmaker and Producers Guild of America member, who lives in Sayville. It is designed to serve as a “mid-island bridge between the Tribeca and Hamptons International Film Festivals,” in the South Shore arts community, and “at a fraction of the cost,” according to a news release about the festival. It also aims to provide connections and resources to emerging and underserved filmmaker voices.
The Harts, of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” fame, offer a “blueprint” for aspiring filmmakers.
“Paula and Melissa have shown audiences worldwide what it looks like to live the dream and master the reality of this vocation,” Capp said in the news release.
“Their journey, a Long Island mother and daughter breaking into the industry to build a global, multi-generational brand, is the perfect alchemy of art, persistence, and elite business acumen,” she added.
“Whether making us laugh, bringing vital social issues to light, or creating beloved holiday classics, they have navigated it all while keeping family at their core,” she said. “They are the ultimate blueprint for the emerging filmmakers we are championing at SIFF.”
The arts are a major economic driver for the region, contributing $330 million to the Long Island economy and supporting 4,905 jobs, according to the Long Island Arts Alliance.
At SIFF, jurors and guests include Liz Lewis and Angela Mickey of Liz Lewis Casting Partners; Greg D’Alessandro, a Writers Guild of America member and CEO and chief editor of Weekly World News Studios; Paul Sinacore, a casting director and producer; and Mark Myers, CEO and president of Citizen Skull, a talent management and production company.
SIFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by Cornerstone Partners, including Sayville Ford, Five Towns College, the Sayville Movie Theater and CM Performing Arts Center.
The festival will offer more than $25,000 in industry prizes from AVID, Entertainment Partners Movie Magic and Celtx, providing selected filmmakers with resources to support their continued development beyond the festival circuit.
The festival’s full lineup is available here.
Adina Genn
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