This shining gem of a film festival is at the Jersey Shore. Located on Long Beach Island, a narrow strip of pristine beaches on one side and bayshores on the other, it's a festival gaining recognition with its selection of award-winning and new independent films. A plus for this festival - this year it is outdoors as well as inside. Last year, the Lighthouse Festival was one of the few festivals that were actually held, and using a drive-in format, some of the showings were even sold out. What's better than watching a movie outside? That would be watching a movie outside with the smell of the beach in the air.
According to the website: The LIFF 2021 lineup includes screenings of several films that premiered at Sundance and SXSW, as well as other festivals from around the globe. Some of these films will be shown on the big screen for the first time on LBI. Many of them will be followed by Q&A sessions with attending talent, such as celebrated comic book writer and acclaimed indie filmmaker Dash Shaw, who will be presenting his new animated film Cryptozoo, which premiered virtually at Sundance.
Other filmmakers who will be visiting LBI this June with their new films include director Keith Maitland (Dear Mr. Brody), indie producer Jonathan Duffy (Potato Dreams of America), actor/director Edson Jean and producer Fabiola Rodriguez (Ludi), and director Sonia Kennebeck (United States vs. Reality Winner). Also attending are Oscar nominee Tomer Shushan (White Eye), experimental documentary filmmaker Lynne Sachs, and producer Lee Broda (The Card Counter, Tesla).
Swan Song is the Opening Film for the Lighthouse International Film Festival |
The 13th Annual Lighthouse International Film Festival will open on June 3rd with a drive-in screening of Swan Song by Todd Stephens, starring Udo Kier and Linda Evans. It will close on June 6th with Lily Topples The World by Jeremy Workman, SXSW jury award winner for best documentary. In addition to Cryptozoo, which premiered virtually at Sundance, the LIFF 2021 lineup includes these Sundance titles: John and The Hole by Pascual Sisto (starring Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, and Jennifer Ehle) as well as the documentaries At The Ready by Maisie Crow and Playing With Sharks by Sally Aitken.
Lighthouse includes competition programs for narrative features, documentaries, shorts, episodics, and high school student films. Adding to the in-person screening program, LIFF offers an extended Virtual Cinema platform for the shorts, episodics, and a selection of features and docs that will run from June 3rd through June 13th. The festival will also host the premiere of Oscar-winning director Guy Nattiv's new documentary Life Unexpected and the world premiere of the horror thriller Canvas by Ryan Guiterman.
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