The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame holds its second annual Music Documentary Film Festival this weekend, showcasing myriad music legends through stories, performances and interviews.
Starting this Friday, Sept. 25, the film festival will include 43 music documentaries from 11 different countries, bringing together filmmakers, musicians and audiences for a three-day-long celebration of culture, music and storytelling. This year’s festival will include both feature and short music documentaries, with a good portion of screenings accompanied by filmmaker Q&As and live performances all taking place at the LIMEHOF museum, located at 97 Main St. in Stony Brook.
Highlights will include documentaries featuring a handful of Long Island-based musicians, most notably Setauket’s Ward Melville High School student Marlow Jean Paniccia and Greenport resident, musician and film producer Joe Lauro. Set to screen at 11:05 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, The Art of Being Different is a powerful personal story about how Paniccia uses her music to manage autism as well as the other common pressure’s school life brings.
Long Island residents screening their films at the festival include high school student Marlow Jean Paniccia and Greenport producer and musician Joe Lauro. (Photos courtesy of Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame)
“I’m thrilled that The Art of Being Different is part of this year’s festival. It’s a very personal film with a great story at its heart, and I think our audience is really going to connect with it,” says Tom Needham, Executive Director, LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival, in a press release. “We’re excited to have Marlow Jean Paniccia with us to share the film and her story.”
“I’m really honored that The Art of Being Different was selected for the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Music Documentary Film Festival,” Paniccia says. “I made this film to show what it felt like to be an autistic teen using my inner thoughts to narrate my experiences during junior high. Having the film screened here on Long Island is especially meaningful to me because this is my hometown!”
Additionally, Lauro’s Newport & the Great Folk Dream will be the closing film of the festival, screening on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 5:15 p.m. Featuring performances by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Lovin’ Spoonful, John Lee Hooker, Peter, Paul and Mary and many others, the film showcases the years between 1963 and 1966, when Newport, R.I. was a prominent city for transformative protest music, serving as the backdrop for when Dylan transitioned from folk singer-songwriter to rock ‘n roll icon.
“It’s an extraordinary look at a pivotal time in music history, made even more special by having Long Island’s own Joe Lauro with us to share the story behind the remarkable footage he helped preserve, said Tom Needham, Executive Director of the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival. “Joe has played an important role in keeping music history alive, and we’re excited to celebrate his work on Closing Night.”
To view the festival’s full weekend lineup, click here. Tickets are available for individual films as are one day and three day passes (for $35 and $95, respectively). To purchase tickets click here.
