The Staller Center is back with their 11th installment of summer films in the acclaimed Stony Brook Film Festival. The Festival, which runs from July 20 to 29, has been a treat for visiting academics, matriculated students, and the entire western Long Island community for over a decade.

The festival lasts 10 days and brings together an eclectic array of films from around the world. According to the festival's website, many will have their "World, North American, U.S. or East Coast premieres here at Stony Brook."

The Festival's main emphasis will be on the competition of 14 features and 14 shorts. Both the audience and a film jury will choose the winning films of the festival to be announced at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on July 29.

The special screenings include the opening night, East Coast Premiere of Terry Green’s Heavens Fall. A hard-hitting courtroom drama based on the 1931 “Scottsboro Boys” case. Cast includes Timothy Hutton, Leelee Sobieski, David Strathairn and Anthony Mackie.

On the closing night of the festival, watch James Burke’s Aurora Borealis, a funny and touching family drama about a young man’s search for his identity. Cast includes Donald Sutherland, Joshua Jackson, Juliette Lewis, and Louise Fletcher.

In addition to the competition and screenings, the Festival will host panels and receptions. Of note is the Stony Brook Southampton Writers Conference: An Evening with Alan Alda. Long-time Conference participant Alan Alda discusses his recent memoir, as well as his life as an actor, director and screenwriter.

By Shawn Pottorf