The Long Island Film Festival is pleased to announce the recipients of its Pioneer Awards. Conceived by LIFF Vice President Thomas Santorelli, a historian of early American cinema, the awards are named after actors, directors, cinematographers, that worked for the pioneer movie studio, Vitagraph Company of America at its branch studio in Bay Shore, Suffolk County in 1916. The Vitagraph branch studio in Bay Shore was a small part of its corporate headquarters at the studios in Flatbush that occupied five square blocks. For all of 1916, Vitagraph produced twenty-seven features and shorts there.
Developing the film business along with Thomas Edison and Biograph, Vitagraph became omnipresent not just in the United States, but all over the world. The Vitagraph Building in Bay Shore still exists today. The structure is the only building from early American cinema in the world making it the most historically important building in Suffolk County. The names associated with the LIFF Pioneer Awards were not just famous in their time, but were extraordinary participants in the development of cinema - America’s gift to the world.
A few of the awards are named after contemporary film figures related to Long Island such as Mario Puzo, a long time Bay Shore resident, composer John Williams who was born on Long Island, and the late actress, Adrienne Shelly, also from Long Island.
The LIFF Awards ceremony will be held at The Scully Estate, (now Seatuck, a wildlife preserve) on May 14, 2011 from 7: pm – 11:00 pm in the estate’s ballroom. The address is 550 South Bay Ave. Islip, NY 11751. For anyone wanting to attend, the fee is $25.00 per person. Dress casual. Make checks payable to Long Island Film Festival 102 N. Park Ave. Bay Shore, NY 11706. For more information contact Thomas Santorelli, santorellihistorical@yahoo.com 631-665-4058
Here are our award recipients.
Long Island Film Festival 2010
The Ralph Ince Directors Award
Evan Brenner
The RiddleLong Island Film Festival 2010
The Nell Shipman Directors Award
Amy Rice, Alicia Sams
By the People: The Election of Barack ObamaLong Island Film Festival 2010
The Frank Currier Actors Award
John Castiglione
Mr. Danby's SonLong Island Film Festival 2010
The Anita Stewart Actors Award
Sarah Dacey Charles
Agnes Moorehead is God!
Long Island Film Festival 2010
The Jules Cronjager Award for Cinematography
Richard Dallett
The RiddleLong Island Film Festival 2010
The J. Stuart Blackton Award for Animation
Signe Baumane
VeterinarianLong Island Film Festival 2010
The J. Stuart Blackton Award for Best Documentary
Don Lenzer
The Artist and His ModelLong Island Film Festival 2010
The Mario Puzo Screenplay Award
Evan Brenner, Danny Brenner
The RiddleLong Island Film Festival 2010
The John Williams Award for Film Scoring
Steffen Greisiger
Africa Light - Gray ZoneLong Island Film Festival 2010
The Shelly Award for Woman Filmmakers
Aubrey Smyth
BingoLong Island Film Festival 2010
Best Feature Film
The Riddle
Evan BrennerLong Island Film Festival 2010
Best Short Film
City of Eternal Spring
Carlo MignanoLong Island Film Festival 2010
Best Student Film
The Indian and the Samurai
Shilpi RoyLong Island Film Festival 2010
Best Foreign Film
Uerra (War)
Paolo SassanelliLong Island Film Festival 2010
Breakout Performance
Anthony Spaldo
BingoLong Island Film Festival 2010
Best Editing
Ian Fischer
Magritte MomentLong Island Film Festival 2010
Black Tie Screenplay Competition
Joseph Sikorski, Michael Calomino
Fragments From Olympus: The Vision of Nikola TeslaLong Island Film Festival 2010
Honorary LIFF Award
Presented to Bartlett Ackerson in Memory of Brightwaters developer Thomas Benton Ackerson for bringing the movie business to Suffolk County
Note: Bart Ackerson's Great Uncle, Thomas Benton Ackerson developed the village of Brightwaters and brought out many actors, directors and other staff from the pioneer movie studio, The Vitagraph Company of America to the Brightwaters-Bay Shore area. T.B. Ackerson was a property developer in Flatbush near Vitagraph’s main studio and became friends with studio heads, J.Stuart Blackton, Albert E. Smith, and “Pop” Rock as well as director/actor Ralph Ince and actress Anita Stewart. Ackerson supplied Vitagraph staff bungalows to rent as the village developed. Eventually Ackerson built homes for Ralph Ince and Anita Stewart. T.B. Ackerson helped Ralph Ince locate Vitagraph’s branch studio at 94 Fourth Ave. in Bay Shore. Credit also given to Bart’s father, Ward who was present during that period and supplied some historically important information to film historian, Thomas Santorelli. For more information log onto www.santorellihistoricalmedia.org and click on Articles and read American Cinema’s Forgotten Pioneer and Understanding a Silent-Era Superstar. Also www.lifilm.org and click on LIFF Pioneer Awards.
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Additional Note: The foreign film, The Crush filmed in Ireland and screened in The Long Island FilmFestival was nominated for an Academy Award.