The 31st Annual Stony Brook Film Festival To Be Hosted By Staller Center for the Arts

The 31st Annual Stony Brook Film Festival, presented by Stony Brook Medicine, returns to the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University from July 16–25, 2026, with 36 films from 23 countries, filmmaker Q&As, special events, and some of the year's most acclaimed independent cinema. The festival annually attracts approximately 10,000 attendees and is recognized as one of the region's premier showcases for independent film.

The festival opens with Once Upon My Mother, the inspiring true story of Esther Perez, a Moroccan-Jewish immigrant in France, portraying a mother's determination to help her son overcome a severe disability against all odds.

Many films in this year's lineup explore themes of family and connection through stories from around the world. A Mosquito in the Ear follows an American couple traveling to India to meet the 4-year-old girl they have adopted; and the timely The Sea, which follows a Palestinian father trying to find his son who has decided to journey illegally from the West Bank through Israel to visit the sea; and the mesmerizing If I Go Will They Miss Me, in which a 12-year-old tries to connect with his recently incarcerated father.

American independent cinema thrives in Downbeat, a zero-budget kinetic drama about a self-sabotaging, down-on-his-luck drummer trying to eke out a living as a street performer in Boston; plus indie gem The Art of Quitting Gracefully, and the meta Bravado, while lighter offerings include the crowd-pleasing It Takes Two to Tango; and the delightfully unpredictable road-trip adventure Crystal Cross, in which a small-town, church-going singer decides to run away from her problems by hitching a ride with a depressed stranger she thinks looks like Jesus.

Acclaimed international selections include Frontier, a WWII epic about small-town residents in a Spanish border town hiding Jewish refugees; HEYSEL 85, a heart-pounding film about the 1985 European Cup; and Hungarian Wedding, a spirited crowd-pleaser set against the rich backdrop of Hungary’s vibrant folk traditions.

Closing this year's festival is the East Coast premiere of Swiss blockbuster Hello Betty, the story of the woman behind Switzerland's most beloved culinary icon.

Notable cast from the films include Jake Lacy (A Mosquito in the Ear), Kamilla Kowal (Serenity), Daniel Rashid (Downbeat), Daniel Bruhl (Berlin Hero), Danielle Brooks (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Adele Exarchopoulos (DOG 51), and more. Many of the filmmakers, along with cast members, will attend the festival, participate in Q&A’s with the audience, and attend the afterparties following their premiere screenings.

The Stony Brook Film Festival and Stony Brook Southampton’s Avram Theater will present an encore screening of the award-winning film Westhampton on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Avram Theater in Southampton. A reception will precede the event at 6:30 pm, followed by a post-film Q&A with the filmmakers. Admission is free; RSVP is recommended at StonyBrook.edu/avram.

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