Empire State Film Festival runs Friday, October 22nd - Sunday, October 23rd at Cinemapolis in Ithaca, New York. We are proud to announce that our Opening Night Feature will be Larrry Fessenden's  critically acclaimed TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL. Larry is one of the most respected inependent filmmakers in the country, and this is the concluding chapter of his "monster quarilogy," uniting the creatures from his previous films Habit (1997), Depraved (2019), and Blackout (2023) in a smart, inventive take on universal's classic monster mashes. Set in "Talbot Falls," the film was shot entirely in upstate New York. Larry wrote, directed, produced and edited Trauma or, Monsters All, in which he reprises his role of "Sam" from Habit.

We are screening 46 incredible films - features and shorts of all genres - with many filmmalers attending and conducting Q&As. Festival director Gregory Lamberson will conduct a seminar, "How to Produce a Feature Film," free to the public, at Tompkins County Public Library the night before the festival, Thursday, Oct. 22nd, from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, with a meet-and-greet at 5:30.