Empire State Film Festival 2026 Schedule
Ticketing details will be announced soon.
Thursday, October 22nd
“How to Produce an Independent Feature Film”
A free seminar conducted by festival director Gregory Lamberson at Tompkins County Public Library, 110 E. Green Street, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, with a meet-and-greet at 5:30. Lamberson has been an independent filmmaker for 42 years and is a member of the Producers Guild of America. This will be a great opportunity for area filmmakers and cinephiles to meet each other and learn about the festival.
Friday, October 23rd
Our Film Program runs daily at Cinemapolis,120 E Green Street, Ithaca.
All Q&As are tentative and more may be added as filmmakers confirm their attendance.
2:00 Block 1: New York Shorts #1 (95 mins plus Q&As)
Eight short films produced in New York State, primarily in New York City.
Lady Luck (NYC, Animated, 3 mins)
A gambling Divorcee grieves her failed marriage through a new fascination: the slot machine mascot, Lady Luck. Directed by Lang Ratmansunu for School of Visual Arts. Trailer.
Sky (NYC, Drama, 15 mins)
A 10-year-old (Magnus Newville, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Saturday Night Live) ventures through chaotic New York City searching for space to dream. Director: Andrew Lucido. Trailer.
Along the Way (NYS, Drama, 6 mins)
A farmer tends to his land, which is threatened with closure. Directed by David M. Tan. Trailer.
DaViD-19 (NYC, Sci-Fi/Dance, 15 mins)
A global pandemic causes people to dance to their deaths. Directed by Masa Gibson & David Kossack.
The Pickup (NYC, Drama/Romance, 19 mins)
A woman about to be married goes for a revelatory walk with a former flame. Directed by Karen Wang.
Coming Home (NYU Student, Drama, 8 mins, Q&A)
In the relentless sprawl of New York City, Igor, a Ukrainian war veteran, struggles to survive a life that feels profoundly foreign. Directed by Lena Abraham.
The Save (NYC, Comedy, 13 mins, Q&A)
Jason hires two fixers who use extreme and questionable measures to revive his marriage. Director: Chris Harcum. Trailer.
Papa Vanaya (NYC, Drama, 22 mins)
Vanya clings to an old life of secrets. His secret passion may cost him his family. A sensitive period piece directed by and starring Don Scime. Trailer.
5:00 Block 2: New York Shorts #2 (101 minutes plus Q&As)
Eight short films filmed in New York State, including five student films and a powerhouse drama.
What You Don’t Remember (NYC, Drama, 3 mins)
As his mother's memory begins to fade, a devoted son gently challenges her rewritten version of their past. Director: Mia Rroriguez. Trailer.
A Grieving Heart (NYC/Hunter College, Animated, 12 mins)
An immigrant woman examines her past in the wake of her American ex-boyfriend’s death. The film explores how love and loss impact the ways she confronts her identity, memories, insecurities, and regrets. Director: Wendy Cong Zhao.
Monochromatic (Syracuse University, 5 mins)
A fashion short film exploring color, identity, and self-knowledge follows one man through a single day in midnight blue, olive green, and burgundy, as two internal voices—Teacher and Student—debate the myth of Narcissus. Director: Mia Hernandez.
Joyce Jarvush is Actually Cool (Ithaca College, Comedy, 17 mins)
After learning that her successful high school peers are returning to her place of work, Joyce, a seemingly talentless college dropout, takes it upon herself to study the ways of being cool. Director: Maya Rosenthal.
Thumbprint Cookies (NYC, Drama, 7 mins, Q&A)
In the tiny moments of everyday life, the presence of timeless love is revealed. Director: Katy Frame. Writer/Producer: Navida Stein.
Evermore (Ithaca College, Drama, 15 mins, Q&A)
When her love isn't returned, a grieving Louise struggles to move on, losing a part of herself.” Director: Madeline Dombrow, Co-writer: Julia Hargreaves. Trailer.
Heads or Tails (University at Buffalo, Dark Comedy, 15 mins, Q&A)
An obsessed penny collector is faced with the decision of using his collection to pay for his son’s cancer treatment. Director: Joseph Deschamps.
Aqueduct (NYC, Drama, 27 mins)
Photographed on Kodak VISION3 50D 16mm Color Negative film. Two half-brothers who have never met are brought together by the death of the father they never shared. Set against the charged, unpredictable world of the racetrack, buried truths surface and tensions sharpen, forcing them into a reckoning neither sought. Director: Travis Burgess.
8:00 Block 3: Trauma or, Monsters All (NYS Feature, Horror, 1 hr 58 mins)
Our Opening Night Feature! The final chapter of acclaimed filmmaker Larry Fessenden's monster quadrilogy works as a standalone film or series finale, a thoughtful arthouse nod to Universal’s classic monster mashes. A journalist investigating her town's dark past stirs up fears of creatures lurking in the shadows, including the manmade monster from Depraved and the wolfman from Blackout. Starring Laetitia Hollard (The Pitt), with Fessenden reprising his vampire role from Habit. A smart, subtle thriller. Don’t miss it!
Saturday, October 24th
2:00 Block 4: New York Shorts #3 (94 mins plus Q&As)
Eight great shorts, including two from Ithaca College.
Surveillance (NYC, Sci-Fi, 5 mins, Q&A)
A detective investigating a possible abduction must decide if a witness is credible enough to testify about a life-altering event. Director: Dan Chen
Heartbreaker (Ithaca College, Sci-Fi, 13 mins, Q&A)
When humanoid robots can be programmed to fix (or ruin) one's love life, quarrels come to a head amid confusion, distrust, and AI. Director: James Reade Smith.
DeadlyTango (Niagara Falls, Action, 4 mins, Q&A)
A hot-shot undercover agent, infiltrating the cartel, finds himself in the claws of a beautiful yet deadly assassin. Will he take down the infamous "Dama de la Muerte" (Lady of Death), or be her next target? Director: Tony Grande.
Deadman’s Float (Rochester, Thriller, 9 mins, Q&A)
While cleaning a backyard pool, Austin suffers a sudden medical attack and slips beneath the surface. Suspended between life and death, he drifts through fractured memories and buried regret as the water pulls him deeper. Director: Andrew Reardon.
Burn (Brooklyn, Action/Thriller, 15 mins, Q&A)
A corrupt detective, questioned for murder by his longtime partner, believes he’s controlling the interrogation until the truth ignites a final act of vengeance. Directors: Z Jadwick &, Ben Bohren
The Hare (Brooklyn, Animated, 10 mins, Q&A)
The film explores the intertwined fates of the hare and the poet being hunted. Director: Yulia Ruditskaya.
Cosmos (Buffalo, Romance, 15 mins, Q&A)
Tess, a hopeless romantic, tries to piece together the events of the previous night’s party with nothing to go on but a mixtape left behind by her crush, the elusive Veronica. Directors: Gabrielle Nunzio & Marissa Graves.
Not My Story (Ithaca College, Drama, 23 mins, Q&A)
A college student's search for identity spirals into a wrongful detention by ICE. Director: Noah Darling.
5:00 Block 5: New York Shorts #4 (103 mins plus Q&As)
Three powerful “long shorts,” preceded by a comedy Micro Short.
Oh Shit, Did We Just Kill a Guy? (Brooklyn, Comedy, 3 mins, Q&A)
Two people who find a body just want to get back to work. Directed by Oscar Monroy.
Divided/Disparity (Buffalo, Crime Drama, 30 mins, Q&A)
A raw, character-driven family crime drama about fractured relationships, desperate decisions, and the real-life consequences that ignite an unstoppable chain of events. Directed by Daniel Conklin.
The Sight Unseen (Harlem, Docudrama/Mystery, 40 mins, Q&A)
In 1971, a six-year-old girl in the Bronx discovers a glowing cross in her bathroom window, igniting awe and doubt across her community. Fifty years later, she returns to confront the mystery that shaped her faith—and her understanding of miracles. A fascinating and authentic depiction of the era, directed by Shawn Antoine II. Trailer
The Watch (Syracuse, Thiller, 30 mins, Q&A)
A struggling salesman uncovers a watch that changes the trajectory of his life and the lives of the people around him. Directed by Sheme Doupe’. Trailer.
7:45 Block 6: It’s Always Almost Over (NYS Feature, Dramedy,105 mins plus Q&A)
Thirty-eight-year-old Max Petrisino is just 121 days away from finally leaving his upstate New York hometown when the vibrant Charlie Hawkins enters his life. Directed by Jay Leonard (Break Glass). Trailer.
Sunday, October 25th Horror/Suspense/Sci-Fi
2:00 Block 7: New York Horror & Suspense FIlms (97 mins plus Q&As)
Three unforgettable horror/suspense shorts and one short feature.
Wake Up Takes (NYC, Dark Satire, 10 mins, Q&A)
A manosphere podcast's biggest fan would do anything to guest on an episode. Director: Cody Mason.
Survival Story (Syracuse University, Thriller, 19 mins, Q&A)
A weekend getaway in a secluded cabin is the perfect location for taut suspense. Director: Adam Huffman.
Noise Within (RIT, Drama/Suspense, 12 mins, Q&A)
When an internal cochlear implant malfunctions twenty years after surgery, a Deaf woman is consumed by tinnitus and forced into a high-stakes decision with no clear way back. Director Joseph Ausenio is Deaf/Disabled. Trailer.
Green Flag (Buffalo, Horror-Thriller, 56 mins, Q&A)
A dating app leads to a night of terror for two young women. Director: Mandy Hebblethwaite.
5:00 Block 8: Freaky New York Films (93 mins plus Q&As)
An eclectic mix of experimental, comedy and horror.
Rustbelt Butterfly (Buffalo, Experimental, 9 mins, Q&A)
In this experimental narrative a woman is at the brink of a transformation that she never asked for, but like the native butterflies of Western New York, she evolves within the environment she has, finding community and herself. Director: Amanda Besl.
Me, Steve & the Monster Under My Bed
(Buffalo State University, Comedy, 10 mins, Q&A)
A young woman and her boyfriend tr to have sex, but the monster under her bed keeps cockblocking them. Director: Sam Tocke
The Freaks Go Marching (The Bronx, Horror-Comedy, 74 mins, Q&A)
Halloween comes early in this hilarious anthology from Boogie Down Bronx filmmakers Jerry Landi, Steven Franciosca, Jr., and TJ McGowan. The small town of City Island celebrates Halloween on a grand scale, but the real horror is what happens inside the homes. An anthology film that celebrates famous monsters from horror movies of the past. Get your freak on!
7:45 Block 9: New York Horror Shorts (80 mins)
Our final block features horror and weirdness you will never forget. We’re finishing strong1
Dear Satan (SVA, Animated, 4 mins)
Satan is attempts to deliver presents to all the children who misspell Santa as Satan in order to show Santa who's boss. Director: Daelan Hontanosas.
Do You Hear What I Hear? (Long Island, Horror, 9 mins)
On Christmas Eve, a couple is awakened by strangely familiar voices downstairs. Director: Manny Serrano.
Beast of the Frontier (Buffalo, Horror Western, 17 mins)
After fleeing from looters, a group of villagers must decide whether to survive in the woods or return to their overtaken camp. Directors: Josh McMillan & Hope Muehlbauer.
Machina (RIT, Horror/Sci-Fi, 5 mins)
AI is here, and it is eating itself. Machina is not a technology movie. It is about the breakdown of a faith and power structure we are already living in. Director: Daniel Noonan.
Cupcake (Buffalo, Horror, 3 mins)
When none of her friends show up to her birthday party, Kate decides to take matters into her own (blood-stained) hands. Director: Amanda R. Woomer.
Manic (Buffalo, Horror, 15 mins)
A mentally unstable former police detective plagued by trauma from an encounter with a serial killer is persuaded by her remote psychiatrist to undergo in-person treatment. Director: Amelia Favata.
PiE (Goshen, Horror Comedy, 5 mins)
A lonely man must overcome a demon who ate his pie. Directors: George Pavlidis & Jason Weiss.
We Like Red (Buffalo, Horror, 22 mins)
A confession. A friendship. A series of fractured memories. In the aftermath of an unthinkable act, two teenagers drift through a landscape where violence lingers beneath the surface and the line between reality and imagination slowly disappears. Director: Christopher D’Addario. Trailer.