About the Festival : Lighthouse International Film Festival Long Beach Island New Jersey

Our Mission and Objective

The Lighthouse International Film Festival is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to showcasing new and innovative films and fostering the next generation of filmmakers. The festival offers four days of films, panels, Q&A's, networking, parties and surfing, and draws some of the industry's top film critics, producers and distributors. The festival also seeks to serve the community by presenting unique programs that inspire, engage and challenge a diverse audience through the art of film.

About the Festival

The Lighthouse International Film Festival was founded by a collection of filmmakers, film critics and film industry professionals who share a passion for film and wanted to create an event aimed first and foremost at film enthusiasts. The 2009 festival will present feature films, 20 shorts, documentaries and family films, as well as panel discussions with leading film industry professionals. Taking place on Long Beach Island, NJ -- one of the East coast’s most popular surfing destinations -- the festival celebrates four days of new, exciting and challenging films in honor of Long Beach Island’s historic Barnegat Lighthouse.

Festival Organizers

Born in New York's Hudson Valley, Craig McKay is an award-winning feature film editor, director, and executive producer. Recognized with two Academy Award nominations for editing Reds and The Silence of the Lambs, and an Emmy and Eddie Award for editing the NBC mini-series Holocaust, he has edited more than fifty films including Philadelphia, The Manchurian Candidate, Cop Land and Maid in Manhattan. His directing credits include the Emmy Award-winning Bubbe Meises, Bubbbe Stories for PBS and HBO's Subway Stories: The Red Shoes, written by John Guare. Story consultant credits include Bravo's Haiti: Dreams of Democracy, Academy Award-nominated Mandela, and PBS's award-winning Witness: Voices from the Holocaust. Craig has served as a creative advisor at the Sundance Institute Filmmaker's Lab and is also an executive producer of the award-winning feature-length documentary A Normal Life. He is a member of the DGA, AMPAS, WGAE and Local 700. McKay has been elected to membership in the American Cinema Editors.