The Long Island International Film Expo gets under way

The red carpet has made its way back to the historic Bellmore Movies. Film buffs, along with filmmakers and related industry professionals, have eagerly welcomed the 18th installment of the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE), which opened Wednesday, July 8 and runs through July 16.
Merrick’s Debra Markowitz, the dynamo behind the scenes — as Director of the Nassau County Film Commission and executive director of the Long Island Film/TV Foundation, which presents the Long Island International Film Expo — finds herself in a dual role this year.
Markowitz now sits in a director’s chair as well,. She joins the legions of filmmakers presenting their works at the festival, with her two projects,“Leaving” and “The Last Taxi Driver,” screening opening week.
“It’s quite an honor for me to have both of them shown at my hometown film festival,” says Markowitz. “I’m very excited to have them there so that more people can see them,” Markowitz says of her films, which have begun to make the rounds of the festival circuit. “I’m so glad people like them and they are getting selected for other festivals, which is a good validation for me. After so many years of helping people with their films, its so interesting to see what the others say about your films when you are on the other end.”
“The Last Taxi Driver,” a dark horror comedy about a disgruntled taxi driver who refuses to give up his taxi route even though most of the inhabitants left in post-apocalyptic America are zombies, had its premiere Wednesday. “Leaving,” a spiritual story about a woman who leaves her husband and children due to events beyond her control, is being screened as part of the official opening night film block on Friday, July 10, along with the festival’s opening feature, “Wildlike.” Inspired by a dream Markowitz had one night, “Leaving” premiered at the SoHo Film Festival in May.
“It seems to have touched a lot of people,” Markowitz says. “The story spoke to me. When I woke that morning after that dream, I put the pieces together and knew it had to be a movie.”