WLIW21 Premieres Long Island Screening Room, New Monthly Series Featuring Long Island Professional and Student Filmmakers

The new program turns its lens towards what makes up the fabric of Long Island

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WLIW21 continues its commitment to presenting the topics and issues most important to the Long Island community with Long Island Screening Room premiering on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 10p.m. The monthly program airs at 10 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month on WLIW21. After the broadcast, each episode will be available to viewers online on Watch WLIW21.

Long Island Screening Room spotlights the work of professional and student filmmakers who work or study on Long Island, or who focus their camera on what makes up the fabric of the Long Island community. The program will feature all film genres to illustrate themes that are important, poignant and under-discovered in the community, presented through the art of filmmaking. Executive Producer Diane Masciale will serve as host and conduct interviews with someone connected with the films about the respective journeys in creating each project. Additionally, Long Island Screening Room will share insights about the film culture on Long Island including film festivals, new university programs, special events and more.

"By showcasing the local talent and perspectives of filmmakers who call Long Island home, Long Island Screening Room provides yet another example of WLIW21's on-going commitment to engaging and serving the community," says John Servidio. 

The premiere episode features two films by Long Island University C.W. Post students - Poker Face by Gia McKenna and End of the Great American Businessman by Robert LaRosa. Poker Face chronicles the double life of a young woman struggling with a serious poker addiction. End of the Great American Businessman examines the emotional struggles with which families grapple when unemployment hits home. Long Island University professor and filmmaker Susan Zeig served as a mentor and professor to these two new filmmakers.

Long Island Screening Room is a production of WLIW21 in association with WNET. 

WNET is the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York's public television stations and operator of NJTV. For 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local documentaries and other programs for the New York community.  

Long Island Screening Room is made possible by public television viewers.

Producer is Rebecca Fasanello. Executive Producer for Local Programming is Diane Masciale.  Executive-in-Charge of Production is John Servidio

About WNET
In 2013, WNET is celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Need to Know, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region.

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SOURCE WNET