The Second Annual LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival will be held at the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook Village from September 25 through 27. Tom Needham, Executive Director of the film festival said, “This is one of the only film festivals that actually takes place in a museum and presently it contains the Everybody Loves Raymond Exhibit and the Billy Joel Exhibit. You’re going to be surrounded by great music memorabilia while you check out the films, live performances, Q&A panel discussions and even grab something to eat in the village. It’s a great festival.”

Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties. It was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened at its picturesque location in Stony Brook Village overlooking Long Island Sound. The organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships and awards to Long Island students and educators.

This year’s festival has expanded significantly from 20 films when it launched last year to over 40 films featuring music legends like Ann Wilson, Kenny Loggins, Billy Preston, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, Foo Fighters, Eraserheads, Billy Joel, Peter, Paul & Mary, and many more. In addition to movies from the United States, the festival includes international films. Sixteen of the films are premiering on Long Island, with three of them being world premieres.

“No one else is showing only music documentaries and they have become incredibly popular,” Needham said. “With the loss of MTV, artists now are looking for ways to visually tell their story so they are either putting out their own documentary or someone is putting out a documentary about them. It has become a very important part of the music business and fans love to see deep dives into their favorite musicians.”

Opening night (Friday, 9/25) will feature Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart by Dori Berinstein a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and Emmy Award-winning director, producer and writer of film and TV. Needham said, “Kenny Loggins has had hits for decades plus big songs that have appeared in movies. He opens up a lot in his film and it’s very well made. The director is expected to attend and participate in a Q&A panel.”

Preceding the Kenny Loggins film is a powerful documentary on Ann Wilson from Heart that she narrates. Larry “The Duck” Dunne from WLIR-FM and SiriusXM will be doing a Q&A with the director of that film and also an interview with the director of a short film on Billy Joel that’s opening before the Ann Wilson film.