The 2026 Barrier Island Film Festival is set to showcase some of the most talented filmmakers and performers from the Long Beach area. On March 7 and 8, the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society will host the second annual festival \u2014 eight short films featuring local actors, directors and locations \u2014 as the museum\u2019s latest fundraising activity.<\/p>\n
Long Beach resident Mark Montalbano, the festival curator, has had a hand in nearly every aspect of filmmaking \u2014 acting, writing, directing and producing. Not only can he be seen in several of the featured films, but his semi-autobiographical entry, \u201cBound by Bushwick,\u201d will cap the event with one showing on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started because Mark and his colleagues featured in the murder mystery plays that we do as a fundraiser,\u201d Jeanne Browne, director of the historical society. For more than five years, the museum has hosted and coordinated annual murder mysteries as an interactive fundraising event.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s film festival, Brown explained, \u201cis an outgrowth of that that we started last year. It\u2019s really a fundraiser for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s films cover a range of genres. \u201cLast Set\u201d explores the life of an aspiring bodybuilder. \u201cBlood is Bond,\u201d from Atlantic Beach-based duo Danny Pyle and Tyler Tamulinas, shows how far TV writers will go to get a big break. \u201cSuction,\u201d which has many scenes that were filmed in and around Long Beach, pulls viewers into a tense interrogation room, with Montalbano in a key role. Long Beach native Kyle McCarthy created \u201cClub Soda,\u201d which takes viewers into an awkward birthday party.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Whirl of Life\u201d uses authentic footage from 1915 to spotlight dance legends Vernon and Irene Castle, owners of Castles by the Sea nightclub and theater. Long Beach resident Elaine Del Valle directed \u201cPrincess Cut,\u201d which begins at a laundromat in the Hamptons and ends with a murder. \u201cSurfing on 9\/11,\u201d another film from McCarthy, depicts Sept. 11 from the perspective of a young teen riding the waves in Long Beach. And \u201cThe Rooftop\u201d stars Montalbano as a man on a mission, working against the distraction of a beautiful woman.<\/p>\n
The event kicks off on March 7 with two seatings, at 3 and 7 p.m. The following day, showings begin at 2 p.m. All eight films will be presented in each session, with roughly two hours of total running time. A Q&A panel with several filmmakers will follow each showing. On Sunday, \u201cBound by Bushwick\u201d \u2014 written, directed and co-produced by Montalbano \u2014 will be screened as a bonus feature. Former Long Beach City Council member Tina Posterli also appears in the film.<\/p>\n
Montalbano moved to Long Beach in 2021, after living in Manhattan for nearly 40 years, and soon began acting in the historical society\u2019s murder mystery fundraisers. He eventually saw an opportunity to blend his connections in the film world with the local cause, creating the film festival in 2024 and launching the inaugural event in March 2025. He wasn\u2019t after accolades or notoriety; he just wanted to give back to his new hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s strictly a fundraiser,\u201d he said of the event. \u201cIt\u2019s to bring the community together. It\u2019s to try to showcase the talent we have here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Browne maintains that it\u2019s a way to reach the community with an interesting presentation and highlight local performers, while raising crucial funds in a creative way. Last year\u2019s inaugural festival featured six short films and two music videos, one of which was filmed on location at the historical society headquarters on West Penn Street.<\/p>\n
City Council member George Ennis is no stranger to the world of film. He not only organized his own Long Beach-based film festival from 2007 to 2015, to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, but he has a role in this year\u2019s entry \u201cBlood is Bond.\u201d Ennis said he hoped the Barrier Island event would continue to grow. \u201cIt\u2019s good to highlight local filmmakers,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of what I did when I had my film festival, too. It was all local filmmakers. I\u2019d love to see this happen again. I\u2019d love to see it continue, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The film festival is a significant fundraiser for the historical society, which relies on an all-volunteer staff to maintain and operate the museum.<\/p>\n