The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) is proud to present the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival - America’s first and only Music Documentary Film Festival.

In 2025, the festival launched its inaugural season with great success, showcasing films about Harry Chapin, Public Enemy, The Beatles, The Zombies, Steppenwolf, Guggenheim Grotto, Ron Delsener, Garland Jeffreys, and more. The event brought together filmmakers, musicians, and audiences for a celebration of music, storytelling, and cultural heritage.

We were especially honored to learn that, after our very first year, the festival was voted Best Film Festival on Long Island in the 2026 Four Leaf Best of Long Island competition, an exciting achievement, particularly since we were nominated alongside some well-established and respected festivals.

Now, having completed its first season, the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival is preparing for its second festival on September 25th-27th, 2026.

Film submissions are now being accepted. We are welcoming works from around the world that explore music scenes, music history, tours, biographies, festivals, music education, concerts, culture, music technology, and the transformative power of music.

The festival takes place at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook, New York. Founded in 2004, LIMEHOF celebrates and preserves Long Island’s profound impact on global music culture. The nonprofit organization encompasses Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Brooklyn, and has inducted legends such as Billy Joel, Lou Reed, Clive Davis, Public Enemy, Carter Burwell, the Ramones, Run-DMC, Carole King, Count Basie, Barbra Streisand, George Gershwin, Neil Diamond, Vince Giordano, Mariah Carey, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Arlo Guthrie, and Cyndi Lauper. Beyond celebrating these icons, LIMEHOF invests in the future through scholarships, educational programs, and its state-of-the-art traveling museum.

The three-day festival fosters dialogue among filmmakers, musicians, and audiences, while creating a unique space where music and film converge. In addition to screenings, the program features Q&A sessions, panel discussions, press opportunities, and live performances on the LIMEHOF stage by musicians featured in the films.

With the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival, the Hall of Fame continues to honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire future generations of music lovers.

Awards & Prizes

The festival presents a Jury Award for Best Short and Best Feature Music Documentary, as well as Audience Choice Awards, where attendees vote for their favorite films. Judges consider artistic merit, storytelling, technical excellence, and contribution to the music documentary genre.

Rules & Terms

Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Music Documentary Film Festival Rules and Terms

By submitting your work to the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) Music Documentary Film Festival, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to the festival’s Rules and Terms, and you agree to abide by all Terms and Conditions of participation.

General Rules
• Film Length: Submissions for feature music docs must be a minimum length of 50 minutes. Submission for short music docs must be under 50 minutes.
• Language Requirements: All non-English films must include English subtitles.
• Original Work: Submissions must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe on any copyrights or rights of third parties. The submitter affirms that all necessary permissions, including those for music, sound, and images, have been obtained.
• Official Selections: Once selected, no film may be withdrawn from the festival program.

Festival Liability and Indemnity
• By submitting, entrants release and hold LIMEHOF, its Board of Directors, Officers, Staff, and Volunteers harmless from any claims, demands, costs, damages, or expenses arising from the screening or any third-party claims.
• The festival’s decisions regarding judgment, selection, awards, schedules, venues or other activities, all of which are within the sole and absolute discretion of LIMEHOF, are final and binding.
• LIMEHOF reserves the right to refuse any submission for any reason and does not provide screening fees.

Festival Rights
• By submitting, you grant LIMEHOF the right to use press materials, stills, and promotional content from your film for marketing and festival promotion on websites and social media platforms.
• Selected films may be screened once at the annual showcasing event, and trailers or promotional videos may be publicly displayed on social media.
• Screening dates, times, and venues are subject to change.

Technical and Operational Requirements
• LIMEHOF is not responsible for submissions that are missing, damaged, unreadable, lost in transit, or stolen.
• Submissions must comply with festival guidelines, rules, and technical specifications. Non-compliance may result in disqualification.

Submission Requirements
• Materials Required: Submissions must include film stills, production pictures, a downloadable poster, and a trailer or teaser.
• Screeners: If not uploaded via FilmFreeway, online screeners (e.g., Vimeo, YouTube) with passwords must be provided, and any changes must be updated promptly.
• Judging Access: Screeners must be downloadable and available to judges and programmers throughout the submission season.

Submission Fee
• All submissions must be accompanied by the applicable submission fee, paid via the FilmFreeway platform. All fees are non-refundable.

Eligibility Requirements
• Films may be submitted regardless of their premiere status or completion date.
• Submissions must include:
• A brief synopsis
• A trailer
• High-resolution publicity stills (minimum 72 dpi)
• A poster
• Only completed films will be considered.
• LIMEHOF does not accept films in the DCP format for festival screenings.
• Eligibility is limited to persons over the age of 18 (or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, if greater)

Ineligible Content

LIMEHOF does not accept:
• Extremist or propaganda content from political or religious organizations.
• Films with poor production standards, including inadequate sound quality, missing subtitles for non-English films, or resolution below 720p HD.
• Watermarked films.

Submission Agreement

By submitting, you confirm that:
1. You are authorized to submit the work and have secured all necessary rights, licenses, and releases.
2. LIMEHOF has the right to exhibit and promote the submitted work as described in these rules.
3. You indemnify and hold LIMEHOF harmless against any claims related to copyright, trademarks, publicity, defamation or any violation of the rights of any person or entity.

Failure to comply with these terms may result in disqualification or removal from the festival lineup without refund.
5 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • susan carpenter

    I had a wonderful experience with the LIMEHOF film fest. As a first-time filmmaker with a music doc that wasn’t about a band and didn’t have any significant celebrities attached, I appreciated that they gave me a chance and included me. And when I was there, they were super supportive. Highly recommend!

    October 2025
    Helpful
  • Jennifer Uihlein

    From the moment I arrived, it was clear that LIMEHOF understood both the art of documentary storytelling and the unique spirit of the music world. The festival struck an ideal balance between professional presentation and heartfelt community, creating an environment where filmmakers could not only showcase their work, but truly connect — with each other, with audiences, and with the vibrant Long Island music heritage that inspired this event.

    Having the chance to screen Notes on a Page to a local Long Island audience was a deeply meaningful moment. But what made it even more unforgettable was presenting my film in a space that was also home to a breathtaking exhibit on Billy Joel — a Long Island legend whose music has shaped the soundtrack of so many lives, including my own. The synergy between the films and the surrounding exhibits gave the festival an added emotional depth that I’ve rarely experienced elsewhere.

    LIMEHOF managed to get it so right — right out of the gate. From the warm hospitality to the thoughtful programming and seamless organization, every detail felt intentional and passionate. Most importantly, the friendships and creative bonds formed during this weekend will stay with me long after the final credits have rolled.

    Thank you, LIMEHOF, for championing music documentaries, for honoring local voices, and for giving filmmakers a space to shine. I’m already looking forward to seeing how this incredible festival grows in the years to come.

    September 2025
    Helpful
  • Dave Andrae

    The first impression I got from the inaugural Music Documentary Film Festival lineup, and LIMEHOF in general, is that they're passionate about music. This extends beyond Billy Joel and entails music from a variety of genres, different eras (past and present), local and international, independent and more mainstream, and so on. The result is a coherent overall program that accommodates a lot of different but also strangely complementary creative visions. I'd recommend this festival to other moviemakers.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • John Rose

    This was an amazing event with legendary performances as well as amazing and informative documentary films. Can't wait till next year.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Will Chase

    My team and I had an amazing experience in Long Island. Tom and Wendy curated an amazing set of films and we were honored to be included. For a festival's inaugural season, it was top rate and well run. Bravo!

    August 2025
    Helpful