How Stony Brook Helped Shape the Famulari Brothers’ Film Careers

Growing up in Stony Brook, graduating from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and now being honored at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame - it's a surreal, full-circle moment for independent filmmakers and brothers Ryan Famulari '09, MFA '13 and Anthony Famulari '11.

"We are Stony Brook. Stony Brook is us," said Ryan. "It is such a huge part of who we are. It was such a special moment for us to screen our film and be honored by the Hall of Fame - which is literally a stone's throw from where we grew up."

That film, Best Man, is the brothers' first independent feature. The pair, who lived in Los Angeles for several years, have also produced several short films, including The Switcheroo, which was featured in the Stony Brook Film Festival in 2022. "We had played that short at other festivals, but to be a part of the Stony Brook Film Festival - something that we went to when we were younger - was such a cool experience," said Anthony.

Before they were filmmakers - wearing all the different hats of writer, director, actor, editor and producer - they were Seawolves navigating the paths that led them to these moments.

Read the full story by Christine McGrath in SB Matters.