The festival slate was unveiled during the 2006 Staten Island Economic Development Corp. conference at the Hilton Garden in Bloomfield.
The festival, which is being presented by the Richmond County Savings Foundation, will take place June 1-4 at various locations throughout the borough.
A full list of the films will be available today on the festival's Web site, www.sifilmfestival.org.
Many of the films are made by people who have yet to become household names, but it doesn't affect the quality of the movies, according to those who have screened them.
"I watched a number of them and it was difficult to tell they were amateurs," said Borough President James Molinaro to a crowd of more than 100 who turned out for the announcement. "They are very professional."
Among the movies are a short about a disgruntled commuter who wants to build a catapult that launches people from the Island to Manhattan in five minutes; a feature film directed by Islander Armand Mastrioanni, and a tribute to actor Robert Loggia, who has appeared in numerous films, including "Scarface." The Loggia tribute will take place June 3, at 4 p.m. in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. It will be free and open to the public.
Many of the filmmakers chosen are former or current Islanders, including John Gigante, who lived in New Springville.
"It's a great experience to come back and film [on Staten Island]," said Gigante, whose movie "Cugini" will be shown June 3 at 4 p.m. in the Williamson Theatre at the College of Staten Island.
The romantic comedy, which Gigante directed, wrote and stared in, centers on Rick Cugini, who first learns he has a 5-year-old son he never knew about and then finds out his favorite childhood movie theater is closed.