On July 14, the LIIFE Closing Party and Awards Ceremony will honor one of Long Island’s most prominent independent filmmakers, Valley Stream native Ed Burns.

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The 14th annual Long Island International Film Expo will be held July 7-14 at the Bellmore Movies, showcasing more than 115 films from Long Island to Venezuela and around the world. While critically acclaimed short and feature-length, student and animated films will be shown, an abundance of documentaries and foreign films take the lead this year.

A full schedule can be viewed at www.longislandfilm.com. In the meantime, here are a few films to look out for. [Information/synopses provided by Long Island Film/TV Foundation.]

As If I Am Not There

As If I Am Not There is a story of a young woman from Sarajevo whose life is shattered the day a young soldier walks into her apartment and tells her to pack her things. Rounded up with the other women from the village and imprisoned in a warehouse in a remote region of Bosnia, she quickly learns the rules of camp life. The day she is picked out to ‘entertain’ the soldiers, the real nightmare begins. Stripped of everything she ever had and facing the constant threat of death, she struggles against all the hatred she sees around her. In a final act of courage or madness, she decides to make one last stand: to dare to be herself. And this simple act saves her life. It’s when she realizes that surviving means more than staying alive that she has to make a decision that will change her life forever. As If I Am Not There is a modern war story that explores love, identity and the connections between us. World Premiere. Cast includes: Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting). Writer/Director: Juanita Wilson. Producer: James Flynn. (brutality, rape, violence) Friday, July 8. 7 p.m. Opening Night Film Block. 70 minutes, Ireland, Sweden, Macedonia

Come Hell or High Water

A Long Island psychotherapist brings three NY trauma survivors to post-Katrina New Orleans to support his healing efforts with hurricane survivors and finds his own personal healing. Long Island Premiere. Co-Writer/Director/Producer: David J. Grand (Massapequa Park). Co-Producer: Russ Camarda (Lindenhurst). Co-Writer: Stefanie Kovac. Thursday, July 7. 5 p.m. film block. 79 minutes, Long Island, NYC & New Orleans, LA

Composed

Composed follows musician and dwarf, Chris Errera, in a dynamic portrayal of overcoming odds and championing fate throughout his everyday life. Simple daily activities require Chris to find the balance between strength and struggle. Chicago filmmaker, Charley Rivkin, wrote and directed Composed. This film is the first co-production between Renner Media Group and Frontsight Productions. Rivkin adeptly invites us on a journey that inspired the making of this film. Chris Errera, who stands a little over 4 feet tall, has faced many obstacles. Before his 18th birthday, he had already survived over 20 reconstructive leg surgeries. Soon after, Chris became paralyzed from the waist down. Chris is a classically trained pianist with fused fingers. Between writing and recording his music, he teaches autistic children music theory. Chris has been able to accomplish all of this because of his strong will, huge heart and has always challenged himself to never let his physical disabilities define him as disadvantaged. New York Premiere. Producer: David Slania, David Pinsky, Debbie Renner, Michael Nehs. (79m, Documentary, Chicago, IL, USA) Sunday, July 10, 2011 4:30 p.m. Film Block

Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America

Five women with disabilities on their journey to the 2010 Ms. Wheelchair America pageant, where the concept of beauty is defined through the lens of advocacy and perseverance. Long Island Premiere. Narrated by Golden Globe winner Katey Sagal (Married with Children, Futurama) Director/Producer: Alexis Ostrander. Executive Producer: Manuela Ikenze. Producer: Molly Kasch, Meagan Keane. Saturday, July 9. 1:30 p.m. Film Block. 79 minutes, USA

Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football

Fordson follows a high school football team from Dearborn, Michigan as it prepares for its big cross-town rivalry game. The story is set at Fordson High School, a public school, which was once all white, but now boasts a 98% Arab-American population. As we follow the team on the road to victory, Fordson unearths the story of a community desperately holding onto its Islamic faith while struggling to gain acceptance in post 9-11 America. Writer: Ruth Leitman. Director/Executive Producer: Rashid Ghazi. Co-Producers: Basma Babar-Quraishi, Ash-har Quraishi. Monday, July 11. 2:30 p.m. Film Block. 100 minutes, Michigan.

On Air

A hobby-psychologist (Markus Knuefken) runs the pirate radio show Nighthawk from the basement of his house, and every night he goes on air as Doc Rock. Unexpectedly, a serial killer, The Night-Slasher, calls in on his show, and now…Doc has to stop him from killing his next victim. The struggle for survival is ON…AIR. Writer/Co-Director: Marco J. Riedl. Co-Directors: Marco J. Riedi, Carsten Vauth. Producer: Marc Steinicke. 20 minutes, Germany. Saturday, July 9. 9:30 p.m. Horror Block

Strings

In the wake of his daughter’s death, a troubled musician seeks out an experimental therapist to turn his life around. When the therapist calls for him to leave everything behind and take on a new identity, the musician realizes his new life isn’t what it seems. Co-Directors/Co-Producers: Mark Dennis and Ben Foster. Writer: Mark Dennis. Co-Producers: Spencer Greenwood, Gretchen Upshaw, DJ Castillo, Terry Melton. Sunday, July 10. 7 p.m. Film Block. 99 minutes, Queens

WTFU

Dave Grayson is the most successful morning-talk show producer Long Island has ever seen. His perky chat show is popular with viewers and advertisers alike. And Dave could not be more sick of it. In an effort to get out of his contract and take a lifetime opportunity overseas he tries something new. Dave replaces the show’s perky co-hosts with the two most offensive human beings he can find. Director: Allison Lane. Writers/Producers: Allison Lane, Chris Ritter. Sunday, July 10. 9:30 p.m. Film Block. 26 minutes, Nassau County & Manhattan