It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October and is held in theatre venues located in the Long Island area of New York, United States.

Approximately 18,000 visitors attend each festival and close to a hundred films are featured each year, including an annual representation of at least twenty countries and an awards package worth over $200,000.

[1] The festival is also involved with other events during the remainder of the year, including screenings in other parts of New York State and an annual Screenwriters Lab.

The mentors advise in a "one-on-one" laboratory setting, whilst scheduled daily events allow participants to engage with board members, sponsors, the local creative community and other festival supporters.

The Lab actively seeks a broad selection of screenplays that cumulatively address a diversity of subject matter.