Consider UMass.
It’s not under $50,000, but it is under $60,000 for tuition, fees, room & board for out of state students. My GS, also from NY and with similar stats to yours, received a package which put him under $40K.
It has a lot to offer for someone with your academic interests because it is a member of the Five College Consortium, which allows you to cross register for up to 2 courses per semester at any of the other 4 colleges in the consortium at no extra charge, starting 2nd semester of freshman year. Right in the center of town is Amherst College only a short bike ride away or an even shorter ride on the inter college shuttle - and it’s one of the very top small liberal arts colleges in the country. This immediately opens up to you a myriad of English courses, taught by top professors in small, seminar style classes. In addition, Hampshire College, another small liberal arts college, is just on the opposite side of town and reachable by the same shuttle bus. Hampshire has a top film program to supplement courses at UMass in your other interest area. Hampshire alums include film luminaries Ken Burns, Madeline Hunt-Ehrlich, and Che Williams.