Gold Coast International Film Festival
The Gold Coast International Film Festival launched June 1–5, 2011, on the north shore of North Hempstead, New York.[1] The festival was produced by the Great Neck Arts Center, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) multi-arts center in Great Neck, NY, and hosted by founding sponsor the Town of North Hempstead, which also provided significant funding. The second installment of GCIFF took place October 22–28, 2012.
Venues
Screening venues included Clearview Cinemas in Port Washington, New Hyde Park, Manhasset, Great Neck, and Roslyn. Additional screenings and special events have been held at the Nassau County Museum of Art,[1] NYIT's Auditorium on Broadway and deSeversky Mansion, Landmark on Main Street, the Port Washington Library, the Manhasset Public Library, and Chaminade High School.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman is supporting the festival, as are local businesses in the area.[2] Jon Kaiman and the North Hempstead Town Board were supportive of the festival to showcase the Town's local communities and was pleased that the festival boosted local economy.[3]
Honorees
Actor, director, and producer Edward Burns, who was raised in Nassau County, Long Island, was the recipient of GCIFF's 2012 Artist of Distinction Award. He presented his latest film, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, which was filmed largely on Long Island.[4]
Actor Bruce Dern received the 2011 Legend Award.[5] Dern played Tom Buchanan in the 1974 Robert Redford film, The Great Gatsby based on the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald.[1] The "Great Gatsby" is set on Long Island's Gold Coast—the exact location of the Gold Coast International Film Festival—during the summer of 1922.
Films and events
Film highlights of the 2012 festival include Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, the 1920 silent film The Mark of Zorro with live organ accompaniment, Dustin Hoffman's Quartet, A Royal Affair, and David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook.
The 2012 Festival's notable events included:
- Conversation with Hollywood agent Budd Burton Moss, and also featuring actor Andrew Prine, actress/producer Heather Lowe, model/actress Kiera Chaplin, and filmmaker Loren Herbert
- Screening of the classic film West Side Story, featuring a conversation with original cast member Russ Tamblyn
- Panel on independent filmmaking with screenwriter/producer David L. Paterson (Bridge to Terabitiha) and director Louis Guerra (Homeland)
- Screening of the film Mother of Normandy, featuring a panel with director Doug Stebleton, writer Jeff Stoffer, Maurice Renaud, and Peter Kinney
The 2011 Festival screened 65 feature-length and 20 short films – "a roster of bold, dynamic films" and "content with outstanding merit, new, old, long and short." Notable screenings included Chasing Madoff, The Best and the Brightest, Lucky, Submarine, My Afternoons with Margueritte, Bob and the Monster and Tabloid.
Awards
The 2012 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards:[6]
- Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Silver Linings Playbook, directed by David O. Russell
- Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das, directed by Jeremy Frindel
- Audience Award for Best Short Film: Pigeon Impossible, directed by Lucas Martell
- Jury Award for Best Short Film: Luminaris, directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella
- Jury Award for Best Student Short Film: Sight, directed by Daniel Lazo and Eran May-Raz
The 2011 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards:[7]
- Bruce Dern was honored with the first-ever GCIFF Legend Award.
- The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Jean Becker's film My Afternoons with Margueritte.
- The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Bob and the Monster, Keirda Bahruth's documentary about Bob Forrest.
- Jury-Selected Best Feature Short went to Noreen, directed by Domhnall Gleeson
- Jury-Selected Best Documentary Short went to In the Spirit of Laxmi, directed by Megan Shea.
- Bob and the Monster won the New York Post Trailer Competition, closely beating out My Sucky Teen Romance directed by Emily Hagins.
Year-round screenings
The Festival presents year-round screenings through its Furman Film Series. For over 15 years, the Furman Film Series has presented a sophisticated cross-section of powerful and thought-provoking independent, art, classic, and foreign films. The series mainly hosts sneak previews of highly anticipated films prior to their theatrical release dates followed by a discussion with a relevant speaker who provides exciting insight into the film and subject matter. Summer 2011 screenings include: "Sarah's Key", "Senna", "Bob & the Monster", "My Afternoons with Margueritte" and "The Debt". The Fall 2011 series starts October 6, 2011.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Genn, Adina (2011-03-23). "Get Ready for The Gold Coast International Film Festival - Port Washington, NY Patch". Portwashington.patch.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Long Island Starts Gold Coast Film Festival". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ "Gold Coast International Film Festival to Play in Manhasset". Antonnews.com. 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Guzman, Rafer (30 August 2012). "Second Gold Coast film festival dates announced". Newsday. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ↑ March 12, 2011 (2011-03-12). "First Gold Coast International Film Festival to honor Bruce Dern". NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ "Awards". Goldcoastfilmfestival.org. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ↑ "2011 Festival Overview | Gold Coast International Film Festival". Goldcoastfilmfestival.org. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2012-05-26.