The Gold Coast International Film Festival launched in 2011, on the north shore of

North Hempstead, New York North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hem ...

. The festival, now held every November, completed its 7th year in 2017. The festival is produced by the Gold Coast Arts Center, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) multi-arts center based in Great Neck, NY. Founding sponsors of the festival include the Town of North Hempstead and Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The festival was founded with the mission of establishing a home on Long Island to showcase the work of exceptional filmmakers and provide the public with an insider's view of the film industry. Festival events include screenings, workshops, conversations with prominent members of the film community, parties.

Venues

Screening venues for the festival include Bow Tie Cinemas in Port Washington, Manhasset, Great Neck, and Roslyn, and Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington. Additional screenings and special events have been held at the Gold Coast Arts Center, Hofstra University, LIU Post / Tilles Center, Nassau County Museum of Art, NYIT's Auditorium on Broadway and deSeversky Mansion, Landmark on Main Street, the Port Washington, Manhasset and Great Neck libraries, Cinema Arts Center in Huntington, and Chaminade High School. In its initial year, former Town of North Hempstead Supervisor 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.

Honorees

The 2014 Artist of Distinction Award was presented to

Catherine Martin Catherine Martin may refer to: * Cathie Martin (born 1955), professor of plant sciences at the University of East Anglia * Catherine Martin (designer) (born 1965), Australian costume designer, production designer, set designer and film producer * Ca ...

, Academy Award-Winning Production & Costume Designer of ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...

'' and ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...

''. Writer-director

Talya Lavie Talya Lavie (born 1978) is an Israeli filmmaker best known for her 2014 debut feature, '' Zero Motivation''. Early life Lavie attended the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design as well as the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem. Whi ...

was presented with the festival's first Screenwriting Award for her film ''

Zero Motivation ''Zero Motivation'' (Hebrew title: אפס ביחסי אנוש, ''Zero on Interpersonal Relations'') is a 2014 Israeli black comedy film directed by Talya Lavie. The film premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival where it received two awards. It ...

''. Comedian

Susie Essman Susan Essman is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer and television producer, best known for her role as Susie Greene on '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'', Bobbi Wexler on ''Broad City'', and the voice of Mittens in '' Bolt''. Early life Es ...

received GCIFF's 2013 Artist of Distinction Award, and actor

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

received a lifetime achievement award. Actor, director, and producer

Edward Burns Edward Fitzgerald Burns (born January 29, 1968) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director best known for appearing in several films including ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998), '' 15 Minutes'' (2001), ''Life or Something Like It'' (200 ...

, 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. Actor

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver B ...

received the 2011 Legend Award. Dern played Tom Buchanan in the 1974 Robert Redford film, ''

'' based on the book by

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

. 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

'' Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel'', a 2018 documentary film about the underdog

Israel national baseball team The Israel national baseball team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בבייסבול) represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Israeli-American former Major League Baseball World Series champion, World Baseball Classic champion, ...

competing for the first time in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2018 Gold Coast International Film Festival. Film highlights of the 2014 festival included the World Premiere of the

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the ...

film ''August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand'', ''

Human Capital Human capital is a concept used by social scientists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a substantial ...

'', ''When the Garden Was Eden'' with writer Harvey Araton, and

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

winner ''

''. Notable films of 2013 included eventual Oscar-nominee ''

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

'' starring

, '' The Face of Love'' starring

Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over four decades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominat ...

, and ''

The Short Game ''The Short Game'' is a 2013 documentary film about 7- and 8-year-old golfers. Produced by Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel and directed by Josh Greenbaum, it presents eight entrants in the 2012 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship. The film premi ...

''. Events included a conversation with writer

Jay McInerney John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include '' Bright Lights, Big City'', ''Ransom'', '' Story of My Life'', ''Brightness Falls'', and ''The Last of ...

about bringing his novel '' Bright Lights, Big City'' to the big screen, and a screening of '' The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers'' with former Israeli Ambassador to the UK and author

Yehuda Avner Yehuda Avner ( he, יהודה אבנר; December 30, 1928 – March 24, 2015) was an Israeli prime ministerial advisor, diplomat, and author. He served as Speechwriter and Secretary to Israeli Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Levi Eshkol, and as Advi ...

. Film highlights of the 2012 festival included '' 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 In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'', ''

A Royal Affair ''A Royal Affair'' ( da, En kongelig affære) is a 2012 drama film directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander and Mikkel Følsgaard. The story is set in the 18th century, at the court of the mentally ill King Christian VI ...

'', and David O. Russell's ''

Silver Linings Playbook ''Silver Linings Playbook'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. The film was based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel ''The Silver Linings Playbook''. It stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawre ...

''. The 2012 Festival's notable events included: * Conversation with Hollywood agent Budd Burton Moss, and also featuring actor

Andrew Prine Andrew Lewis Prine (February 14, 1936 – October 31, 2022) was an American film, stage, and television actor. Early life and career Prine was born in Jennings, Florida. After graduation from Miami Jackson High School in Miami, Prine attended ...

, actress/producer Heather Lowe, model/actress

Kiera Chaplin Kiera Chaplin (born 1 July 1982) is a model, entrepreneur and actress from Northern Ireland. She is the granddaughter of the English filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and the great-granddaughter of the American dramatist Eugene O'Neill. Biography Cha ...

, and filmmaker Loren Herbert * Screening of the classic film ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'', featuring a conversation with original cast member

Russ Tamblyn Russell Irving Tamblyn, also known as Rusty Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934) is an American film and television actor and dancer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor f ...

* Panel on independent filmmaking with screenwriter/producer

David L. Paterson David Lord Paterson (born 1966) is an American screenwriter, actor and producer. In August 1974, Paterson's best friend, eight-year-old Lisa Christina Hill, Lisa Hill, was struck by lightning and killed. His mother, author Katherine Paterson, u ...

('' Bridge to Terabitiha'') and director Louis Guerra (''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'') * 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 ''Chasing Madoff'' is a 2010 documentary film written and directed by Jeff Prosserman. The film is based on the book by Harry Markopolos. It was first released at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam on 19 November 2010. It wa ...

'', ''

The Best and the Brightest ''The Best and the Brightest'' (1972) is an account by journalist David Halberstam of the origins of the Vietnam War published by Random House. The focus of the book is on the foreign policy crafted by academics and intellectuals who were in Pr ...

'', '' Lucky'', ''

Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

'', ''

My Afternoons with Margueritte ''My Afternoons with Margueritte'' (French: ''La Tête en friche'') is a 2010 French film directed by Jean Becker, based on the book of the same name by Marie-Sabine Roger. It stars Gérard Depardieu, Gisèle Casadesus, Claire Maurier, Maurane, a ...

'', ''

Bob and the Monster ''Bob and the Monster'' is a 2011 documentary film by Keirda Bahruth which profiles musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest. Synopsis This documentary film follows outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest, through his life-threatening struggle with ...

'' and ''

Tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft * ''Ta ...

''.

Awards

The 2014 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards: * Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: ''

Paulette Paulette may refer to: *Paulette (name), French feminine given name *Paulette (tax) * Paulette Caveat - a caveat filed in 1973 by a group of Dene chiefs at the land titles office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to gain a legal interest in 40 ...

'', directed by Jérôme Enrico * Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: ''August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand'', directed by Sam Pollard * Audience Award for Best Short Film: ''Welcome to China'', directed by Olivier Ayache-Vidal * Jury Award for Best Short Film: ''Why Do I Study Physics?'', directed by Xiangjun Shi The 2013 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards: * Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: ''

'', directed by

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films ''Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), ''About Schmidt'' (2002), ''Sideways'' (2004), ''The Desc ...

and '' Foreign Letters'', directed by

Ela Thier Ela or ELA may refer to: Companies and organizations * Basque Workers' Solidarity (Basque: '), a trade union * Earth Liberation Army * ELA Aviación, a Spanish aircraft manufacturer * English Lacrosse Association * Equatorial Launch Australia, ...

* Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: '' Comedy Warriors: Healing Through Humor'', directed by John Wager and '' The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers'', directed by Richard Trank * Audience Award for Best Short Film: ''Plurality'', directed by Dennis A. Liu * Jury Award for Best Short Film: ''Noah'', directed by Patrick Cederberg & Walter Woodman The 2012 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards: * Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: ''

'', directed by

David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films ''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (200 ...

* Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: ''One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das'', directed by Jeremy Friendel * Audience Award for Best Short Film: ''Pigeon Impossible'', directed by Lucas Martell * Jury Award for Best Short Film: ''

Luminaris ''Luminaris'' is a 2011 short film directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella, which uses the pixilation technique to blend real actors with animated objects. The film won awards at 324 international film festivals, including the Woodstock Film Festival and ...

'', 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: *

was honored with the first-ever GCIFF Legend Award. * The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Jean Becker's film ''

''. * The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to ''

'',

Keirda Bahruth Keirda Bahruth (born January 26, 1971 in West Islip, NY) is an American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. She began her career working on Music Videos and Commercials before a move to New York teamed her up with legendary ''Saturday Night Liv ...

's documentary about

Bob Forrest Robert O'Neil "Bob" Forrest (born February 15, 1961) is an American musician who is best known for his work with the Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. Forrest, a recovering drug addict, has worked for years as a recovery ...

. * Jury-Selected Best Feature Short went to ''Noreen'', directed by

Domhnall Gleeson Domhnall Gleeson (; born 12 May 1983) is an Irish actor and screenwriter. He is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, with whom he has appeared in a number of films and theatre projects. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts from Dublin Inst ...

* Jury-Selected Best Documentary Short went to '' In the Spirit of Laxmi'', directed by Megan Shea. *

won the

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

Trailer Competition, closely beating out My Sucky Teen Romance directed by

Emily Hagins Emily Hagins (born October 27, 1992) is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker. Biography Emily Hagins made her first feature at the age of 12 in her hometown of Austin, Texas – a zombie movie called ''Pathogen (film), Pathogen''. The documentary ''Zomb ...

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. Notable screenings have included: ''

Life is Beautiful ''Life Is Beautiful'' ( it, La vita è bella, ) is a 1997 Italian comedy drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who employ ...

'', ''

Amélie ''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume L ...

'', ''

The King's Speech ''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language ...

'', ''

The Descendants ''The Descendants'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the mai ...

'', '' The Artist'', and ''

Philomena Philomena ( el, Ἁγία Φιλομένα), also known as Saint Philomena or ''Philomena of Rome'' was a young virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore ...

''.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://goldcoastfilmfestival.org Film festivals in New York (state) Town of North Hempstead, New York Tourist attractions in Nassau County, New York