The Greenwich International Film Festival (or GIFF) is a non-profit organization that celebrates the visual arts in Greenwich, CT, with an annual film festival in June and supporting events throughout the year. The Festival, located in downtown Greenwich, features film screenings, premieres, events and parties showcasing filmmakers, panel discussions, and an award ceremony. The Festival focuses on "socially conscious" films, acting in partnership with nonprofits. The four-day Festival features 60+ domestic and international film premieres and screenings educational panels and workshops, The inaugural Festival took place from June 4–7, 2015, and multiple events were hosted prior to that date, beginning with a March 2, 2014 launch party covering the 86th Academy Awards. In addition to the annual Festival, GIFF hosts year-round screenings of socially conscious films.

History

Before the Inaugural Festival

The Greenwich International Film Festival was first envisioned by Wendy Stapleton Reyes, Carina Crain and Colleen deVeer, three friends and Greenwich locals involved in the area's non-profit industry. Planning for the festival began in early 2013, as according to Reyes, the founders "wanted about a two-and-a-half year cushion going in to the inaugural festival." The Festival's first official event was an Oscar-viewing launch party in March 2014, which was followed by the June 2014 hometown premiere screening of ''

Lucky Them ''Lucky Them'' is a 2013 American comedy-drama film directed by Megan Griffiths. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and in a June 2014 screening at the Greenwich International Fil ...

'' in Stamford, Connecticut, hometown of the film's producer and co-writer

Emily Wachtel Emily Wachtel is a producer and screenwriter. She originated and produced ''The Last Movie Stars'', the recently released six-part documentary film which chronicles the lives and careers of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The film was directed ...

. On October 22, 2014, GIFF hosted a screening of ''

The Good Lie ''The Good Lie'' is a 2014 American drama film written by Margaret Nagle and directed by Philippe Falardeau. The film stars Reese Witherspoon in the title role, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, and Corey Stoll. ''The Good Lie'' was s ...

'', in collaboration with and benefitting the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, a

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

on the subject of the

Lost Boys of Sudan The Lost Boys of Sudan refers to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1987–2005). Two million were killed and others were severely affected by th ...

, orphaned during the

Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated ...

Inaugural Festival- 2015

The inaugural Greenwich International Film Festival took place June 4 to 7, 2015. The Festival's charitable and socially conscious mission led it to donate a portion of proceeds to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, helping to support the OneminutesJr campaign, which equips young filmmakers with the resources to create one-minute short films, and showcases their work. Over 7,500 celebrities, filmmakers, journalists, financial executives, and movie lovers attended the Festival which featured 31 domestic and international films, educational panels that were free to the public, a Children's Acting Workshop, Q&A's, parties, and evening events.

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

and

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera '' Peyton Place'' and gained further recognition for her subsequent ...

were honored as the first-ever Changemakers in Film at the Changemaker Honoree Gala on June 6, 2015. The event was held at L’Escale restaurant in Greenwich.

Kathie Lee Gifford Kathryn Lee Gifford ( née Epstein; born August 16, 1953) is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress and author. From 1985 to 2000, she and Regis Philbin hosted the talk show '' Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''. Gifford is ...

and

Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest working ma ...

presented the awards and served as Masters of Ceremony for the award ceremony. On the last night of the Festival,

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Nadya Tolokonnikova ( rus, Надя Толоконникова, p=, full name Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova, rus, Надежда Андреевна Толоконникова, p=nɐˈdʲeʐdə təlɐˈkonʲːɪkəvə; born November 7, 1989) ...

and

Maria Alyokhina Maria Vladimirovna "Masha" Alyokhina ( rus, Мария Владимировна "Маша" Алёхина, p=ɐˈlʲɵxʲɪnə; born June 6, 1988) is a Russian political activist. She is a member of the anti-Putinist punk rock group Pussy Rio ...

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in August 2011, it has had a membership of appr ...

led a discussion on activism moderated by anti-corruption author

Zephyr Teachout Zephyr Rain Teachout (, born October 24, 1971) is an American attorney, author, political candidate, and associate professor of law at Fordham University. In 2014, Teachout ran for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of New York and lo ...

Second and Third Annual Festival- 2016 and 2017

Events leading up to the second annual festival including screening of the films ''

Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...

The Big Short ''The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine'' is a nonfiction book by Michael Lewis about the build-up of the United States housing bubble during the 2000s. It was released on March 15, 2010, by W. W. Norton & Company. It spent 28 weeks on '' ...

,'' and '' The Revenant.'' The advance screening of ''

'', co-sponsored by GIFF Board Member

Mark Teixeira Mark Charles Teixeira ( ; born April 11, 1980), nicknamed "Tex", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anahei ...

, included a post-film panel featuring three of the men that inspired roles in the film. In early January, GIFF presented the CT premiere of the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

series '' Billions.'' The screening of the pilot episode featured a post-screening panel moderated by

David Edelstein David Edelstein (born 1959) is a freelance American film critic who has been the principal film critic for ''Slate'' and ''New York'' magazine, among others, and has appeared regularly on NPR's ''Fresh Air'' and ''CBS Sunday Morning'' programs. O ...

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

, and featured GIFF Board Member and co-creator

David Levien David Levien (born December 9, 1967) is a screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. He is co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Showtime's '' Billions'', along with Brian Koppelman. Over the past two decades Levien has created an ...

, co-creator

Brian Koppelman Brian William Koppelman (born April 27, 1966) is an American showrunner. Koppelman is the co-writer of ''Ocean's Thirteen'' and ''Rounders'', the producer for films including '' The Illusionist'' and '' The Lucky Ones'', the director for films inc ...

, director of the pilot episode

Neil Burger Neil Norman Burger (born November 22, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary ''Interview with the Assassin'' (2002), the period drama '' The Illusionist'' (2006), '' Limitless'' (2011), and the sci-fi action film '' ...

, and actors

David Costabile David Costabile (; born January 9, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for his television work, having appeared in supporting roles in several television series such as '' Billions'', ''Breaking Bad'', ''Damages'', '' Flight of the Conc ...

and

Terry Kinney Terry Kinney (born January 29, 1954) is an American actor and theater director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Perry. Kinney is best known for his role as ...

. The 2016 Festival was scheduled for June 9–12. In 2017, the festival was held for the third time.

Jenna Bush Hager Jenna Welch Bush Hager (born November 25, 1981) is an American news personality, author, and journalist. She is the co-host of '' Today with Hoda & Jenna'', the fourth hour of NBC's morning news program ''Today.'' Hager and her fraternal twin sis ...

by then was a board member of GIFF.

Impact

The Festival donates a portion of proceeds to nonprofit organizations, with a partnership announced in August 2014 with

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

and the One Minute Foundation on the OneminutesJr campaign, which equips young filmmakers with the resources to create one-minute short films, and showcases their work. The selection of UNICEF as the Festival's first beneficiary organization was made to support efforts to "build a model that made the most of those connections to benefit both individual filmmakers and a charity everyone believed in." The Greenwich International Film Festival offers a number of awards and cash prizes, including an award for the Best Social Impact Film, which is a focus of the Festival. Awards include $10,000 cash prizes for Best Social Impact Film, Best Narrative Feature, and Best Documentary Feature, and $2,500 cash prized for Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short.

Notable Films

GIFF primarily showcases narrative and documentary features and short films. Recent premieres and award-winning films shown at GIFF include: ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

'', ''All Things Must Pass'', ''Jane Wants A Boyfriend'' (World Premiere), ''

I Smile Back ''I Smile Back'' is a 2015 American drama film directed by Adam Salky and based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Amy Koppelman, who wrote the screenplay with Paige Dylan. The film stars Sarah Silverman as an upper-middle-class wife and mot ...

'', ''

The Keeping Room ''The Keeping Room'' is a 2014 American Western film directed by Daniel Barber and written by Julia Hart. The film stars Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru, Sam Worthington, Amy Nuttall, and Ned Dennehy. It was screened in the Special ...

'', ''

The Overnight ''The Overnight'' is a 2015 American sex comedy film written and directed by Patrick Brice, and starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, and Judith Godrèche. The film was produced by Naomi Scott and executive produced by Mar ...

'', '' Time Out of Mind'', '' Mania Days'', '' 7 Minutes'', ''40-Love'', ''Night Owls'', ''Uncle John'', ''

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

'', ''WildLike'', ''Zurich'', ''3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets'', ''Landfill Harmonic'', ''

The Russian Woodpecker ''The Russian Woodpecker'' is a 2015 documentary film written, produced and directed by Chad Gracia following Fedor Alexandrovich's investigation into the Chernobyl disaster. It is Gracia's directorial debut feature. The film premiered in the " ...

'', ''Tiger Tiger'', '' Vaclav Havel: Living in Freedom'' (U.S. Premiere), ''Dirty Laundry Day'', ''I’ve Just Had a Dream'', ''Coaching Colburn'', ''Santa Cruz del Islote'', ''Shipwreck'', '' The Summer of Sangailé'', and ''Grounded''.

Board of directors

Board of Directors * Carina Crain * Colleen deVeer * Susan Smith Ellis * Julie Fareri * Avram Ludwig * Jim Matthews * Gianna Palminteri * Clay Pecorin * Wendy Stapleton Reyes * Christian Simonds * Ginger Stickel *

* Carolyn Westerberg Executive Board * Richard Brener *

* Jim Cabrera * Kimberly Clarke *

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for portraying FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002, 2016-2018) and as writ ...

Doug Ellin Douglas Reed Ellin (born April 6, 1968) is an American podcaster, screenwriter and film and TV director, known best for creating the HBO television series ''Entourage''. Ellin also served as executive producer, director, head writer and supp ...

* Dennis Ever * Bobby Friedman * Craig Gering *

* Jared Ian Goldman *

Colin Hanks Colin Lewes Hanks (born November 24, 1977) is an American actor. He has starred in films including '' Orange County'', ''King Kong'', '' The House Bunny'', '' The Great Buck Howard'', and the ''Jumanji'' film series. His television credits includ ...

* Don Inner *

Michael Imperioli Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...

* Clea Newman * Chazz Palminteri * Daphne Richards * Deborah Royce * Tom Scott *

Bill Shipsey Bill Shipsey (born 22 June 1958) is a human rights activist, barrister (retired), artist event promoter, producer and consultant. He is the founder of Art for Amnesty, Amnesty International's global artist engagement programme, and the co-founder ...

* Adrienne Stern *

Jeb Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials o ...

* Ali Wolfe

References

{{Greenwich, Connecticut Film festivals in Connecticut Greenwich, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Fairfield County, Connecticut