Paul Sorvino Honored at Third Annual Gold Coast International Film Festival

From October 21-27, 2013 the Gold Coast Arts Center in collaboration with the Town of North Hempstead presented the 3rd annual Gold Coast International Film Festival (GCIFF), and everyone was invited-again-to join in on the fantastic films, parties, panels, and fanfare! The festival has brought the latest Hollywood hits and Indie favorites to the Gold Coast of Long Island. Add A-list celebrities and unforgettable events to the mix and GCIFF has become the "go to" Festival for film buffs as it is the last major film festival on the East Coast before Awards season.

This year, the festival honored legendary actor Paul Sorvino (GoodFellas, Bulworth, The Cooler)- in the picture above- with a Lifetime Achievement Award on Wednesday, October 23 during the Annual Benefit Gala at the brand new venue: The Space at Westbury. The Gala also honored Susie Essman, (co-star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) with the Artist of Distinction Award for Comedy, assisted by our head of comedy Programming Jeffrey Gurian. From across the "pond" young British actress Bonnie Wright (of the Harry Potter film series), Melanie Lynsky (2 ½ Men, Ever After) and Emmy Nominated Actor,Jason Ritter (Parenthood) also attended the festival as did Countess LuAnn from The Real Housewives of NYC, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin and other celebrities.

GCIFF once again offered up a slate of fresh, exciting films including:

Nebraska- starring Bruce Dern, from acclaimed director Alexander Payne. A Cannes winner and already getting Oscar buzz.

The Face of Love- a romantic drama starring Annette Bening and Ed Harris, direct from the Toronto Film Festival.
The Prime Ministers- Long Island Premiere. Based on the bestselling book by Ambassador Yehuda Avner, who will attend for a Q&A and book signing on Sunday, October 27th.

Teddy Bear- a dark comedy featuring David Krumholtz, Melanie Lynsky, Jason Ritter and Ned Beatty. Q & A with Lynsky and Ritter after the screening.

Send No Flowers- a mob action drama. Q & A with stars Sean Young, Gianni Russo and Jackie Martling on Sunday, October 27th.

Comedy Warriors- a documentary about wounded Iraq/Afghanistan vets who work with A-List comedians, Zach Galifianakis, B.J Novak, Bob Saget and Lewis Black help them tell their stories with humor. Q & A with the director/producer John Wager and Warrior Joe Kashnow along with other Warriors performing stand-up for the audience.

Dancing in Jaffa (Doc) Long Island Premiere. Israeli and Palestinian kids who cross cultural and political boundaries to learn ballroom dance together. Q & A with world famous ballroom dancer who appears in the film--Pierre Dulaine.

The Genius of Marian- A life affirming documentary about a family coping with Alzeimer's - with a panel of North Shore-LIJ Health System distinguished experts specializing in Geriatrics, Behavioral Health and research in the field of Alzheimer's Disease sponsored by The Katz Center for Women's Health of North Shore-LIJ Health System.

The Short Game- an award winning documentary about the best 7-year-old golfers from all parts of the globe competing to be the next world champion.

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors- the story of an autistic boy from Far Rockaway who gets lost on the subway on the eve of Hurricane Sandy - some of the film was shot while Sandy hit.

Another Woman's Life- New York Premiere. A French romantic comedy starring Juliette Binoche.

In God We Trust- a brilliant new film about the Madoff scandal from the perspective of his personal secretary.

Separate We Come, Separate We Go- directed by Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter film series) screening her short film.

The festival handed out film awards to a range of domestic and international movies. The Alexander Payne-directed Nebraska, whose star Bruce Dern won best actor at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, took the audience award for best narrative feature along with Israeli/American drama Foreign Letters. Comedy Warriors, about the stand-up performances of injured veterans, and the Israeli film The Prime Ministers shared the audience award for best documentary, with Dancing in Jaffa and Commie Camp earning honorable mentions. Sci-fi short Plurality won the audience award for best short film, and social media cautionary tale Noah won the jury's best short film award.

GCIFF presents sensational events to SRO audiences year-round. Some of the past highlights include: an exclusive pre-release screening of The Great Gatsby with Baz Luhrmann, plus screenings and events with such notable names as Edward Burns, Brian Dennehy, Phil Donahue, Isabella Rossellini, Bill Plympton, Bruce Dern, Joan Allen, Gabriel Byrne, Celeste Holm, Eli Wallach, Robert Klein, Nelson DeMille, Francis Ford Coppola, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, Alan King and Kelli O'Hara to name a few.

For a complete festival line up visit www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org for more information.

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