Tony Winner Phylicia Rashad Set for 2014 Gold Coast Int'l Film Festival

From November 3-9, 2014 the Gold Coast Arts Center, in conjunction with the Town of North Hempstead, will present the 4th annual Gold Coast International Film Festival (GCIFF), and everyone's invited-again-to join us for this special week of films, parties, panels, and glamour!

This year, we are proud to announce that four-time Academy Award-winning Production and Costume Designer (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!) Catherine Martin will be accepting the Gold Coast International Film Festival Artist of Distinction Award at our Opening Night Gala, taking place at Leonard's Palazzo 555 in Great Neck on Monday November 3rd. Also being honored is President of the Gold Coast Arts Center, Michael Glickman, who will accept the Man of the Year Award; and Marie Cecile Flageul & Jonathan Cohen, (known as Meres One) who will receive the Art & Activism Award.

Screenings and events at this year's festival will take place at the Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington and at Bow Tie Cinemas in Great Neck/Port Washington/Manhasset/Roslyn as well as at other venues including the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck. For the latest information and updates visit www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org

Highlights of this year's festival include:

· The world premiere of the new documentary on Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright August Wilson, with a Q&A with Tony-winning actors Phylicia Rashad and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Director/Producer Sam Pollard and Executive Producer Darryl Ford-Williams;

· The Long Island premiere of the Denis Leary-produced firefighting documentary Burn, with a special Q&A after the film with producer Jim Serpico, moderated by Kristin Thorne from WABC 7;

· A special screening of Zero Motivation, a 2014 winner at the Tribeca Film Festival, with the first GCIFF Screenwriting Award being presented to screenwriter/director Talya Lavie;

· Kids Film Day at the Gold Coast Arts Center sponsored by AAA. An afternoon of great short films and hands-on art activities for kids of all ages who have the day off of school on November 4th (Election Day). Plus - free pizza and wings courtesy of Anthony's Coal Fire Pizza;

· A re-screening of the film Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, with a panel of very special (and funny!) guests;

· Long Island premieres including: Match, starring award-winning actor Patrick Stewart, Human Capital, Italy's submission for this year's Academy Awards, Mudbloods, about the world cup of Quidditch, the "sport" made famous by theHarry Potter series, Cold Eyes, a South Korean thriller, The Dove Flyer, a coming-of-age story amid the expulsion of Jews in Iraq in the 1950s and You Must be Joking, a laugh out loud comedy.

· New York premieres including: the comedy Beside Still Water, from Tribeca Films and Paulette, a fun, offbeat French comedy;

· A special screening at LIU Post of Long Island filmmaker Fred Carpenter's new film, Charlie Mantle, followed by a Q&A with Mr. Carpenter, and the film's stars Armand Assante, Sean Young and Robert Clohessy.

· Great new comedies, dramas, thrillers and short films from France, Israel, South Korea, Italy, the UK and the US.

Plus, on Sunday November 9th as part of our closing ceremonies, the Festival will host a screening of ESPN Films' When the Garden was Eden, featuring a Q&A with New York Times sports writer Harvey Araton and some very special surprise NBA guests. To coincide with this screening, the Gold Coast Arts Center will be holding an exhibit in partnership with the National Basketball Hall of Fame featuring vintage jerseys, photographs, signed basketballs and the NBA Trophy.

Over the past several years the festival has brought the latest Hollywood hits and Indie favorites to the fabled Gold Coast of Long Island. Add A-list celebrities and unforgettable events to the mix and it's easy to see why GCIFF has become the "go to" Festival for film buffs (it is also the last major film festival on the East Coast before Awards season).

Last year, the Festival honored legendary actor, Paul Sorvino (GoodFellas, Bulworth, The Cooler) with a Lifetime Achievement Award during their Annual Benefit Gala. The Gala also honored Susie Essman, (co-star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) with the Artist of Distinction Award for Comedy. Melanie Lynsky (2 ½ Men, Ever After), Emmy Nominated Actor, Jason Ritter (Parenthood), Sean Young and Robert Clohessy were among others who attended last year's festivities.

GCIFF presents sensational events to SRO audiences year-round. Some past highlights include: an exclusive pre-release screening of The Great Gatsby with Baz Luhrmann, plus screenings and events with notable filmmakers and artists 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.

Sponsors and partners of this year's Festival include long-standing partners the Town of North Hempstead, Nassau County, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, AMC Networks, deluxe, A.L. Sarroff Fund, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP and J.M. Kaplan Fund, as well as The Katz Center of North Shore -LIJ Health Systems, AAA, Samar Hospitality, The Andrew Hotel, LIU Post, The Amsterdam at Harborside, Parker Jewish Institute, LVR, Star Industries, DE Capital Mortgage, Whole Foods, Stella Artois, Limousines Worldwide, WLIW21, New York Women in Film & Television and many others.

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

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