Emmy-Award Winner Sally Jessy Raphael To Receive 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award

Iconic TV talk show legend and Emmy-Award winner Sally Jessy Raphael will receive the "2017 Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) taking place in Atlantic City, March 30th through April 2. Raphael is being honored and recognized for her outstanding body of work and contributions to the television and film industries. She was the first female talk show host on TV, and her signature show, The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, was the longest-running female-hosted talk show in television history. Raphael also had memorable cameos in several films, including The Addams Family and She-Devil. Margaret Fontana, GSFF Executive Director, says, "We are so pleased to present the '2017 Lifetime Achievement Award' to Sally Jessy Raphael at the Garden State Film Festival this year! Throughout her career, Sally Jessy has been at the forefront of the television, film and media industries, blazing a path and leading the way for all women in media today." In addition to receiving the "GSFF 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award," Sally Jessy Raphael will also participate in a panel discussion at the Festival on Saturday afternoon, April 1 at 4:30 p.m. in Resorts Hotel & Casino - Green Room. The intimate panel discussion, titled "Hollywood Then and Now," will also feature Producer Monika Henreid (daughter of Hollywood Actor and Director Paul Henreid, best known for his role as Victor Laszlo in Casablanca) and Batman Executive Producer Michael Uslan will act as moderator. Attendees at the Garden State Film Festival will have the opportunity to enjoy this panel discussion, in addition to workshops, networking events, parties and film screenings taking place at Resorts Casino Hotel and nearby venues in Atlantic City during the four-day star-studded Festival.

Admission to the panel discussion is $14 in advance or $15 at the door and is included in the Weekend Pass for the Festival. A GSFF Weekend Pass offers access and entry to all events at the Festival - excluding the Awards Dinner - and is available in advance for $45 through the GSFF website at www.gsff.org or at the Festival for $50. The Garden State Film Festival runs from March 30-April 2, 2017, with networking opportunities, workshops, cocktail parties, and 216 films from over 24 countries being featured during the event. For a complete schedule and film listings, visit the GSFF website at www.gsff.org. Individual film screening tickets are $14 in advance and $15 at the door. All tickets are available at www.gsff.org and at the Festival box offices. Additionally, a limited number of tickets to the black-tie-optional GSFF Awards Ceremony and Dinner on Sunday, April 2, are still available. Tickets to the Awards Ceremony are $125 per person and can be purchased on the GSFF website at http://www.gsff.org/awards-dinner/. For more information about Sally Jessy Raphael, visit her page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSallyJessyRaphael/. For more information about the Garden State Film Festival, please visit the GSFF website at www.gsff.org.

About the Garden State Film Festival:
The Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) was envisioned by 25-year film industry veteran Diane Raver and the late Hollywood actor Robert Pastorelli in 2002 and launched the following year. Since 2003, thousands of films have made their public premiers, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have attended; and the total infusion of cash to local businesses since inception exceeds $5 million. Until 2013, the Festival was held in Asbury Park. In 2014, the Festival moved to Atlantic City with financial and operation support from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). GSFF now serves as a major component of the strategic plan to promote arts and culture in Atlantic City to re-establish the resort as the premier Mid-Atlantic entertainment destination. The GSFF is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization.

Photo Credit: Andrew Werner / AndrewWernerPhotography.com