(Long Island, NY) The Gold Coast Arts Center, in conjunction with the Town of North Hempstead presented the fourth annual Gold Coast International Film Festival from November 3rd through November 9, 2014. The festival was a special week of films, parties, panels, and glamour.
This year the festival was proud to announce that four-time Academy Award-winning Production and Costume Designer (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge!) Catherine Martin who accepted the Gold Coast International Film Festival Artist of Distinction Award at their Opening Night Gala which took place at Leonard’s Palazzo 555 in Great Neck on Monday November 3, 2014. Also being honored was President of the Gold Coast Arts Center, Michael Glickman. Mr. Glickman accepted the Man of the Year Award; and Marie Cecile Flageul and Jonathan Cohen, (known as Meres One) received the Art and Activism Award.
Screenings and events at this year’s festival took 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.
Interview with Creative Director and Founder, Regina Gil, at the fourth annual Gold Coast International Film Festival.
During my interview with Creative Director and Founder, Regina Gil, I inquired:
“How many films premiered here at this year’s festival?”
Well over thirty-five, perhaps more. What happens is we’ll say that we will only have twenty-five films and then opportunities come up and we want to be able to give a platform to some filmmakers who’s work is good, so we don’t say no.
“Do you have a specific idea of the range of films that you would like to be seen here at the festival?’
“We are very diverse. We believe that when you are in a suburb you don’t have access to diversity the same way you do when you are in an urban situation so we invite foreign film, we have quite a number of those, documentaries about serious subjects, documentaries about funny subjects, we had a congressman in that auditorium and we had a comic in this auditorium. We always try to mix it up. We have feature length films; we have short films. We run the gambit.
I also asked Regina where her love of film came from. Her response was,
“I actually love all of the arts. I was raised in New York City and I am a professional artist and sculptor by trade. I founded the arts center which is the only multi-arts center in Nassau County and is about art, music, dance, theater and film; I discovered that for most people film is the most accessible art form.
Afterwards I had a chance to chat with Comic Jeffrey Gurian who discussed his friendship and relationship with the late Joan Rivers after the Q&A of the documentary “A Piece of Work”.
Comic Jeffrey Gurian discussed his friendship and relationship with the late Joan Rivers after the Q and A of the documentary A Piece of Work.
“Jeffrey, tell my audience about this film,”
I asked. “It was about her life and her struggles because comedy is a very difficult field. She was a superstar. She was the kindest person. I wrote for her. I met her back in 1991. I knew her all these years. Last June 30th she came up to Cirus XM to do an interview with Ron Bennington from The Ron and Fez Show. That’s the show I am on and she was very gracious. She was promoting her new book called ‘Diary of a Mad Diva.’ She worked 24/7 non-stop. The nicest thing about Joan was that she was eighty-one years old but she was hip, she was relevant and other comedians revered her. She was loved by the comedy community,” Jeffrey confessed.
I also asked him if there was a special moment he had with Joan.
“On June 30th when she came up to Cirus and they brought me in to see her, I was asking about her book and she was asking me about my book, I offered to give her a copy. She said absolutely not I want to buy a copy of it and she had Jocelyn her assistant take a picture of the cover so she could order it. She said I want to support you and the book.”
‘A Piece of Work’ is a tribute to the late, great Joan Rivers. The Gold Coast International Film Festival was delighted to bring back this excellent documentary that welcomes viewers into the legendary icon’s comedic process and private dramas as she fights tooth and nail to keep her American dream alive. Followed by a Q&A with comedians and those who knew Joan, celebrating her comedic legacy including Director Ricki Stern and Jeffrey Gurian.
Woody Allen took the challenge of allowing an aspiring young comedy writer to meet with him backstage on Broadway, many years ago, when he was starring in “Play It Again, Sam.” Allen was so impressed with the young writer that he decided to invite him to bring more of his material the next evening and encouraged the young man to pursue his dream of writing comedy. That young man was Jeffrey Gurian.
Allen was the first to instruct Gurian that his comedy was “very visual” and urged him to think about adapting it to film. However it wasn’t until several years later that Emmy award winning writer/producer Alan Zweibel, (Sat. Night Live, Gary Shandling, The Other Shulman), got Gurian involved with writing professionally. Zweibel introduced him to his manager at the time, David Jonas, best known for having catapulted the late Freddie Prinze to stardom in “Chico and The Man.”
Since that time, Gurian has written for many comics including: PHIL HARTMAN, RICHARD BELZER, GILBERT GOTTFRIED, GEORGE WALLACE, ROBIN WILLIAMS, PAULY SHORE, DICE CLAY, MILTON BERLE (who was also his sponsor in The Friars Club), RICH LITTLE, DICK SHAWN, PAT COOPER, JAN MURRAY, FRANK GORSHIN, JIM MORRIS, HENNY YOUNGMAN, JERRY LEWIS…and JOAN RIVERS.
For more information about Jeffrey please visit http://comedymatterstv.com
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 aficionados (it is also the last major film festival on the East Coast before Awards season).
Located in the Town of North Hempstead, the Gold Coast International Film Festival was established with the purpose 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 and a gala.
During the seven-day festival, area residents, visitors, members of the business and film communities, public officials, students and academics came together to celebrate the art and influence of cinema in the charming and historic towns and villages of Long Island’s Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast International Film Festival is produced by the Great Neck Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in 1993 and dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts through education, exhibition, performance and outreach.
For more information about the Gold Coast International Film Festival please visit http://www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org
