Gold Coast International Film Festival


The Gold Coast International Film Festival launched in 2011, on the north shore of North Hempstead, New York. The festival, now held every November, completed its 7th year in 2017. The festival is produced by the Gold Coast Arts Center, a not-for-profit 501 multi-arts center based in Great Neck, NY. Founding sponsors of the festival include the Town of North Hempstead and Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The festival was founded with the mission 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.

Venues

Screening venues for the festival include Bow Tie Cinemas in Port Washington, Manhasset, Great Neck, and Roslyn, and Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington. Additional screenings and special events have been held at the Gold Coast Arts Center, Hofstra University, LIU Post / Tilles Center, Nassau County Museum of Art, NYIT's Auditorium on Broadway and deSeversky Mansion, Landmark on Main Street, the Port Washington, Manhasset and Great Neck libraries, Cinema Arts Center in Huntington, and Chaminade High School.
In its initial year, former Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the North Hempstead Town Board were supportive of the festival to showcase the Town's local communities and was pleased that the festival boosted local economy.

Honorees

The 2014 Artist of Distinction Award was presented to Catherine Martin, Academy Award-Winning Production & Costume Designer of Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby. Writer-director Talya Lavie was presented with the festival's first Screenwriting Award for her film Zero Motivation.
Comedian Susie Essman received GCIFF's 2013 Artist of Distinction Award, and actor Paul Sorvino received a lifetime achievement award.
Actor, director, and producer Edward Burns, who was raised in Nassau County, Long Island, was the recipient of GCIFF's 2012 Artist of Distinction Award. He presented his latest film, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, which was filmed largely on Long Island.
Actor Bruce Dern received the 2011 Legend Award. Dern played Tom Buchanan in the 1974 Robert Redford film, The Great Gatsby based on the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The "Great Gatsby" is set on Long Island's Gold Coast—the exact location of the Gold Coast International Film Festival—during the summer of 1922.

Films and events

', a 2018 documentary film about the underdog Israel national baseball team competing for the first time in the World Baseball Classic, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2018 Gold Coast International Film Festival.
Film highlights of the 2014 festival included the World Premiere of the American Masters film August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand, Human Capital, When the Garden Was Eden with writer Harvey Araton, and Tribeca Film Festival winner Zero Motivation.
Notable films of 2013 included eventual Oscar-nominee Nebraska starring Bruce Dern, The Face of Love starring Annette Bening, and The Short Game. Events included a conversation with writer Jay McInerney about bringing his novel Bright Lights, Big City to the big screen, and a screening of ' with former Israeli Ambassador to the UK and author Yehuda Avner.
Film highlights of the 2012 festival included , The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, the 1920 silent film The Mark of Zorro with live organ accompaniment, Dustin Hoffman's Quartet, A Royal Affair, and David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook.
The 2012 Festival's notable events included:
The 2011 Festival screened 65 feature-length and 20 short films – "a roster of bold, dynamic films" and "content with outstanding merit, new, old, long and short." Notable screenings included Chasing Madoff, The Best and the Brightest, Lucky, Submarine, My Afternoons with Margueritte, Bob and the Monster and Tabloid.

Awards

The 2014 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards:
The 2013 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards:
The 2012 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards:
The 2011 Gold Coast International Film Festival Awards:
The Festival presents year-round screenings through its Furman Film Series. For over 15 years, the Furman Film Series has presented a sophisticated cross-section of powerful and thought-provoking independent, art, classic, and foreign films. The series mainly hosts sneak previews of highly anticipated films prior to their theatrical release dates followed by a discussion with a relevant speaker who provides exciting insight into the film and subject matter. Notable screenings have included: Life is Beautiful, Amélie, The King's Speech, The Descendants, The Artist, and Philomena.