Video Contests, Film Festivals, and Awards

Furman Film Series Offers New Yorkers First Look at Festival Worthy Buzz Titles

By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Jul 15, 2013, 11:07

The Furman Film Series, which is presented by the Great Neck Arts Center as part of the Gold Coast International Film Festival, offers a unique opportunity to get a first look at a top selection of advance sneak previews and hot-off-the-festival-circuit independent and foreign films – and then take part in post-screening discussions with a cast member, director, screenwriter, film critic, film scholar or documentary subject. Most of the screenings are Long Island premieres, happening at Bow Tie Squire Cinemas 115 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck NY, with one exception the just added August 1 event, An Evening of Award Winning Shorts, which is happening at Great Neck Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck. This summer’s series runs from June 20 to August 22 and takes audiences to Great Britain, a remote fishing village in Italy, the Elysée Palace in France and Manhattan. Filmgoers will see actors such as Terrance Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Julia Styles, Melissa George and Taye Diggs.

Since 1995 the Series has introduced North Hempstead filmgoers to box office and award winning hits including The Artist, The Descendants and Life is Beautiful and critically acclaimed documentaries such as Koch and AKA Doc Pomus. Speakers have included filmmakers Mira Nair (Mississippi Masala), Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo), screenwriter Pamela Katz (Hannah Arendt), film critics John Anderson (Variety, The New York Times), curators Richard Peña (Film Society of Lincoln Center), David Schwartz (Museum of the Moving Image), and actress and Great Neck native Nikki Blonsky (The English Teacher).

Whether one wants to learn more about the subject matter, study the acting or the filmmaking, or simply would like to be entertained, seeing a film on the big screen and engaging in a post-screening talk with fellow audience members provides filmgoers of all ages and interests the best film viewing experience – an ever more important experience in these days when films can be viewed practically anywhere. With its commitment to provide North Hampstead filmgoers a high-quality, diverse lineup of films and notable guests, the Furman Film Series has kept the conversation going for eighteen years.

This summer’s lineup:

(ALREADY PASSED) June 20: Unfinished Song - a funny and inspiring story about Arthur (Terence Stamp), a curmudgeonly old soul, who is perfectly content sticking with his dull daily routine until his beloved wife (Vanessa Redgrave) introduces him to a local seniors singing group. The group is led by the youthful and charming Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) and her unexpected friendship with Arthur reignites his passion for new adventures and shows us all life should be celebrated at any age. A Q&A will follow with Barry Monush, editor of Screen World, author, and researcher at the Paley Center for Media.

July 11: Between Us - In this darkly comedic drama, two couples reunite over the course of two incendiary evenings where anything can happen. Grace (Julia Stiles, Golden Globe Nominee, Dexter, The Bourne Ultimatum) and Carlo (Taye Diggs, TV’s Private Practice) are a newly married New York couple who visit their old friends Sharyl (Melissa George, Golden Globe Nominee) and Joel (David Harbour, TV’s The Newsroom, Revolutionary Road) in their huge Midwestern home. But despite their wealth, the hosts are in a violently destructive marriage. Two years later, the couples reunite in New York, but now the tables are turned as the young couple struggles with their marriage, parenthood and financial woes, only to discover that their old friends are even more successful and much happier than they were before. Q&A with Producer Mike S. Ryan

July 25: In God We Trust - When Bernie Madoff was arrested in 2008, many lives were ruined by his crimes, but perhaps no one was so personally affected as Eleanor Squillari, Madoff’s longtime personal secretary, who had worked for Madoff for decades without any sense of what was really going on in the mysterious seventeenth-floor office. In the days and months after Madoff’s arrest, Squillari’s obsession with the case grew, until she finally began her own investigation, combing through her records and memories for more clues about this enigmatic criminal in a personal crusade for justice. Reframing the conversation around Madoff’s case through the story of one woman’s insatiable search for the truth, directors Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek present Squillari’s findings, and Squillari herself, in this highly personal take on the financial crisis. In God We Trust is at once an infuriating exposé of financial fraud and an inspirational account of the power of the individual. A Q&A will follow with co-directors Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson.

JUST ADDED - August 1: An Evening of Award Winning Shorts * happening at Great Neck Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck - NOT CLEARVIEW CINEMAS* A BONUS screening for Furman Film Series Subscribers (Individual tickets also available) If you’ve never watched short films before (or if you have), you’ll want to join us for this delightful program! Featuring award winners and audience favorites from the first two years of the Gold Coast International Film Festival, these shorts run the gamut from comedy to drama; sci-fi to animation, all wrapped up in an enjoyable 90 minutes. Short films were selected by Gold Coast International Film Festival short films curator Alexandra Gil and include Noreen (2011 audience winner), Luminaris (2012 jury winner), Sight (2012 student winner),Pigeon Impossible (2012 audience winner), Notes on Biology (2012 jury runner up), Create (2012 student runner up), Meet My Boyfriend (2012 audience runner up), Crossword (2011), West of the Moon (2011), Billable Hours (2011) and Das Tub (2011). Alexandra Gil received her AB in History/Film from Duke University and her JD from NYU School of Law. In addition to programming short films, she is a practicing intellectual property lawyer in Manhattan as well as a short filmmaker. Her film Billable Hours was the official selection of several festivals. She has also published several articles about the intersection of law and film throughout history, and has served as a guest panelist for acting classes at HB Studios.

August 8: Shun Li and the Poet - A very touching, well told, beautifully acted story of an unlikely friendship taking place in the remote Italian fishing village of Chiagga. Shun Li works in a textile factory near Rome, slowly paying off the broker that brought her from China to Italy, while saving money so she can bring her young son to join her. She is suddenly transferred to work as a bartender at a pub in a small town along the Venetian Lagoon. The pub is the hangout of the local fishermen, including Bepi, a handsome old Slav immigrant nicknamed “The Poet.” A tender, delicate friendship grows between Shun Li and Bepi. But gossip soon threatens their innocent relationship, a bond that had once transcended two very different, yet not at all distant cultures. (Q&A TBA)

August 22: Haute Cuisine - Based on the incredible true story of President François Mitterrand’s private chef, Haute Cuisine is the French culinary Cinderella tale that caters to the human spirit as much as the taste buds. Cesar award-winning actress Catherine Frot plays Hortense Laborie, a talented chef who is suddenly plucked from her beloved farm in the French countryside and placed in the whirlwind of the Elysée Palace. Taking on the new role of personal cook to the President of the French Republic, Hortense suddenly sees how politics find their way all the way down to the Palace's kitchen. Driven by her infectious love of French food she develops a rich bond with the elusive President, but this unheard of friendship only stirs the political pot even more. While Frot delivers a radiant turn as Laborie, the delectable dishes are the film's true star. You'll leave Haute Cuisine feeling well-fed in many ways. (Q&A TBA)

FULL SERIES DETAILS

WHERE: most showings at Bow Tie Squire Cinemas. 115 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck NY; the Thursday August 1st showing ONLY will be at Great Neck Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck NY

WHEN: Thursday June 20, July 11, July 25, August 1, August 8, August 22. All screenings start at 7:30 pm. Doors open at 7:00 pm for subscribers and 7:15 for individual ticket holders.

TICKETS: Individual tickets $15 ($10 for students) in advance, $20 at the door. Please note: no refunds or credits will be issued for tickets you purchase and do not use. If you are unable to attend a screening, your subscriber card may be transferred to a friend.

To save your seat call (516) 829-2570 or order online with credit card or PayPal http://www.goldcoastfilmfestival.com 

The Furman Film Series presents an exciting cross-section of powerful and thought-provoking independent, art, and foreign films, including sneak previews, film festival hits, and Long Island premieres. Each film is followed by a discussion with a distinguished critic, scholar, or film professional.

The Great Neck Arts Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts through education, exhibition, performance and outreach. For information about GNAC's many classes, programs, concerts, and films, please visit us at www.greatneckarts.org or call (516) 829-2570.

The Gold Coast International Film Festival celebrates the rich culture, history and talent of this fabled region. The “Gold Coast” was once a haven for New York’s elite such as the Pratts, Whitneys, Roosevelts, Fricks, Guests, DuPonts, J.P. Morgan, and Otto Kahn, and today their mansions exist as museums, historic spots and party spaces. Great Neck (the hub of the Festival) was home to many celebrities including Groucho Marx, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, George M. Cohan and other giants of the silver screen. In fact, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby here. Today’s Gold Coast remains a confluence of culture and class. Those influences from our past combined with the artistry, storytelling and technology of today’s world, enable the Gold Coast International Film Festival to present our audiences with a unique and accessible festival experience. Everyone’s invited!

THE FURMAN FILM SERIES IS PRESENTED BY:
The Town of North Hempstead • Nassau County
Starbucks® Iced Coffee • Douglas Elliman Real Estate

SUPPORTING SPONSORS INCLUDE:
The Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation • Cameo Wealth & Creative Management, Inc.• Friends of the Sands Point Preserve • Sheila G’s • Soundview Cinemas • Russian Standard Vodka

ADDITIONAL 2013 FESTIVAL SPONSORS:
AMC Networks • Deluxe • Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP • The Drink Agency • A. L. Sarroff Fund • J. M. Kaplan Fund • Americana Manhasset • Cablevision • News12 Long Island • Newsday • Rick Eberle

Resources:

www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org