With its long-running Artists’ Studio Tour, Jersey City was already the place to be in October for anyone interested in the visual arts and music. Last year the inaugural Golden Door International Film Festival was added to the city’s October calendar, further boosting Jersey City’s cred as an outpost of the New York-area arts community.
This year these two cultural attractions (both co-sponsored by the Hudson Reporter) will overlap the second weekend of October, a move that is sure to raise the city’s visibility as cultural a destination in the region. And even though the second annual Golden Door International Film Festival is seven months away, festival organizers will this month host a run-up known as Best of the Fest on Saturday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m.
A one-day screening of five of the best films from the 2011 festival, Best of the Fest will give audiences a chance to see some of the films they may have missed last year.
“Because last year was our first year doing the festival, there were people who didn’t know about it, or they found out about it late,” said festival founder Bill Sorvino. “So, this gives them a chance to see some of what they missed, and hopefully builds interest in the upcoming festival in October.”
The second annual Golden Door International Film Festival will be held from Oct. 11 through 14 at various venues throughout Jersey City.
‘These films…represent the work of local filmmakers.’ – Bill Sorvino
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Coming to a screen near you
Best of the Fest will include screenings of “Lily of the Feast” (dir. Federico Castelluccio); “Sarina’s Song” (dir. Angelique Letizia); “Of God and Gucci” (dir. Keith Rennar); “The Secret Life…of My Urban Backyard” (dir. John Dunstan); and “The Others…and the Others” (dir. Lydia Biondi).
Sorvino said these five films were selected because most of them have some tie to Hudson County.
“One reason why I hope people come out to support these films is because [just about] every one represents the work of a local filmmaker,” said Sorvino. “John Dunstan is from Jersey City. Keith Rennar is from Bayonne. The cinematographer on the ‘The Others…and the Others’ is from Bayonne. ‘Lily of the Feast’ was filmed in Hudson County. So, these are local films from local filmmakers.”
“Sarina’s Song,” was included in Best of the Fest, he said, so that at least one movie was from a female director.
Some of the filmmakers, Sorvino added, will be on hand for the screening and may participate in a Q&A with the audience.
The films will be screened at Art House Productions, at 1 McWilliams Place, at Hamilton Park in downtown Jersey City. Seating is limited to 150 people, so be sure to get tickets early.
Golden Door organizers are planning another Best of the Fest later this year that, like the one in March, will highlight a handful of the 40 independent films that were screened as part of last year’s full festival. That Best of the Fest will feature a different line-up of films than the five being screened this month.
Tickets for Best of the Fest are $20 and will include entry to an after party at The Embankment restaurant. Tickets can purchased through the web site www.BrownPaperTickets.com.
Festival/Tour weekend
Naturally, Sorvino and the other Golden Door organizers hope that Best of the Fest piques interest in the larger film festival in the fall.
Like the inaugural event held last year, the October festival will feature dozens of independent films from both established and emerging filmmakers from around the world – and right here in New Jersey. Last year’s festival included the participation of everyone from Oscar winners and Oscar nominees to recent film school grads and first-time filmmakers.
The overlap this year with the Artists’ Studio Tour means that both the tour and the film festival should mutually benefit from cross marketing.
“We’re not officially part of the Artists’ Studio Tour, and that was never the intention,” said Sorvino. “We basically picked our dates first. Our dates are pretty much around the same time of the year, same time of the month that we had the festival last year. But by coordinating with the city and the Division of Cultural Affairs, it will mean a lot more exposure – a lot more exposure for us, and I think for the city as well. And since we attracted a slightly different audience than the Studio Tour, I think they’ll be able to get some new exposure through our event, too.”
Organizers are currently accepting film entries for the second Golden Door International Film Festival in October. For more information, visit www.GoldenDoorFilmFestival.org. The web site also includes additional information regarding Best of the Fest.
Comment at www.hudsonreporter.com. E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.