Gold Coast Int'l. Film Fest Offers Free Screening Of Oscar-Nominated Short Films To Affected Federal Workers

The Gold Coast International Film Festival is offering a respite for federal workers impacted by the prolonged partial government shutdown; free screenings of Oscar-nominated short films in advance of this year's Academy Awards. The screenings, which are open to the general public, will take place on Sunday, February 10 at 6 p.m. in Port Washington, and Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Great Neck. A select number of tickets will be set aside at each screening for the government workers.

On Sunday, February 10, 2019, at 6 p.m., the Gold Coast International Film Festival will be presenting the Oscar-nominated animated short films at Soundview Cinemas, 7 Soundview Marketplace, Port Washington, NY 11050. This year's animated short film nominees are Animal Behaviour, Bao, Late Afternoon, One Small Step, and Weekends.

On Wednesday, February 13, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. patrons can see this year's live-action Oscar-nominated short films at the Bow Tie Squire Cinemas, 115 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY 11021. This year's live-action short film nominees are Detainment, Fauve, Marguerite, Mother, and Skin.

Free tickets for affected federal workers must be reserved in advance by calling Caroline, or Kacie, at 516-829-2570. Cost of admission in advance for the general public is $15.00, $10.00 for students, or $20.00 at the door. The public can buy tickets online on the Gold Coast International Film Festival's website: www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org.

"We recognize the hardship that our federal workers have had to endure since the beginning of the shutdown last month," said Caroline Sorokoff, Festival Director, Gold Coast International Film Festival. "We hope that providing the affected workers with a few hours of free entertainment may in some way help ease their burden."

Following both screenings will be a special Q&A with Oscar-winning producer Mara Kassin, and filmmaker Alexandra Gil, who is the Gold Coast International Film Festival's short film curator. Kassin presently has three films on the film festival circuit: Extra Innings, Ladies Lounge (which was filmed in Great Neck) and Friendly Neighborhood Coven. She co-produced Shawn Christensen's Curfew, which won the 2013 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. She starred in and co-produced, Grandma's Not A Toaster, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win acclaim at other film festivals.

A video preview of the Oscar-nominated short films can be seen at: https://vimeo.com/297770485/326c7f5449.

About the Gold Coast International Film Festival
Since 2011, the festival has brought the latest Hollywood hits and Indie favorites to standing-room-only audiences throughout the fabled Gold Coast of Long Island. Add A-list celebrities and unforgettable events to the mix, and it's easy to see why the Gold Coast International Film Festival has become the "go to" festival for film buffs and the public; (it is also the last major film festival on the East Coast before Awards season). The Gold Coast International Film Festival is produced by the not-for-profit Gold Coast Arts Center.

Previous honorees and special guests of the festival and the Gold Coast Arts Center include film and entertainment industry VIPs Francis Ford Coppola, Hugh Grant, Baz Luhrmann, Brian Dennehy, Paul Sorvino, Ed Burns, Bruce Dern, Isabella Rossellini, Lou Diamond Phillips, Morgan Spurlock, Eli Wallach, Gabriel Byrne, Jacques Pepin, Bill Plympton, Phil Donahue, Phylicia Rashaad, Joan Allen, Jay McInerney and Michael Cuesta, as well as composer Morton Gould, artists James Rosenquist, Oleg Cassini, Edwina Sandys and Bob Gruen, comedian Susie Essman, Broadway stars Kelli O'Hara, Melissa Errico and Savion Glover, and 4-time Oscar winner for production and costume design Catherine Martin.

About the Gold Coast Arts Center
The Gold Coast Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the arts through education, exhibition, performance and outreach. Located on the North Shore of Long Island, it has brought the arts to tens of thousands of people throughout the region for over 20 years. Among the Center's offerings are its School for the Arts, which holds year-round classes in visual and performing arts for students of all ages and abilities; a free public art gallery; a concert and lecture series; film screenings and discussions; the annual Gold Coast International Film Festival; and initiatives that focus on senior citizens and underserved communities. These initiatives include artist residencies, after-school programs, school assemblies, teacher-training workshops and parent-child workshops. The Gold Coast Arts Center is an affiliate of the John F. KENNEDY Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education program, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. More information can be found at www.goldcoastarts.org.

Image courtesy of ShortsTV & Magnolia Pictures.

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