The Gold Coast Arts Center has selected the second film of its Summer Cinema Series: “The Hippopotamus,” a comedy based on a novel by the renowned writer and actor Stephen Fry.
The screening will take place on Wednesday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bow Tie Squire Cinemas (155 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY), and will be followed by an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with Fry (novelist), Roger Allam (lead actor), John Jencks (director) and Blanche McIntyre (screenwriter), which was shot at the end of May in Wales at the Hay Festival.
The pre-recorded Q&A runs approximately 35 minutes.
Directed by Jencks (“The Fold”), “The Hippopotamus” stars Allam (“Lady in the Van,” “Endeavor”), Matthew Modine (“Stranger Things,” “Full Metal Jacket”), Fiona Shaw (“Harry Potter”), Emily Berrington (“The White Queen,” “The Inbetweeners 2”), Tim McInnerny (“Notting Hill,” “Game of Thrones”), Geraldine Sommerville (“Harry Potter,” “My Week with Marilyn”), and Tommy Knight (“Victoria”).
The plot centers on the summoning of a disgraced poet (Allam) to the country manor of his friends, Lord and Lady Logan (Modine and Shaw), to investigate a series of unexplained miracle healings.
“We try to include at least one comedy in every Summer Series,” notes Lauren Wagner, Director of Marketing & Development for the Gold Coast Arts Center and the Gold Coast International Film Festival. “Audiences welcome light entertainment at this time of year.”
The Summer Series, which features the best new independent films and studio releases, is a highlight of the Gold Coast Cinema Series, a year-round program that culminates in the Gold Coast International Film Festival.
Other films in the Summer Series will be announced soon, with screenings that will take place on Aug. 9, Aug. 23, and Sept. 13 and also include Q&As with filmmakers and other industry professionals.
Tickets to individual screenings in the Summer Series cost $15, subscriptions to the entire series are $75.00/$65.00 for seniors.
Now entering its seventh year, the Gold Coast International Film Festival is a seven-day festival held in North Hempstead that showcases the work of exceptional filmmakers and provides the public with an insider’s view of the film industry.
Festival events comprise screenings, workshops, and conversations, with prominent members of the film community, parties, and a gala.
Every year, the festival attracts area residents, visitors, members of the business and film communities, public officials, students, and academics.
Past honorees and guests have included Francis Ford Coppola, Baz Luhrmann, Hugh Grant, Isabella Rossellini, Ed Burns, and Phylicia Rashad, to name a few.
The festival is part of a year-round screening and discussion series produced by the Gold Coast Arts Center, an organization dedicated to promoting the arts through education, exhibition, performance, and outreach.
Through this program, the center previews more than 100 of the best new independent, foreign, art-house and repertory films, including many Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated feature films in advance of award selections.
To purchase tickets or to obtain more information, please visit www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org or call 516-829-2570.
