The Gold Coast Arts Center’s 11th annual International Film Festival in October will feature a hybrid schedule of virtual and in-person screenings.
Kicking off on Oct. 10 with a family film and arts day outside the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck, the film festival will once again have patrons viewing movies in theaters. A handful of movies will be played at Manhasset Cinemas and Eisenhower Park aside from virtual screenings and programs.
Award-winning films such as “Luzzu,” “Neighbours” and “Becoming Cousteau” will be featured , along with Q&A sessions with screenings of “Chasing Childhood,” “Plan A” and “Walk With Frank.”
Caroline Sorokoff, the film festival director, said ensuring the comfortability and accessibility of films for patrons was a paramount necessity for the arts center due to the coronavirus pandemic. While in-person attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination and wear masks, Sorokoff said, the center is excited to provide another year of quality films and entertainment to the community.
“This year, because the world is constantly changing, we created a festival with options for everyone,” Sorokoff said in an interview. “We have a bunch of virtual films and programs offered throughout the festival week, with in-person screenings in Manhasset as well.”
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the film festival used various venues, including the Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington and the Squire Theatre in Great Neck. While both of those theaters have closed, Sorokoff said it remains important that events like the film festival use the remaining local venues so they do not suffer the same fate.
“We hope that the theaters that closed reopen someday, but we have to support the ones that are still here,” Sorokoff said. “We love having movie theaters here and we are doing our best to patronize them.”
Back by popular demand, the film festival will hold a program of family-friendly short films on a virtual platform. The center’s Making Memories with Music program will also be held virtually. The program is designed for people living with memory loss and their care partners.
Also included in the programming is the Young Filmmakers Program where the next generation of filmmakers will be supported by showcasing short films created by K-12 filmmakers around the world.
The festival will run from Oct. 10 to 17 and film schedules, guides, ticket purchasing and additional information can be found at: https://goldcoastarts.org/film10-2-3/.
