The Gold Coast International Film Festival, offered by the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck Plaza, will be showcasing Oscar-nominated short films next month – and federal workers who suffered from the shutdown can get in for free.
The move was first announced last Thursday, when it was unclear how long the partial government shutdown – affecting 800,000 federal workers, more than 15,000 of whom were in Nassau County – would last.
“We recognize the hardship that our federal workers have had to endure since the beginning of the shutdown last month,” Caroline Sorokoff, the festival director of the Gold Coast International Film Festival, said at the time. “We hope that providing affected workers with a few hours of free entertainment may in some way help ease their burden.”
On Sunday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m., the Gold Coast International Film Festival will present Oscar-nominated animated short films at Soundview Cinemas, 7 Soundview Marketplace, in Port Washington.
The nominated films are “Detainment,” “Fauve,” “Marguerite,” “Mother” and “Skin.”
Then on Wednesday, they will offer the live-action, Oscar-naminated short films at the Bow Tie Squire Cinemas at 115 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck at 7:30 p.m.
Following both screenings will be a Q&A session with Oscar-winning producer Mara Kassin and Alexandra Gil, a filmmaker and the Gold Coast International Film Festival short film coordinator.
Cost of admission for the general public is $15, and $10 for students.
Don Miller, a spokesman for the organizations, said that federal workers are still getting “back on their feet” after missing two pay cycles. Consequently, he said, federal workers can still call (516) 829-2570 to reserve a spot.
“Even though the shutdown is over, we’re not going to withdraw the offer,” Miller said.
