Puffin Hosts Free Movie Screening Sunday Night

The Teaneck Puffin Cultural Forum will host an outdoor screening of "Greetings from the Shore" at 8 p.m. Sunday at 20 Puffin Way.

The film draws on actual events in writer/producer Gabrielle Berberich's life, as well as a fictitious storyline of high-stakes gambling and a budding romance–all on the Jersey Shore.

The film's director, Greg Chwerchak, was born in Montclair and lived in Nutley until age 4 before moving out of state. During the summers, he and his family would return to the Shore. He met Berberich while doing casting for his film "The Hook-Armed Man."

"I met Gabrielle in Los Angeles, but we're both originally from New Jersey," Chwerchak said. "After enduring years of misperceptions and jokes about Jersey, we decided to show people what the real New Jersey looks like. 'Greetings from the Shore' started as an idea to show off the true beauty of the state; hence the title–a living postcard. Gabrielle and I went to the Shore and talked about various events that happened to us growing up. We ended up merging real-life events from our lives, and the film's story was born."

The two shot the film almost entirely in the shore-town of Lavallette, where Berberich spent her summers.

"She worked at a pizza place, a clothing store; she taught English to seasonal workers, etc. Her father passing away and his love of Lavallette was a big motivation for shooting the film there, too," Chwerchak said. "My family used to go down to Sea Isle and Wildwood, but much of the feeling in Lavallette was the same. There's a wonderful culture at the Shore–not just a wonderful climate. It's a place where families return for generations, usually to the same town, often to the same street, the same house. There's a great nostalgia and timelessness to the Shore, and that's what we tried to capture in 'Greetings.'"

The film has been screened worldwide and has won 45 awards at various film festivals. The movie stars Paul Sorvino ("Goodfellas"), who lived in Tenafly for 15 years;  Kim Shaw ("The Good Wife"); David Fumero ("One Life to Live") and Jay O Sanders ("The Day After Tomorrow").

"We'll get e-mails from places as far away as Australia and Russia and Saudi Arabia," Chwerchak said. "Often people can't believe this is the same New Jersey they've heard about or seen on TV. Many people say they want to visit and vacation at the Shore. I have to say, hearing that kind of positive response from a total stranger halfway around the world is as good as any award we ever could win."

Chwerchak and Berberich are joining forces again for a movie called "Lucky Mucker," which will take place in western New Jersey and is slated for release in 2011. "It's a farcical twist on 'Romeo & Juliet,' drawing on a lot of Jersey history and mythologies (the Jersey Devil, the missing Lindbergh baby, etc). It's a really fun story," Chwerchak said.

Those who come out to the outdoor screening (weather permitting), can meet Chwerchak, Berberich and some other actors from the movie. There will be a question-and-answer segment and time to get signed copies of the DVD, which was released recently. DVDs also can be purchased at GreetingsFromTheShore.com. New Wave Cinemas in Ramsey is providing the 25-foot movie screen.

The event is free and will take place indoors if it rains. Any profanity in the movie has been removed, so the movie has a PG rating and is suitable for families. For more information, call 201-836-3499 or visit PuffinCulturalForum.org.