What to See at This Year's Gold Coast International Film Festival

The 4th annual Gold Coast International Film Festival runs in area theaters through Nov. 9.

The film festival is presented by the Gold Coast Arts Center, in conjunction with the Town of North Hempstead,

Here’s what’s on tap:

Wednesday, Nov. 5

1. Burn
Soundview Cinema in Port Washington, film starts at 7pm
An amazing documentary about firefighters from Detroit produced by Denis Leary’s company. Q&A with one of the producers (Jim Serpico – from Long Island) and Kristin Thorne from ABCNews.

2. The Embrace of Aging
Soundview Cinema Port Washington, film starts at 6:30pm
A masterful, inspiring, captivating portrayal of the female aging process where great minds of medicine and science come together with touching human interest stories from Okinawa to Jackson Hole. Q&A after the film with Keith Famie (director) and a panel of NSLIJ experts.

Thursday, Nov. 6

1. Andrew & Wendy
Gold Coast Arts Center, film starts at 1:00pm
The remarkable and moving story of a professional classical guitarist, whose life was saved by music and who gives back in an unforgettable way. Featuring a Q&A and performance by the film’s subjects.

2. August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Soundview Cinema in Port Washington, film starts at 7:30pm
The world premiere of a documentary about playwright August Wilson (some call him America’s Shakespeare). Q&A guests include: Tony winning actors Phylicia Rashad and Ruben Santiago Hudson and Sam Pollard (Film Director/Producer) and Darryl Ford-Williams (Exec. Producer). Moderator is Julie Wilson (WNET/Thirteen, Exec. Producer, Documentaries & Development)

3. The Wonders
Bow Tie Great Neck, film starts at 7:30pm
This wildly original film tells the story of a bartender/artist/slacker who gets mixed up in Jerusalem’s criminal underground. A box office hit in Israel, THE WONDERS combines mystery, comedy, psychological thriller, political intrigue, and romance to create a unique and compelling movie. Official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival. Q&A with Dean Movshovitz (Director of Film & Media; Consulate General of Israel).

Friday, Nov. 7

Beside Still Water
Bow Tie Roslyn, 8:30pm
In this Big Chill for Generation Y, a group of childhood friends comes together for the last time a the scenic lake house where they all grew up, to comfort each other, rekindle old flames, and drunkenly stumble down memory lane. Directorial debut from award-winning actor Chris Lowell (The Help, Veronica Mars). Q&A with producer after the film.

Saturday, Nov. 8

1. Above and Beyond
Soundview Port Washington, film starts at 2:00pm
A fascinating, little-known tale filled with heart, heroism, and high-flying chutzpah, ABOVE AND BEYOND is the true story of Jewish-American pilots who volunteered to fight for Israel in the War of Independence. This ragtag band of brothers turned the tide of the war, preventing the annihilation of Israel at the very moment of its birth. Produced by Nancy Spielberg.

2. Mudbloods
Soundview Port Washington, film starts at 5:30pm
Quidditch, the sport that thrilled in the wizard world of Harry Potter, leaps off the pages and into the real world in this highly entertaining documentary of the sport’s very real life in the collegiate league. The dreamers, creators and athletes who make up this exceptional community come together to make this magical sport into something you could’ve never imagined, until now. Parents, please note there is some strong language in this film. Q&A with members of area college Quidditch teams! (we could drop this Q&A)

3. Zero Motivation
Soundview Port Washington, film starts at 7:30pm
Winner of the top prize at the Tribeca Film Festival and nominated for 12 Israeli Film Academy Awards, ZERO MOTIVATION is a zany, dark comedic portrait of everyday life for a unit of young, female Israeli soldiers. Q&A with director Talya Lavie, who will be accepting the first Gold Coast International Film Festival Screenwriter’s Award and Nancy Gerstman, co-President of Zeitgeist Films.

4. You Must Be Joking
Soundview Port Washington, film starts at 8:00pm
Barb is an aimless, confrontational 27-year-old paralegal in this edgy comedy of reinvention. Sas Goldberg gives a frenetic, biting performance as a listless woman inspired by her childhood best friend, a ballet dancer, to pick up her long-shelved passion for standup comedy. Q&A with film’s star and co-writer Sas Goldberg

5. Cold Eyes
Bow Tie Manhasset, film starts at 7:00pm
In this fast-paced, adrenaline-packed thrill ride, a new recruit of an elite police unit races against time as she hunts down an organization responsible for a series of bold, explosive robberies. This smart, innovative thriller will show you why South Korean film is giving Hollywood a run for its money. Q&A after the film with Goran Topalovic (Exec. Dir. NY Asian Film Festival) and Euny Hong (Journalist & Author of The Birth of South Korean Cool)

Sunday, Nov. 9

1. The Dove Flyer
Bow Tie Great Neck, film starts at 12:30pm
A coming-of-age story set amid the expulsion of Jews in Iraq in the 1950s, where a 16-year-old caught in the middle of conflicting attitudes must make a difficult decision that will change his family’s destiny. Q&A after the film with Maurice Shohet (President of the World Organization of Jews from Iraq).

2. When the Garden Was Eden
Bow Tie Great Neck, film starts at 4:00pm
Actor and tried-and-true New Yorker Michael Rapaport delivers an unabashed love letter to the Knicks with this fast-moving tribute to the team’s glory days. In the late ’60s, basketball was the city’s forgotten sport. Enter an unlikely band of scrappy team players, many of them future hall-of-famers, who would transform the team into one of the NBA’s most dazzling squads. Official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival. Q&A with NY Times sportswriter Harvey Araton and moderated by former Hofstra Mens Basketball Head Coach and current ESPN College Basketball analyst Mo Cassara.

3. Silenced
Soundview Port Washington, film starts at 3:30pm
This important documentary chronicles the incredible personal journeys of two US government whistleblowers—Thomas Drake and John Kiriakou, who first revealed waterboarding as a CIA practice—and the price they paid. Official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival. Post screening Q&A with film’s director James Spione.

4. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work – November 9, 2014
Soundview Cinemas, film starts at 4:00pm
In tribute to the late, great Joan Rivers, we are delighted to bring back this excellent documentary that welcomes viewers into the legendary icon’s comedic process and private dramas, as she fights tooth and nail to keep her American dream alive. Followed by a Q&A with comedians and those who knew Joan, celebrating her comedic legacy including Director Ricki Stern and Jeffrey Gurian.

Closing Night Awards Party – November 9, 2014
Gold Coast Arts Center – approx. 6pm
The Party will be at the Arts Center where the exhibit from the National Basketball Hall of Fame will be on display (including the NBA trophy!)
For more information and a complete festival line up visit www.goldcoastfilmfestival.org
VENUE INFO
Prices: $8 child, $12 student, $14 adult per showing.
Hours: Varies depending on event.
Screenings and events at this year’s festival will take place at the Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington and at Bow Tie Cinemas in Great Neck/Port Washington/Manhasset/Roslyn as well as at other venues including the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck.