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ASBURY PARK, NJ - Celebrating its 19th Anniversary, the artistic philosophy of the Garden State Film Festival is rooted in the celebration of the independent film genre and celebrates this spirit through dramatic screenings and unparalleled film collaborations attracting a diverse audience from around the world. From Tuesday, 23 - Sunday, 28 March 2021 in Cranford & Asbury Park, New Jersey, GSFF unveils world premieres, Hollywood stars, industry panels, and as a nonprofit enterprise, serves as an added economic engine for Asbury Park’s vitality through art, commerce and culture. Make your plans to be a part of intriguing panel discussions and can’t miss parties, all held in numerous locations all over the city by the sea.
This year's notables include Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now), Daniel BaldwinIndependent Spirit Award (Hawaii Five-0), Alec Baldwin (The Departed), Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects), William Baldwin (Backdraft), Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Forrest Gump), David Koechner (Anchorman), Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell), Ja Rule (The Fast and the Furious), Vince Van Patten (World Poker Tour), James Van Patten (Saw IV), Ed Asner (Elf), David Lipper (Fuller House), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Chaz Bono (American Horror Story), Ed Begley Jr. (Pineapple Express), Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development, Gabriel Rush (Moonrise Kingdom), Sean Young (Blade Runner), Jennifer Tilly (The Bride of Cshucky), Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons), Joseph Bologna (Lovers and Other Strangers), Renee Taylor (Lovers and Other Strangers), Edin Gali (Fury), Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy), Kim Wayans (In Living Color), Kirk Acevedo (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible), Jason Kravitz (The Practice), Abigail Hawk (Blue Bloods), Bo Dietl (The Wolf of Wall Street) Jacob A. Ware (Boardwalk Empire), Anthony Arkin (The Americans), RJ Brown (The Carrie Diaries), Ross Mccall (Band of Brothers), Eileen Davidson (The Young and the Restless), Willie Garson (Sex in the City), Lucas Bryant (The Vow), John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), James Kyson (Preacher), Danny Pardo (SEAL Team), Don Stark (That 70s Show), Anthony Geary (General Hospital), Ashley Platz (Grey’s Anatomy) and many more. This 6-day event brings a large number of producers, directors, actors, investors, distributors, and industry talent to the State of New Jersey, the birthplace of American filmmaking.
In one weekend, you can enjoy over 300 films on all subjects, in a variety of lengths, showing in numerous locations all around Asbury Park, plus parties, celebrities, seminars, networking, and lots more. It’s a fast-paced weekend of non-stop fun for all ages. Films are shown in ~two-hour-long screening blocks that include a variety of works like shorts, feature-length, music videos, and trailers. Each screening block concludes with a question and answers session with the filmmakers and actors. Other events held throughout the festival include a panel discussion on Meditation, Yoga, and Creativitythat includes an inspiring conversation with Jillian Pransky and Dani Shapiro followed with a short practice geared to all levels. Planning ahead and using the Garden State Film Festival App will help you not miss a thing. For more information including schedule, tickets, and travel visit https://www.gsff.org |
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MEDIA REQUESTS Interested media who wish to interview Garden State Film Festival Executives, film talent, obtain screening reviews or industry entry please contact LAUREN, via email lauren@gsff.org or telephone +848.863.9881. |
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7 DAYS TO VEGAS GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL | OPENING NIGHT FILM Inspired by a true story about Hollywood big shots who will bet on anything, this comedy features Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell), Jennifer Tilly (The Bride of Chucky), Vincent Van Patten (World Poker Tour), James Van Patten (Saw IV), Ross McCall (Band of Brothers), Eileen Davidson (The Young and the Restless), Willie Garson (White Collar), Lucas Bryant (The Vow), John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), James Kyson (Preacher), Danny Pardo (SEAL Team) and Don Stark (That ’70s Show). Directed by Eric Balfour Produced by Kim Waltrip & Adam Weinraub Screens Friday, 26 March at 7:30pmVirtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at
209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ.
FILM BLOCK AL4
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“GSFF is proud to assist in providing advocacy and support to advance public education. We believe in the transformative power of arts education to substantially improve children’s lives and academic outcomes, and prepare them for 21st-century careers. The 2021 festival will be different. “It’s more than having an appreciation of the arts, it's about art health”, said Concar Sheehy. “Our focus this year is transforming health through the arts. By integrating literary, performing, visual arts and design, along with other forms of creative expression, our mental wellness is enhanced through community connection. In these times, that is really important and this grant enables us to fulfill our mission.” "We are thrilled to have so many respected leaders in the filmmaking industry with us in Asbury Park. The legendary, Arianna Bocco, is this year’s GSFF Honorary Chair.” Executive Director, Lauren Concar Sheehy said. |
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TICKETS $20 (+ service charge) for one screening block, and $55 (+ service charge) for the VIRTUAL MULTIPASS that gets you access to all 300 films Thursday through Sunday. With the pass you can attend as many films as you wish, plus the live stream of the Awards Reception. Live, in person events including the Friday Night Gala Cocktail Party, Film Screenings and the Awards Reception are seperate tickets.
BLACK TIE AWARDS The festival ends with Closing Night Black-Tie Gala Awards Reception on Sunday, March 28. Join GSFF at The Asbury Lanes for this exciting evening where the “best” in various categories of films and celebrity honorees are recognized. All events are open to the public.
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NEW JERSEY PREMIERE
Victim No. 6 It's 1975 in New York City, which has been unaffectionately dubbed "Fear City" by the Council for Public Safety. Donna stands in front of a derelict newsstand, smoking a cigarette and reading the headline: "The City Slasher Trashes Another Victim. Who Will be Next?" Soon, she and her friend, Judy, head to a local bar to enjoy a night out, but Judy leaves early with someone she knows. Left on her own, Donna is approached by a handsome stranger. But should we trust everyone we meet in Fear City? Directed by Nancy Menagh
Produced by Heather Brittain O'Scanlon, Nancy Menagh
Screens Saturday, 27 March at 7:30pm Virtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at 209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ.
FILM BLOCK AL7
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WORLD PREMIERE Rushed- Trailer 3/26/2021 7:30pm-9:30pm After losing her son in a fraternity hazing tradgedy, a mother takes matters into her own hands. Featuring Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Forrest Gump), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Rusty Schwimmer (Mr. Mercedes), Jake Weary (Animal Kingdom), Justin Linville (What We Do in the Shadows), Fat Nick (Musician). Directed by Vibeke Muasya
Written by Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Produced by Siobhan Fallon Hogan & Peter Hogan Screens Friday, 26 March at 7:30pmVirtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at 209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ. FILM BLOCK AL4 |
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My Promise to PJ 3/27/2021 5:00pm-7:15pm Synopsis: A young man, PJ Raynor, was promised that if he stayed sober from heroin for two years, he would be taken to run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. He did but then relapsed and died. Actor Daniel Baldwin then took his ashes and ran with the bulls to fulfill his promise. Featuring Daniel Baldwin (Hawaii Five-0), Alec Baldwin (The Departed), Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects), William Baldwin (Backdraft). Director: Daniel Baldwin Producer: Larry Leisure Screens Saturday, 27 March at 5:00pmVirtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at 209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ. FILM BLOCK AL6 |
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Hey, It's Me 3/27/2021 8:00pm-10:30pm Synopsis: After receiving an ominous phone call from his future self, a selfish man tries to alter his destiny. Featuring RJ Brown (The Carrie Diaries). Director: Courtney Sposato, Mark Sposato Screens Saturday, 27 March at 8:00pmVirtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at 209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ. FILM BLOCK AL7 |
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Reboot Camp 3/27/2021 8:00-11:00 PM Synopsis: After losing his life savings and his wife to a self-help guru, Seymour is on a mission to expose false prophets who fleece people for money. Featuring David Lipper (Fuller House) David Koechner (Anchorman), Ja Rule (The Fast and the Furious), Chaz Bono (American Horror Story), Ed Begley Jr (Pineapple Express) and more! Director: Ivo Raza Producer: David Lipper, Tina Sutakanat, Jim Johnston
Screens Saturday, 27 March at 8:00pmVirtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at 209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ.
FILM BLOCK AL7 |
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Gossamer Folds 3/27/2021 4:15pm-6:30pm Synopsis: During the summer of 1986, 10-year-old Tate Millikin is uprooted and forced to move to the suburbs of Kansas City. When his transphobic father discovers that their next-door neighbor is a trans woman named Gossamer, he forbids Tate to even say hello to her. As Tate's parents' marriage unravels, Tate defies his father’s orders and forms a powerful bond with Gossamer and her father, Edward (Franklin Ojeda Jones), a retired English professor. Also featuring Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons) and Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl). Director: Lisa Donato Producer: Yeardley Smith , Ben Cornwell, Jordan Foley, Nick Smith, Jonathan Rosenthal, Adam Carl Screens Saturday, 27 March at 4:15pmVirtually FILM BLOCK TM33 |
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Andy Baker Tape 3/27/2021 6:15pm-7:45pm Synopsis: The last known footage of food blogger Jeff Blake and his half-brother, Andy Baker. Director: Bret Lada Producer: Bret Lada, Dustin Fontaine, Arthur Giamalidis , Caitlin Borek Screens Saturday, 27 March at 6:15pmVirtually and at The Berkeley Kingsley located at 1401 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 FILM BLOCK BK20 |
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Heart of Camden, The - The Story of Father Michael Doyle 3/27/2021 5:00pm-7:00pm Synopsis: Father Michael J. Doyle came to the U.S. from rural Ireland in 1959, bringing with him a joyful disposition, a fervent Catholic faith and an unwavering determination to help his congregation and community. This strong-willed priest worked tirelessly to breathe new life into Sacred Heart School along with founding organizations for the poor like the Heart of Camden. Narrated by Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now). Director: Douglas Clayton Producer: Bill Horin Screens Saturday, 27 March at 5:00pmVirtually FILM BLOCK BPAC41 |
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STALKING CHERNOBYL: Exploration After Apocalypse 3/28/2021 12:00pm-2:15pm Synopsis: Welcome to the underground culture of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Three decades after the world's most infamous nuclear disaster, illegal hiking adventurers, known as “stalkers,” extreme sports afficionados, artists, and tour companies have begun to explore the mysterious, ghostly landscape, where trees and forest animals have reclaimed land abandoned by villagers. Even as survivors continue to reckon with a dishonest government’s attempts to cover up the extent of the disaster, and as humanity faces new nuclear incidents in place like Fukushima, the Chernobyl site has turned into a bizarre tourist attraction, drawing seekers with a taste for the post-apocalyptic. Director/ Producer: Lara Lee Screens Sunday, 28 March at 5:00pmVirtually FILM BLOCK STJ51 |
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Life in Kensington, Philadelphia Through the Lens of Jeffrey Stockbridge 3/27/2021 1:15-3:45pm Synopsis: "It's like I went from photographing abandoned houses to abandoned people." For more than a decade, photographer Jeffrey Stockbridge has been documenting people in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, knows as the "badlands" for its notorious open air drug market. Director: Hunter Siede, Rick Cook Producer: Opaque Philadelphia Screens Saturday, 27 March at 1:15pmVirtually FILM BLOCK AL5 |
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Arrangement, The 3/28/2021 3:00pm-5:00pm Synopsis: Two lonely detectives investigate a series of mysterious midnight deaths. Each victim is found with a picture of the next, sending the detectives on a paranoid journey into the victims’ past. Featuring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight). Director: Jake Hunsicker Producer: Andrew Hunsicker Screens Sunday, 28 March at 3:00pmVirtually and at The Asbury Hotel located at 210 5th Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 FILM BLOCK TA17 |
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Finding Manny 3/28/2021 11:15am-1:00pm Synopsis: After the war, a Holocaust survivor makes an unexpected trip to the orphanage where he was rescued. Manny confronts the place of his darkest memories, to reconcile the past and educate the future. Featuring Joseph Bologna (Lovers and Other Strangers) and Renee Taylor (Lovers and Other Strangers) Narrated by Stephen Baldwin
Director: Kacey Cox Producer: Jan Jekielek, Cindy Drukier, Kacey Cox, Joe Wang Screens Sunday, 28 March at 11:00amVirtually FILM BLOCK BPAC43 |
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Exit Package 3/27/2021 5:00pm-7:15pm Synopsis: A Zoom meeting for a corrupt investment company goes horribly wrong in this quarantine-era murder mystery. The film was made completely through Zoom, with all of the actors working from home. Featuring Kim Wayans (In Living Color), Kirk Acevedo (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible) and Jason Kravitz (The Practice). Director: John Gray Producer: Melissa Jo Peltier Screens Saturday, 27 March at 5:00pmVirtually and at The Asbury Lanes located at 209 4th Ave,Asbury Park, NJ. FILM BLOCK AL6 |
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Founder Diane Raver said, “GSFF is screening 300 films. Further, we are happy to present each spring in Asbury Park and to serve as an added engine for the city’s vitality through arts, commerce, and culture. The films are great and there is a selection for all tastes, from films about veterans to thrillers, shorts, animated offerings, children’s films, documentaries, and so much more. There is something for everyone! Come one, come all, it only happens once a year and we don’t want you to miss it.” |
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THE GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL was born in 2002 after a chance encounter in a Sea Girt, New Jersey grocery store by film industry veteran Diane Raver and the well-known Hollywood actor Robert Pastorelli. Through their deep ties to Hollywood, Mr. Pastorelli and Ms. Raver were able to bring an all-encompassing event to the State of New Jersey. It premiered in 2003 and was immediately deemed a huge success. Since that time, industry notables such as Glenn Close, Christopher Lloyd, Batman producer Michael Uslan, Austin Pendleton, Kurtwood Smith, James Gandolfini, Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen, Lainie Kazan, Diane Ladd, Laura Dern, Bebe Neuwirth, Armand Asante, Sally Struthers and our biggest supporter Ed Asner as well as others have lent their support. The artistic philosophy of the Garden State Film Festival is rooted in the celebration of the independent film genre and the creation of a forum where local and other independent filmmakers can exhibit their work. It was also created to pay tribute to New Jersey’s legacy as the birthplace of the American filmmaking industry in Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratories where he invented the first film cameras and projectors, to Fort Lee, where the original studios were founded. Our event provides novice and aspiring filmmakers, actors, and others interested in careers in the film business, the opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals in an atmosphere conducive to learning and mentoring. Further, we are happy to present each spring in Asbury Park and to serve as an added engine for the city’s vitality through arts, commerce, and culture. For more information visit https://www.gsff.org |
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