From left, Filmmaker Amanda Bedula, Best Actor in a Short winner Bill Sorvino, Best Director/Best Short Winner Sam Borowski, Best Actress in a Short Nominee Samantha Tuffarelli, Filmmaker Michael Ringston, Best Actress in a Short Winner Maria Rusolo and Best Actress in a Short Nominee Wanda O’ Connell strike a group pose on the Red Carpet at the Northeast Film Festival.

The post NORTHEAST FILM FESTIVAL DEBUTS – SEVERAL LOCALS MAKE BIG SPLASH first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

 In October 2012, the second annual Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City lit up screens at the Landmark Loewâ€s Jersey Theatre and other venues where films from all over the world premiered and winners chosen. On Sat, March 16th, the festivalâ€s Executive Director Bill Sorvino presents “The Best of the Fest” where three films from the Golden Door International Film Festival will have encore screenings at Art House Productions in Jersey City.

 

The feature film to be shown is “Maybe Tomorrow” directed by Michael Wolfe and starring Wolfe, Dominik Tiefenthaler and Paul Lange. At the Golden Door, the film won Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay. The film centers on the friendship between three men and the test their friendship endures when they become involved in a crime that ultimately changes their lives forever.

  

Next on the bill is “Pollination*”  a short film about the special life of plants by filmmaker Sam Borowski and starring Federico Castelluccio (of “The Sopranos”) and Chris Kattan. 

 

Rounding out the evening is “My Time with the English Tourist,” a short documentary by Jersey City resident John Dunstan that won the Audience Choice award. The film short is a 13-minute valentine to Jersey Cityâ€s Liberty State Park and the wildlife that resides there as seen through Dunstanâ€s camera lens during walks with his English bulldog Tommy.

 “These three films were chosen across the spectrum,” Sorvino says. “The feature film, ‘Maybe Tomorrow†is a powerhouse movie starring Michael Wolfe.  Johnâ€s film is a short documentary about the walks he took with his dog and the beautiful wildlife in Liberty State Park. Itâ€s a great film. And Samâ€s film ‘Pollination*†packs a 7-minute wallop.â€

 The Best of the Fest is a fundraising event for Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City as it gears up for its third year this fall.

 “We run the festival on a very tight budget,” Sorvino says, “and we need every penny we can bring in.”

 Early film submissions to the 2013 festival are being accepted as of March 7^th and there are several deadlines throughout the year for filmmakers to submit their work. Sorvino and his staff held a Best of the Fest last year after the first festival where he says they had a full house at Art House Productions space near Hamilton Park in Jersey City. This yearâ€s event will again be held at Art House with the three filmmakers attending the screening and then conducting a Q&A with the audience afterwards.

 Dunstan, who directed and stars in the short documentary “My Time with the English Tourist” with his dog Tommy participated in the first Golden Door festival when he submitted his film “The Secret Life of my Small Urban Backyard” which won Best Documentary that year and played film festivals in Montana and Finland.

 “My first film was a nature documentary, an extremely close look at life in my backyard,” Dunstan says.

 A carpenter by trade, Dunstan describes himself as a hobbyist filmmaker. He says the festival is a great venue for filmmakers to learn from each other and garner support for their work.

 “Itâ€s nice as an amateur to hang out with people who made serious films,” Dunstan says “One thing that impressed me with the Golden Door film festival is that an enthusiast filmmaker like myself gets the same respect and supportive atmosphere as the bigger players. In spite of the demands of organizing and running the festival, Bill has really made it a special event, personally encouraging my work.”

 This is the second year Best of the Fest will be held at Art House Productions in Jersey City, a non-profit performance, art, and theater space run by Christine Goodman. Itâ€s a great venue for screenings, Sorvino says.

 “Itâ€s one of the most successful venues of the film festival,” Sorvino says. “We seem to pack the house with them. They have a nice screen, a nice setting, great sound. It doesnâ€t look like a movie theater but itâ€s an awesome space.”

 On March 16^th, the Best of the Fest will screen the three films from 7-9 pm and after the Q&A, thereâ€s an after party scheduled at GPâ€s Restaurant just a few steps away on Pavonia Avenue.  Admission to Best of the Fest is $20, cash only, at the door and the price includes admission to the screenings and the after party.

“The Golden Door is getting bigger and better,” Sorvino says. “Itâ€s blowing up in fact.”

 

If you go:

Sat, Mar 16, 7 pm

The Best of the Fest

Art House Productions

Hamilton Square

1 McWilliams Place

Jersey City

Admission:  $20

For more info:

www.goldendoorfilmfestival.org

www.facebook.com/goldendoorfest

 

The post Golden Door Does Its Best Film Festival’s ‘Best of’ to be Screened at Art House Productions in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

The Golden Door International Film Festival Opening Night at the Loew’s Theater in Jersey City.

See who was there…

 

The post Opening Night Photos of The Golden Door Film Festival Oct. 13th, 2011 first appeared on River View Observer.

Coming Soon: Film and Broadway star in Concert at Loew’s Jersey City

 By Sally Deering

 Best known as mob boss Paulie Cicero, who cooked Italian dishes for his crew in the film “Goodfellas” and many other acting roles in film, on Broadway and TV, Paul Sorvino  is more than just an actor – he’s a sculptor, painter, writer, director, chef and opera singer.  And on Thurs., Oct. 27 and Fri., Nov. 4, Sorvino’s fans are in for a treat when he takes to the stage at Loew’s Jersey City in “Paul Sorvino Sings!” a concert where Sorvino sings arias and Neapolitan folk songs and tells stories of his life as an actor.

 Sorvino’s nephew, Bill Sorvino, an actor and producer in his own right, is producing the concerts. Bill Sorvino is also producing the first annual Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City this fall, where Paul Sorvino will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

 “I’ve been my uncle’s biggest fan since I was a little boy,” Bill Sorvino says. “We spent a lot of time together when I was growing up and his children are my closest cousins. Every time he would hit a note on the piano and go into some aria. I was wowed by his amazing singing voice.  I was a rock singer for many years and I followed in my uncle’s footsteps. I’ve always wanted to find a way to put his music out into the public a lot more than it ever has. This concert is borne out of my love, respect and admiration for my uncle.”

 Taking time from a busy schedule – he’s in post-production for a film he directed — Paul Sorvino spoke with Riverview Observer about his versatile career, family life – he’s the dad of Mira, Michael and Amanda – and creative life. He’s an Italian-American “Renaissance Man,” who infuses his passion into the roles he plays, his sculptures, paintings – even his mother’s marinara recipe.

 RVO: When did you discover your love for opera?

PS: My mother was a piano teacher and there was always music in the house. I had two uncles, Uncle Carlo and Uncle Vincent who were great singers from Naples, a baritone and tenor. I always had the idea I wanted to be on the stage. I didn’t know the difference between an actor and a singer I was attuned to beautiful voices. If it’s the sound of the voice you’re looking for it’s not going to be rock and roll it will be opera.  Today, we’re not in a good time for opera singers. Domingo is the most admirable and he’s done so much, a great musician. I like Angela Gheorghiu. She’s my favorite singer right now.

 

RVO: We know you for your roles in films, TV and Broadway, but were you ever in an opera?

PS: I performed at a gala at the Met and it was very exciting to be on that stage. I made my debut and my audition. I was having vocal problems because of acid reflux. It stops a lot of opera singers in their tracks.

 

RVO: Your fans remember you as a great cook in “Goodfellas,” can you talk about your line of tomato sauces?

PS: Neapolitans have made marinara for hundreds of years. I just put it in the jar. People don’t know how to make it. They usually put onions and garlic in and by doing that they make it bland. Garlic takes away the sweetness when mixed with onions and they cancel each other out. Marinara is strictly garlic, oil, tomato, basil and a touch of oregano.

 RVO: What are you working on now, film-wise?

PS: I just finished a movie. I’m acting, I have projects planned and we’re finishing post production on the movie “The Trouble with Cali,” about a young girl dazzled by a modeling scout who lures her away from ballet. I play her father. My (daughter) Amanda wrote it. I have a couple of other movies I’m preparing to write and direct.

 RVO: In real life, you’re more a Renaissance Man; isn’t that somewhat different from the characters you portray?

PS: People who see “Goodfellas” presume that’s what I am (but) my family is noble, goes back hundreds of years. I’m not a gangster. I’m a poet, a best-selling author, director and sculptor. I’m interested in everything.

 RVO: What made you start the Paul Sorvino Asthma Foundation and didn’t you also write the book “How to become a Former Asthmatic?”

PS: I started the foundation in 1992 because I had asthma and I learned a way of defeating it through yoga exercises. My book was on the New York Times Best Seller list and I was honored by Dr. Everett Koop for my work with asthma. A lot of performers and athletes do charitable work.  Being a performer or an athlete if you’re that kind of person, your heart goes out easily. Look at Magic Johnson and all he’s done. I’m just doing my thing – ridding the world of asthma

 RVO: Your repertoire has been portraying tough guys; but aren’t you more a family man in real life?

PS: I’m different from most other actors who kind of live their lives for themselves. They may have been great artists at the expense of their children, not in support of their children. For me, my career came second and my children come first.

 Paul Sorvino in concert at the Loew’s Jersey City promises to be a great evening of music and storytelling. It will also offer Sorvino’s fans a unique opportunity to see a different side of one of their favorite actors, his nephew Bill Sorvino says.

 “My uncle’s act includes stories and jokes – in between songs he’ll tell stories of what happened on a film,” Bill Sorvino says. “He’s a great performer and an amazing storyteller. People who see him in concert will get to know him beyond movie and theater roles. And once you do, you get hooked. He comes across so well in his roles, and that underlying personality is what people connect to in his acting. When you hear him sing, tell stories and jokes, you realize he’s an amazing person.”

 Thurs, Oct. 27 and Fri., Nov. 4 at 8 p.m.

Paul Sorvino Sings!

Loew’s Jersey City

54 Journal Square

Jersey City, NJ, 07306

201-798-6055

www.loewsjersey.org

Tickets are $75 to $125 and can be purchased at www.BrownPaperTickets.com 

For more info, visit www.paulsorvinosings.com

For questions, email paulsorvinosings@gmail.com

The post Actor Paul Sorvino Sings and Talks to the River View Observer first appeared on River View Observer.