On Friday night October 12th at 6:45 pm  the Loew’s Theater on Journal Square in Jersey City will present  as a special attraction to the  the  Golden Door International Festival and not as  part of competiton, Writer/ Director Nancy Savoca’s movie,  “Union Square” starring Oscar winner Mira Sorvino and Emmy Winner and Two time Tony nominated actress Tammy Blanchard .

What makes this an extra special event is both Ms. Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard have roots in Hudson County,   Ms. Sorvino  daughter of Paul Sorvino is cousin to Bill Sorvino Executive Director of the GDIF.Ms. Blanchard   was born in Jersey City, raised in Bayonne and has family in the Hudson County area.

Bill Sorvino said “This is a great opportunity for Hudson County audiences to see two very talented actresses with Hudson County roots work side by side in a wonderful movie about sisters, by Writer/ Director Nancy Savoca.”

The post “Union Square” Starring Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard -Actresses with Roots to Hudson County to be shown Friday Night Oct 12th at Jersey City’s Loew’s Theater. first appeared on River View Observer.

October brings chills and thrills and skies so bright you can see the stars and the nights will be especially starry when the Golden Door International Film Festival rolls out the red carpet at the Loewâ€s Jersey City movie palace for four fabulous days of films.

 The film festival kicks off Thurs, Oct. 11^th where stars, writers, directors and cinephiles will gather in the Loewâ€s art deco lobby for drinks and schmoozing and then take their seats in the beautifully restored theater to watch two new films, Pollination* starring Federico Castelluccio (The Sopranos); and Just Crazy Enough featuring Saturday Night Live alum Chris Kattan.  The following three days will be jam packed with screenings of features, documentaries and shorts and a closing night awards ceremony on Sun, Oct. 14^th.                

 Founder Bill Sorvino brings the film festival back to Jersey City for a second year and the response heâ€s received since last yearâ€s event has been huge, he says. This time around, Sorvino has added ore films to the marquee for a four-day smorgasbord of features, documentaries and shorts from Hollywood to Bollywood.

 “Last yearâ€s festival was very successful,” Sorvino says. “We had great feedback and I want to build on what we did last year. So this year the amount of fantastic films we have is over the top – one great film after another.” 

 Close to 50 films were chosen from hundreds of entries sent in from all over the world including Germany, Switzerland, India, South Africa and Australia. Local filmmakers also made the cut. This yearâ€s screenings include Alfred Thinks We’re Aliens; Carbon for Water; This Space Available; Not a Feather, but a Dot; A Dance with Andrea; Red Scare; The Senatorâ€s Daughter; and Surviving Family.

 (To view the full schedule and purchase tickets go to www.goldendoorfilmfestival.org.)

“Iâ€m trying to grow the festival to make it more prominent,” Sorvino says. “I couldnâ€t turn down these films, I just couldnâ€t.”

 Although most of the films will be screened at the beautiful Loewâ€s Jersey City, Sorvino expanded the screening venues to other Jersey City locales including the Brightside Tavern, Panepinto Galleries, Art House Productions and the Jersey City Free Public Libraryâ€s Five Corners Branch. Every night the screenings will be a red carpet event. At Friday nightâ€s screenings at the Loewâ€s, the stars will shine like supernovas with the showing of Union Square starring Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino and Emmy award winner Tammy Blanchard. (Union Square is a special festival attraction and not part of the competition.)

 Also on Friday nightâ€s bill is local filmmaker Mara Lesemannâ€s Surviving Family which features Vincent Pastore who played Sal Bonpensiero in The Sopranos. Lesemannâ€s film tells the story of a woman getting married in five days who returns home to her dysfunctional family in New Jersey to prepare for her nuptials. Lesemann shot many of the filmâ€s scenes in her very own Jersey City neighborhood: the Lucky 7 tavern on Coles Street, Satis Bistro on Washington Boulevard, Pecorraro Bakery on Newark Avenue, La Belle Boutique on Danforth Avenue and City Hall on Grove Street.

 “Shooting scenes in Jersey Cityâ€s City Hall was absolutely awesome,” Lesemann says. “We made up a New Jersey town called Byzantine and Vincent Pastore plays the mayor who helps this young couple get a marriage license. Jersey Cityâ€s Mayor Healy was nice enough to let us use his office and we shot a scene there at 3 in the morning. Debbie Harris who works for the cityâ€s cultural affairs department was our liaison and she was great.”

Lesemann has had several screenings of Surviving Family and says thereâ€s something special about screening her film in Jersey City. A former banker, Lesemann sees her film career as a risk worth taking and bankrolled the movie with her own savings.

“Iâ€m not going to live forever and I want to do things that are important to me,” Lesemann says. “Iâ€m very proud of the film. Iâ€ve written and produced several shorts before this, wrote another screenplay and this one I wrote with the intention of it being produced.”

Linden resident Sam Borowski directed and co-wrote Pollination* which will be featured at the Opening Night Gala.  This live action short co-written by Borowski and Lisa Buffington, who once worked as Borowskiâ€s assistant, tells the story of the relationships between people and their plants and stars Federico Castelluccio who played hitman Furio on The Sopranos.  

 In August, Borowski premiered Pollination* at the Holly Shorts Festival in Hollywood where many short films go on to be nominated for Academy Awards, Borowski says.

 “Federico got nominated for best actor which was great and qualifying for an Oscar in the live action category would be amazing, but itâ€s more of an amazing feeling to write stories that touch peopleâ€s lives,” Borowski says.

At last yearâ€s festival Borowskiâ€s film Nightclub earned five awards including best picture, best director, best actress for Academy-Award winner Sally Kellerman (M*A*S*H) and best actor for the late Ernest Borgnine (Marty, McHaleâ€s Navy). Since its screening at Golden Door, Borowski says heâ€s now in talks with a major studio and Nightclub will be released later this year.

 As a result of Nightclubâ€s screening last year at the Golden Door International Film Festival, Borowski says heâ€s booked several jobs by networking and making new contacts.

 “The festival is out of this world,” Borowski says. “For any filmmaker or actor this is the place to be. Itâ€s absolutely one of the best networking experiences Iâ€ve had at a festival.”

 If you go:

Thurs, Oct. 11- Sun, Oct. 14

The Golden Door International Film Festival

Jersey City

Tickets $10 at the door (additional surcharge when purchased online)

Film screenings shown at Loewâ€s Jersey City; Brightside Tavern; Panepinto Galleries; Art House Productions; and Jersey City Free Public Library/Five Corners Branch

For screenings schedule and tickets: www.goldendoorfilmfestival.org

 

 

 

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At the Angelika Film Center, Mercer and Houston Streets, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Tammy Blanchard (The Good Shepherd,  “Of Two Minds-  Money Ball  ) appears on the big screen July 13th in a role opposite Mira Sorvino in Nancy Savocaâ€s independent film “Union Square.”

Blanchard plays Jenny, Sorvino’s reserved, estranged, repressed young sister who has spent much of her time trying to distance her self from her tumultouous upbringing which includes her  sister Lucy played by Sorvino.  Arriving  from the Bronx on the verge of a nervous breakdown at Thanksgiving time Lucy’s unexpected visit to Jenny’s  Union Square apartment in New York City forces Jenny to face her past and reveal some secrets of her own.

Blanchard fresh off  her Tony nominated role as Heddy La Rue in Broadway’s hit musical “How to Succeed (her second nomination having been nominated back in 2005 for Gypsy)  said the film “Union Square” was filmed in less than two weeks-16 hour days  and shot in sequence – with a limited budget. “Having  all us actors work  under such strict and rigid time constaints, Nancy (Savoca)  forced some excellent acting from the cast and for a while I thought I was going crazy. I lived with this part waking up and going to sleep with it.  Lucy (Sorvino’s character) was getting to me and making me feel anxious and uptight about her coming back into my life”. I asked Nancy “Is this real? ”

Critics have found Blanchard’s performance very real giving the Emmy Award wining actress much praise for  her role as Jenny in Union Square.

Blanchard is next to star in Woody Allenâ€s yet-to-be-made film alongside Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin.

Union Square  Stars: Mira Sorvino (Lucy), Tammy Blanchard (Jenny), Mike Doyle (Bill), Michael Rispoli (Nick), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Sara) and Patti LuPone (Lucia).

Written by Nancy Savoca and Mary Tobler

Mary Tobler; director of photography, Lisa Leone; edited by Jennifer Lee; music by Madeleine Peyroux; production design by Sarah Frank; costumes by Liz Prince; produced by Richard Guay and Neda Armian; released by Dada Films.

For more information on Union Square or to find a theater near you, visit www.theunionsquaremovie.com.

The post Actresses Tammy Blanchard and Mira Sorvino’s Movie “Union Square” Opens July 13th at New York City’s Angelika Theater 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.

Bill Sorvino – A Dream of a Film Festival

by Sally Deering

 Ideas sometimes come to us in dreams and that’s exactly how Bill Sorvino conceived the Golden Door International Film Festival to be held in Jersey City in October. What started as images flickering in his sleeping mind will now be images flickering on the silver screen.

 “I had a dream last year about having a film festival in Jersey City,” Sorvino says,” and it was like lightning in a bottle. Jersey City is close to my heart. I grew up here and my family has a 100-year history here. I want Jersey City to have something in its own right.”

 

Dreaming of a film festival is not much of a stretch for Sorvino. He’s a screenwriter and actor who studied at the William Esper Studios in New York City and has appeared in several indie films. He also hails from a theatrical family – his uncle is celebrated actor Paul Sorvino and he’s cousin to Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino – and throughout the years Bill Sorvino shared conversations with his Uncle Paul and cousin Mira about film, theater and acting held during family gatherings at the dinner table.  

“My uncle had a farm in Pennsylvania and I would go and hang out and we would eat and talk,” Bill Sorvino says. “One weekend, Mira, my Uncle Paul and Mira’s husband were at his house down the shore and my uncle was holding an (impromptu) class on acting. We were sitting there mesmerized by his depth of knowledge.”

 Not everyone who comes from Jersey City wants to come back and shine a light on the talent here. Usually star-struck wannabees head to Los Angeles and carve their niche there. But Sorvino’s different – his passion for Jersey City and the place where he grew up and his love for film and theater and his uncle Paul and cousin Mira are key factors to his dream. Sorvino and his Uncle Paul are very close – and it’s quite likely festival-goers in October will get a chance to see Paul Sorvino at the festival’s closing night gala at Loew’s Jersey City, the restored movie palace in Journal Square and one of the venues for the festival’s screenings.

The Golden Door International Film Festival will take Jersey City by storm from Oct 13^th through October 16^th – where four local venues will unroll the red carpet to film stars, celebrities and film-goers screening films by local and international filmmakers. It’s a juried competition with awards given out in ten categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress and Best Cinematographer. Still in the preliminary stages – the venues have been chosen and film submissions are pouring in and Sorvino, who grew up in downtown Jersey City and attended Hudson Catholic high school and St. Peter’s College, wants to encourage local filmmakers to submit their films. Comedies, dramas, documentaries, animations and short films are welcome as are student films.

Filmmakers can submit their films to the Golden Door International Film Festival by going to the website www.withoutabox.com an online submission system for film festival and screenplay competitions. Film Festival directors like Sorvino use the website to manage their festivals and for filmmakers it’s the go-to-place to enter the festival, upload their films and PayPal their entry fee. (Deadline for submissions to the Golden Door International Film Festival is July 1, 2011; entry fee is $50.)

“Everyone goes to withoutabox.com if you are going to put on a festival or submit to a festival,” Sorvino says. “They do the money transactions and post the checklist of submission requirements. It makes it easier to screen the films, too.”

 Festival Highlights

The Golden Door International Film Festival will screen film submissions in Jersey City at the beautifully restored Loew’s Jersey City movie palace in Journal Square; Michael Anthony’s restaurant on the waterfront; LITM restaurant, a hip bistro on Newark Avenue; and Bar Majestic, a cozy gathering place across the street from City Hall on Grove Street.

“Another thing I’ve really come to love about planning the film festival is getting to meet the owners of these places,” Sorvino says. “These owners want to create a better sense of community and have an artistic insight.”

So far, Sorvino has received submissions from all over the globe including South Africa, India, Austria and England and several from local filmmakers. Although the roster of films that will be screened hasn’t been chosen yet (filmmakers will be notified Aug 1^st) several submissions have caught Sorvino’s eye including “Street Corner Harmony” a documentary by Abraham Santiago and Steven Dunham about Doo-Wop groups of the 1950s narrated by record producer Wayne Stierle; and “Night Club” a film by San Borowski starring Ernest Borgnine, Mickey Rooney, Lance Howard and Clint Howard (Ron Howard’s father and brother,) Sally Kellerman (‘Hot Lips’ in the film “M.A.S.H”) and Bill Sorvino’s uncle Paul Sorvino.

Members of Jersey City’s arts community are also joining in to support the festival. At the closing night gala at Loew’s Jersey City a panel of judges, including John Dapolito of Jersey City, who teaches acting and script analysis in New York, will give out awards. Members of the Golden Door International Film Festival’s Board of Advisors will also be on hand including Christine Goodman, Founder/Director of Art House Productions in Jersey City; Eileen Gaughan, administrative aide for the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs; and Joseph Calamito, publisher of the Riverview Observer newspaper and website.

 “I’m holding it in Jersey City, because for me, when I was growing up here downtown was terrible,” Sorvino says, “and in 2007, I came back and saw the changes. It’s amazing what can happen when there’s group effort, community pride and positive energy moving forward. You have a vibrant artist community in Jersey City, great bars and restaurants. It’s like a little Manhattan. I want to make movies here. I tell everybody I know in the business, we have to look at Jersey City as a location to make films.”

To Sorvino, Jersey City could easily become the new go-to destination for filmmakers on the East Coast. All it takes is a festival and a dream.

Submit your Film

Golden Door Film Festival

Film Submissions:  Go to www.withoutabox.com  or  www.goldendoorfilmfestival.com

Deadline:  July 1, 2011

Fee for Submission:  $50

Notification:  Filmmakers will be notified Aug 1, 2011 if their films have been accepted to the competition

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