2009 Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest

Closing Night at the 2009 GOTHAM SCREEN Festival...


2009 Gotham Screen Festival Closing Night, Reiko Aylesworth, Aasif Mandvi, The Understudy, GSIFFphoto: Dan Turkewitz
GSIFF 2009 Closing Night at Tribeca Cinemas with (from left): David Conolly, Reiko Aylesworth, Aasif Mandvi and Peter McRobbie. (more pictures here...)

Screenplay Contest 2009 - click here for a list of semifinalists, finalists, category winners and the winner of the $ 2,500 Circleframe Award.


Festival Pics: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
Photos by Dan Turkewitz and Joseph Gray


The Third Annual GSIFF Film Festival drew to a close last night with the New York premiere of The Understudy, the new film by husband and wife directing and producing team David Conolly and Hannah Davis.

2009 Gotham Screen Festival Closing Night, Reiko Aylesworth, Aasif Mandvi, The Understudy, GSIFF
The Understudy team at GSIFF 2009 (from left): Joe Foley, Reiko Aylesworth,David Connolly, Aasif Mandvi and Hannah Davis. photo: Dan Turkewitz


Stars in attendance on the red carpet at Tribeca Cinemas last night were Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show, Ghost Town, The Proposal and the upcoming Today’s Special), Reiko Aylesworth (Lost, ER, Aliens vs Predators and soon on Damages), Peter McRobbie (16 Blocks, World Trade Center) and Emanuele Ancorini.  Also spotted on the red carpet: Mike Steinberg from The Bachelorette.


2009 Gotham Screen Festival Closing Night, Reiko Aylesworth, Aasif Mandvi, The Understudy, GSIFF

In the concluding ceremony the winners of the film competition and the winning screenplays from the screenplay contest were announced.


Winners of the 2009 GOTHAM SCREEN Circleframe Film Awards:

 

Best Feature – Salawati
Marc X Grigoroff, director

 

Best Documentary – The Belgrade Phantom
Jovan B. Todorovic, director

 

Best Photography - Loft
Danny Elsen, cinematographer

 

Best Actress – Zarina Safuan, Salawati

 

Best Actor - Eduard Fernández, El Vestido (The Dress)

 

Best Short Film – El Encargado (The One In Charge)
Sergio Barrejón, director

 

Special Jury Mention - The Moon Inside You
Diana Fabianova, director

 

2009 Gotham Screen Festival, GSIFF

 

Winners of the 2009 GOTHAM SCREEN Screenwriting Awards:

 

Best Screenplay:
Coal Hard Cash, by Arthur Schurr - Winner of the $2,500 Circleframe Screenwriting Award, sponsored by Triboro Pictures.

 

Best Drama:
The Congo Redemption, by Ken Straw and Joey O’Connor

 

Best Comedy:
Sink or Swim: The Saga of Shore Break Rentals, by  Keith Strausbaugh

 

Best Romantic Comedy:
FRENCHING aka OOH LA-LA, by Marie Rose

 

Best Family / Children’s:
Chances, by Jeff Trently and Anthony Stitt

 

Best Action / Adventure:
Graf, by M. Roman Rosales & Peter Loffredo

 

Best Thriller:
Cleo Parker, by Michel Palmer

 

The GSIFF Film Festival and Gotham Screen Screenplay Contest is held annually at the end of October in New York City and was hosted this year again at the Tribeca Cinemas in Lower Manhattan.

 

The GSIFF Film Fest draws each year from a wide variety of American and International submissions, and attempts to give industry and audience exposure to films and filmmakers whose work would not otherwise get seen in New York, or in the US. Over half the films shown this year were US premieres, and Gotham Screen intends to continue this tradition of introducing new films and filmmakers to American audiences.

 

The organizers wish to thank everyone who made this year’s festival such a great success, and look forward to welcoming Filmmakers and Film Fans from around the world again in Fall 2010.

 

 

Festival Lineup 2009
 

Highlights of this year's lineup

 

Closing Night Premiere:
"The Understudy" US 2009
- Sun, Oct 25 (Tribeca Cinemas, 7:30pm)

starring Marin Ireland, Paul Sparks, Aasif Mandvi, Richard Kind, Tom Wopat, Gloria Reuben, Reiko Aylesworth; Dir: David Conolly & Hannah Davis

 The Understudy, Reiko Aylesworth, Assif mandvi, Gotham Screen, GSIFF

 

Special Screening:
"The Belgrade Phantom" Serbia 2009
- Sat, October 24
(Tribeca Cinemas, 7:30pm)
starring Milutin Milosevic, Marko Zivic, Radoslav Milenkovic, Nada Macankovic; Dir: Jovan B.Todorovic

 The Belgrade Phantom, Gotham Screen 2009

 

Opening Night - US Premiere:
"LOFT" Belgium 2008
- Wed, Oct 21, (Tribeca Cinemas, 8:30pm)

starring Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruno Vanden Broucke, Koen De Graeve, Veerle Baetens; Dir: Erik Van Looy

 

Loft, Belgium, Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruno Vanden Broucke, Koen De Graeve, Veerle Baetens, Erik Van Looy

 

US Premiere:
"El Vestido (The Dress)" Argentina 2009
- Thu, Oct 22, (Tribeca Cinemas, 9:00pm)

starring Isabel Blanco, Paloma Coscia, Antonella Costa, Eduard Fernández; Dir: Paula de Luqu

 

El Vestido, The Dress, Isabel Blanco, Paloma Coscia, Antonella Costa, Eduard Fernández, Paula de Luqu

 

...festival Photos - click here...

Gotham Screen 2009 at the Tribeca Cinemas

photo: dan turkewitz

 

Gotham Screen 2009, GSIFF Film Festival
photo: denzil coxall


Gotham Screen 2009, GSIFF Film Festival

photo: dina litovksy

 

The Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest:

In this trying time for the economy, the film industry has proven to be one of the rare bright spots, with 2009 box office admissions and box office up over 15%, year on year in the first months, and it looks like the trend will continue. The worst of times can be the best of times - we strongly believe that there exist great opportunities for filmmakers and screenwriters, and that this is an important time for artists, to go out there and make themselves heard and seen.

 

2009 Gotham Screen Festival, GSIFF

 


Gotham Screen 2009, GSIFF Film Festival