'Crackers' short with Vincent D'Onofrio wins at Garden State Film Festival

GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL

CONGRATULATIONS TO GREGORY PRINCIPATO AND THE CAST OF 'CRACKERS' FOR WINNING BEST NARRATIVE SHORT!

'Crackers' short with Vincent D'Onofrio screening at Garden State Film Festival this weekend

EXAMINER.COM
By Jennifer Principato

Wednesday, April 3 - The Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park kicks off today and will run throughout the weekend to showcase independent films from New Jersey and around the world. Attending a film festival is a great way to catch thought provoking films, various off beat story lines, (unlike the predictable Hollywood films that are most often available to us at mega theaters), and a chance to get acquainted with otherwise unrecognized talent. Often, one leaves pleasantly surprised and will think about the films they saw days afterwards. If you can get over to Asbury Park try to view at least one of the many interesting Independent films being screened over the weekend.

I highly recommend seeing the award-winning New Jersey-made short film CRACKERS starring Vincent D’Onofrio (Law & Order Criminal Intent), Brenda Vaccaro (Midnight Cowboy), Dan Hedaya (Cheers), Sal Richards (Out for Justice), Anthony Laciura (Boardwalk Empire), Beth Ann Bonner (One Life to Live) and Vincent Mora.

The film is part of a shorts showcase and will be screening at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park on Saturday, April 6 at 8:15 pm. The short film, with a run time of 32 minutes, has been widely received throughout the country and been the recipient of six awards including The People’s Choice Award and Best Short Film at the Fort Myers Beach Film Festival, Best Short Comedy at The World Cinema Festival, Audience and Juried Award for Best Short at the Teaneck Film Festival and Special Jury Award at the San Diego Film Festival.



It is a dark comedy, about the unraveling of an otherwise content chef (Vincent D’Onofrio) who now finds himself out of work and having to share his home with his cantankerous mother in law (Brenda Vaccaro), and her nutcracker collection. It’s only until he turns to his oddball neighborhood friends, (Sal Richards and Anthony Laciura) for help when things get worse and he slowly loses his paradise, his sanity and all that is sacred to him.

The film was shot in South Amboy and made by New Jersey resident, and award–winning filmmaker, Gregory Principato, (Mr. Laughs –A Look Behind the Curtain – 2009), who has directed, produced and co-wrote, along with fellow Union county resident, Timothy Reinhardt. When asked how they came up with the story, Principato said the experience had been surreal. The story had been twirling around my head for years, and once I met Tim, a novelist, we decided to work together, our ideas just came together so quickly. It took us three weeks to write the full story. Some of the characters come from our personal experiences and upbringing, so the dialogue felt real, but I was particularly amazed about how smoothly the partnership between us evolved as we met weekly at our local Barnes and Noble to work on the story.” Although Gregory has directed projects before and Tim has other fictional works written, this was the team’s first attempt in writing a screenplay.

“There were times I was pacing, waving my hands and yelling out profanities as part of the dialogue, while Tim was sitting on the floor with his laptop plugged in to the wall in the back of the store by the restrooms. One time, there was this elderly woman on her way to the bathroom when she had caught us in mid-dialogue, with me yelling, 'Now Gus, feed the crazy old broad some kind of potent drug." I felt like a deer caught in the headlights when I turned around to see this sweet old woman staring at me. The look on her face was just priceless.” Principato explains. “If you have a warped sense of humor you will definitely enjoy the movie.”

If dark comedy is not your thing, there are many other films to choose from, go to www.gsff.orgor call (877) 908-7050 for more information and movie times.

Garden State Film Festival boasts 163 films and events including 'The New Tenants' with Vincent D'Onofrio

INDEPENDENT

The Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) celebrates its 11th anniversary this year.

Co-founded in 2003 by film industry veteran Diane Raver and the late actor Robert Pastorelli, the festival runs April 4-7 in the Paramount Theatre/Convention Hall complex in Asbury Park and other local venues.

In addition to 163 film screenings, there will be a free screening for kids and families, a gala cocktail party, panel discussions, book signings, question-and-answer sessions and educational programs.

An open casting call, a black-tie awards ceremony and a benefit screening for victims of superstorm Sandy are also scheduled.

The GSFF kicks off at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday with a free screening of age-appropriate films for kids and families in the Paramount Theatre.

At 7 p.m., festivities continue by honoring the heroes of superstorm Sandy and supporting the residents and businesses that were affected by the storm.

“We are trying to get the word out that the Jersey Shore is open,” Raver said.

The Thursday event called “The Shore Must Go On” will be held in honor of all the heroes who assisted others during and after the storm. The GSFF is offering the public an opportunity to purchase one ticket ($12) for the fundraiser and get one free, so they can treat their “hero” to a night out.

The evening will end with the audience singing “One Light,” written by Lori Drazenovich, which will be filmed for later use to boost tourism throughout the Shore this summer.

The festival’s official kickoff on Friday includes a gala cocktail party at 7 p.m. in the Grand Arcade, followed by a screening of “A Reckless Romeo,” starring Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.

The screening will be followed by a short film from South Africa called “Loot” and a special screening of the feature-length documentary “Icebound.”

The festival offers a large selection of films that explore a variety of diverse subjects. Highlights include:

 “Magic Camp,” the inspirational story of a group of misfit high school kids attending the real-life Hogwarts each summer in Pennsylvania;  “Crackers,” the star-studded short film featuring Brenda Vaccaro, Vincent D’Onofrio and Anthony Laciura;

 “Hava Nagila (The Movie),” directed by award-winning director Roberta Grossman; and

 “The Perfect Wedding,” a romantic comedy featuring Hollywood veterans

James Rebhorn and Kristine

Sutherland.

International films include:

 “Il Cacciatore di Anatre”

(The Duck Hunter), filmed in Emilia, Italy; and

 “Thailand Untapped:

The Global Reach of Engineers Without Borders,” which follows three Rutgers engineering students as they travel to a province in northern Thailand to bring clean, potable water to a rural village.

Celebrity honorees include:

 Diane Ladd, an actress, director and author who will host a panel discussion and a book signing of her latest work, “A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake,” on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Watermark;

 Kristine Sutherland, a veteran of television, film and stage;  James Rebhorn, a well-established film and television actor; and

 Jay Seals, an actor born and raised in Hasbrouck Heights and a graduate of Ramapo College.

A live reading will be presented on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Watermark.

A panel titled “New Jersey Girls Working in Film” will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Stella Marina.

The 11th anniversary awards dinner will be held on Sunday at the Crystal Point Yacht Club in Point Pleasant.

“We’re thrilled everything has come together in such a perfect way,” Raver said, adding that during the festival weekend there will be 163 films — nearly 78 hours, 28 minutes and 41 seconds of films — to view.

A complete film listing can be found on the GSFF website at www.gsff.org.

To attend, individual screening tickets are $12, while a weekend pass to all films is $50.

Admission to the opening-night cocktail party and screening is $25, and the awards dinner is $125 per person.

To purchase tickets/passes, go to www.gsff.org/festival-info/buy-tickets.