Golden Door Film Festival facts for kids
The Golden Door Film Festival is an exciting film festival held every year in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. It started in 2011. This four-day event happens in the fall. It shows all kinds of movies, including long films, documentaries (movies about real life), and short films.
The festival's big opening and closing award ceremonies take place at the historic Loew's Jersey Theatre. This amazing old movie palace was built in 1929. Many other movie showings and events happen at different places in Downtown Jersey City. The festival was created by an actor, producer, and musician named Bill Sorvino. Filmmakers can win awards for different types of movies, like features, shorts, and documentaries. There are also special awards for student films and for female directors.
Why "Golden Door"?
The festival's name, "Golden Door," has a special meaning. It's inspired by the history of immigrants coming to America. The famous Statue of Liberty National Monument is very close to Jersey City. It includes Liberty Island and Ellis Island.
The poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus ends with the line: "I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" This poem is on the Statue of Liberty. Many immigrants arrived in America through Jersey City, passing through places like the Communipaw Terminal. Because of this, Jersey City is sometimes called "America's Golden Door." The festival celebrates this important part of history.
Festival Highlights Through the Years
2011: The First Festival
The very first Golden Door Film Festival happened from October 14 to 17, 2011. A total of 43 films were shown. There were 18 different categories for filmmakers to compete in. Famous people like Academy Award winner Leon Gast and Paul Sorvino received special lifetime achievement awards.
The movie Night Club (2011) won many top awards. It won Best Feature Film and Best Director for Sam Borowski. The actors Ernest Borgnine and Natasha Lyonne won awards for their main roles in the film. Sally Kellerman also won for her supporting role.
2012: New Awards Added
In 2012, the festival screened 53 films. It took place from October 11 to 14. Two new award categories were added this year. One was the Student Filmmaker Award, for young movie creators. The other was the Women in Film-Alice Guy Blache Award. This award is named after Alice Guy-Blaché. She was a pioneer director whose studio was in Fort Lee. Fort Lee is known as the birthplace of America's first movie industry.
The film Maybe Tomorrow by Michael Wolfe won several awards. These included Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.
2013: A Focus on Documentaries
The 2013 festival started on October 10. It opened with a documentary called Fall to Grace. This film was about the former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey. Actor Armand Assante was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
2014: Supporting Autism Awareness
The 2014 festival was held from September 16 to 21. Events took place all over Jersey City. The opening night and awards ceremony were at the historic Loew's Jersey Theatre. This year, the festival also started supporting autism awareness.
Tommy Hilfiger, a famous fashion designer, became a sponsor. He helped kick off the event. Two films opened the festival: Six Letter Word, a short film about autism, and The Odd Way Home. A total of 92 films were shown. The movie African Gothic won Best Film. It also won awards for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Editor.
2015: More Venues and Screenings
The festival in 2015 ran from September 24 to 27. Many events were held at New Jersey City University. A documentary about Jersey City musician Brute Force was shown. He also performed after the screening. Later in November, the festival screened Ellis by artist JR.
2016: World Premieres
The 2016 festival took place from September 22 to 25. It hosted the very first showing of Chris Robert's film Another You. Other films screened included The Hollow, Detours, Po, and Who’s Jenna..?. The festival's founder, Bill Sorvino, even starred in Who’s Jenna..?.
2017: Many Films and Awards
The seventh annual festival was held from October 5 to 8. More than 175 films were shown over the four days. The movie The Girl Who Invented Kissing won four major awards. These included Best Feature Film, Best Director for Tom Sierchio, Best Actor for Dash Mihok, and Best Supporting Actor for Vincent Piazza. The short film Brooklyn in July also won three awards.
2018: Expanding Locations
In 2018, the festival ran from September 20 to 23. A large number of films, 265 in total, were screened. They were shown at many different places around Jersey City. These included halls at Saint Peter's University, the Communipaw Terminal in Liberty State Park, and White Eagle Hall.
2019: Local Talent Spotlight
The festival in 2019 took place from September 17 to 22. It featured the New Jersey premiere of Cupid’s First Day. It also had the world premiere of Last Rehearsal of the Dangerous Kitten. This film was made by a local company called Narrow Bridge. The award for Best Local Film went to Like Us.
2020: Postponed Due to Pandemic
The festival was originally planned for September 19 to 26, 2020. However, it had to be postponed. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rescheduled for early 2021.
