Mike Fleming

Hey, New York, ready for another film festival? The Gold Coast International Film Festival will launch in June through the Great Neck Arts Center. The festival’s executive director will be  GNAC founder Regina Gil. Senior programmer will be Sean McPhillips, the former Miramax acquisitions executive who most recently programmed the 10th installment of the Great Neck Arts Center’s Furman Film Series. Former Miramax communications head Matthew Hiltzik will handle media strategy.

New York certainly has no shortage of festivals, though not in Nassau County. There is Tribeca in the spring, and the New York Film and Hamptons Film festivals in the fall. The timing of the Gold Coast Festival creates an opportunity to draw films on the rebound from the Cannes Film Festival. The organizers hope to play up the rich history of the mansions of the Gold Coast, which is poised for a re-think as Baz Luhrmann preps a new version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The challenge for the Gold Coast International Film Festival will be to figure out a way to become a destination important enough to have a shot at a film like Gatsby by the time Luhrmann and Sony Pictures Entertainment are ready to launch it. Organizers said that Town of North Hempstead supervisor Jon Kaiman is supporting the festival, as are local businesses in the area. Putting together an advisory board is the next step.