Thursday, April 13, 2017

Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival Starts April 24 - Red Carpet Features Alysia Reiner, Martha Byrne, Sarah Megan Thomas, Christopher Mann, Soap Stars and More, Watch Features, Animation, Student Films, Foreign and Hear Live Music

                       
(Press Release) Ridgewood, NJ  - Soaps, Stocks, Students and Suspense highlight the lineup for this year's  Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival  which runs  Monday, April 25th  to Thursday, April 27th in downtown Ridgewood, NJ. This year's film festival promises to be bigger and better than before with celebrities coming out for the Red Carpet, a world premiere, a musical performance, an acting workshop by an Emmy winner, and local student films. 

Films run on Tuesday night (Foreign films only) Wednesday night and Thursday night. Foreign Film NIght is at the Ridgewood Public Library on Ridgewood Avenue and is FREE. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings the films are show at the Bow Tie Cinema on Ridgewood Avenue and the cost is $10 per evening, which gets you into any of the screenings that particular night. 



Red Carpet on April 26th*: There will be a Red Carpet on Wednesday, which is the day of the official opening ceremony and Thursday nights. The Red Carpet is outside the Bow Tie Theater and is a free event.  Actors scheduled to attend the Red Carpet on Wednesday night are Alysia Reiner (Equity, OITNB, Better Things), Sarah Megan Thomas (Equity), Martha ByrneAs The World Turns, General Hospital), Austin Peck (Days of our Lives, Tainted Dreams, As The World Turns), Terri Conn ( One Life to Live, As The World Turns),  Tonja Walker (Tainted Dreams, General Hospital, One Life To Live), Erik Ransom (Tainted Dreams) and David Alan Basche (The Exes). 


Red Carpet on April 27th* : Actors scheduled for the Red Carpet on Thursday evening are cast from But Deliver Us From Evil. This is the premiere screening of this movie. Actors scheduled to attend are:  Christopher Mann (Oscar-nominated LovingBut Deliver Us From EvilThe Wire), Franklin Ojeda Smith (Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist), Ridgewood Resident R J Konner (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Adjustment Bureau ), Cynthia Rodriguez (BET's The New Edition),  Sheilah Belle (host of the Belle Report), Carla Facciolo (reality star MOB WIVES), Karen Gravano (reality star MOB WIVES), Rich Graff (AMC series Making of the MOB), Debra King (Don King productions) and Wilma McNabb (Campbell Soup Lady, mother of former Eagles QB Donavon McNabb). Linda Hamilton is yet to be confirmed.

Though the Festival starts on Monday with a Launch Party at Fish Urban Dining for the filmmakers and invited guests, the films open to the public begin on Tuesday. Foreign Films include those from Greece, Iran, India, and Egypt. From Sweden A Man Called Ove will be shown which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Following are the highlights for April 26th and April 27th. For a complete schedule visit the Facebook page which is constantly updated with listings and features on the filmmakers and their films.

Wednesday Highlights : Three time Emmy-winning actress/producer and Bergen Resident Martha Byrne  will present the acting workshop, "How to Avoid the Sharks and Get into Show Business". This event is free and all ages are welcome.  It will be held from 5 to 5:45pm at the Theater.  After that  is the Red Carpet and the opening ceremony. Screening that evening is the Emmy-nominated Amazon Series Tainted Dreams featuring a cast of soap, reality and theater actors. The female-driven tech thriller Equity, starring Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas and Alysia Reiner also screens.  There will be Q & A's with several of the actors after each of these. 

There will also be a musical performance by the boy band Larger than Life followed by a documentary about that band. Ridgewood Jamboree 2017 World Tour will also screen.

Christopher Mann & RJ Konner of But Deliver Us From Evil. RJ is from Ridgewood

Thursday Highlights: On Thursday the Ridgewood  Guild International Film Festival is proud to host the first screening of the horror/suspense film But Deliver Us From Evil  directed by Joshua Coates whose cast includes Eric Roberts, Pooch Hall, Christopher Mann. Thorstan Kaye and others.  Many of the cast and crew will be there. Also that night other suspense films will be shown. Another highlight on Thursday is Shoot Me Nicely, starring Linda Hamilton.  

Rounding out the schedule on both nights will be an assortment of films and shorts. Look for productions from local students from Allendale, Bergenfield, Waldwick, Ridgewood, William Paterson and Edgewater.  Several NJ residents including those from Brick, Bloomfield and Jersey City have also been selected to show their films here.

Winners will be announced Thursday night after the screenings. An After Party will be held at Fish Urban Dining. after the Thursday night screenings. A ticket is required for this event. 
Guild President Tony Damiano, Actors RJ Konner & Alice Rose
with Director Joshua Coates and
 Celia Austin

Tony Damiano, President of the Ridgewood Guild, states, "I cannot believe how our film festival has grown over the past 7 years. We have expanded to 3 nights and are now an International Film Festival, accepting films from around the world. The level of excitement grows each year, with more and more filmmakers anticipating the event. We are excited this year to have well-known actors coming, a world premiere, digital content, and some very interesting films." He adds,  "This is a great activity, especially if you are a movie buff, and it's only $10 a night.  Don't miss out on this gem of an event. we've got a real happening right here in Ridgewood."

Sponsors for the film festival are Boiling Springs Savings Bank, P. E. Guerin and the Valley Hospital.  
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Mango Jam, 41 North Broad Street in Ridgewood, or online at  www.brownpapertickets.com, directly at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2904214 

There will be udpated information on the films being show on the Facebook page. For more information on the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival visit: www.RidgewoodGuild.comon Twitter @RidgewoodFilmFe and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TRGIFF/.


* All actors scheduled to come are subject to cancellation beyond the Festival's control.