GARDEN STATERS TURN OUT FOR OUR VERY OWN MOTION PICTURE FILM FESTIVAL

PHOTOS BY MARY WEIR & JOHN RIVERO

Thousands of film devotees attended the Garden State Film Festival the end of March in Atlantic City. The four-day weekend event welcomed celebrities, honorees, film industry executives, and movie fans to Resorts Casino Hotel and other Atlantic City locations. The Festival included networking opportunities, industry workshops, informative panel discussions, and parties, in addition to the screening of 225 films from around the world. The weekend culminated with the 2017 Garden State Film Festival Awards Dinner, where this year’s honorees were recognized and Festival winners announced.

Margaret Fontana, Garden State Film Festival Executive Director, described the Festival’s 15th Anniversary as particularly impressive, attended as it was by filmmakers and fans from around the world.

The Festival was envisioned by 25-year film industry veteran Diane Raver and the late Hollywood actor Robert Pastorelli in 2003, and launched the following year. Since then, thousands of films have made their public premieres there and hundreds of thousands of film fans from around the world have attended. The total infusion of cash to local businesses over its years has exceeded $5 million.