The Golden Door International Film Festival returned to The Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theater last night to kickoff their eighth annual event, with guests ranging from award winning producers to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ).Â
Grammy award-winning producer Jerry Wonda and freestyle recording artist Jill Tirrell, two of the judges for the music video portion of the festival, expressed great excitement about being a part of the event in an interview with Hudson County View.
“You know, at the end of the day, when you watch a [music] video, it’s so much work into the video: it is a short film! That’s why I’m so happy to be doing that. We’re watching thousands of videos but there’s gonna be one winner,” Wonda said.
He has produced music for A-list stars including The Fugees, 98 Degrees, Shakira, TI and Justin Bieber and has been a staple in the industry for over two decades.
“Michele and Bill [Sorvino] do so much: this place is gorgeous, they put so much into it, and they’re into it for more than just the film … she does autism awareness, she’s all about her community,” added Tirrell, best known for her hit “Be With You Tonight.”
Bill Sorvino, the founder of the GDIFF, and his wife Michele, the director of operations for the GDIFF, welcomed the hundreds on hand inside the theatre, thanking everyone for their continued support.
Steve Conte’s “Gimme Gimme Rockaway” music video led off the show, followed by Nightingale, a short film about two men surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, and The Undiscovered Country – a full-length film detailing the traumatic experiences a young woman named Grace experiences after her mother commits suicide – ending the evening.
