BY ERIKA NORTON
GREENWOOD LAKE — This weekend, Greenwood Lake will once again become a mecca for filmmakers, celebrities and movie lovers with the Hoboken International Film Festival beginning this weekend on May 18 at the scenic Thomas Morahan Waterfront Park.
Model, actress and comedian Julie McCullough (“Growing Pains;” "Sharknado") who was a judge at last year’s festival, will be returning as this year’s celebrity ambassador.
“I just really enjoy watching movies, and I like watching different movies,” McCullough said. “I get so tired of the same things over and over. We’re being hit over the head in America with the same copies of movies and remakes of old movies and remakes of old TV shows, repetitively. So it’s nice to see something different. That’s what I enjoy most about film festivals.”
And there will be plenty of film to watch. This year’s event promises to screen about 150 films, from feature films and documentaries to short subjects and TV pilots.
Begins FridayThe fest kicks off Friday with an opening night party and ceremony where Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Louis Gossett Jr. ("An Officer and a Gentleman;" “Roots”) will be awarded a HIFF Lifetime Achievement Award.
And while attendees will be enjoying the films and food, the lakefront location is a special part of the festival.
“It’s beautiful there,” McCullough said. “It has the most beautiful location of any film festival I’ve been to, and I’ve been to a lot. It’s just so pretty and peaceful. And the people in the community are so nice and they’re so wonderful and happy to have the film festival there, which is a thrill.”
McCullough also said she’s looking forward to seeing “The Joke Thief,” a feature film being screened towards the end of the festival in which she plays stand up comedian. Her successful career as a stand up comedian for almost 20 years, she says, helped her with the role.
The festivalThis is the second time the Hoboken International Film Festival will be held in Greenwood Lake, and the 13th year overall for the festival.
Screenings are being held at three locations: Thomas Morahan Waterfront Park, the Cove Castle Restaurant and the Greenwood Lake Elks Lodge.
By the time it closes, the week-long event is expected to attract upwards of 15,000 people to Greenwood Lake.
A gala awards ceremony on May 24 will mark the end of the fest and will be hosted by Hosted by comedian Gilbert Gottfried ("Problem Child;" "Aladdin;" “Saturday Night Live”).
Grammy Winner Tia Carrere ("True Lies;" "Wayne’s World;" "Lilo & Stitch") will receive the Excellence in Acting Award and Screenwriter Karen McCullah ("Legally Blonde;" "Ella Enchanted;" "10 Things I Hate About You;" "The House Bunny") will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in Writing, a festival award that has not been given to a writer before.
“She happens to be one of my good friends,” McCullough said. “She’s very talented and it’s nice to see that a writer is being given a lifetime achievement award. We have a lot of wonderful writers who don’t get acknowledged.
“We don’t even know who they are,” she continued. “They’re like the unsung heroes of the film industry.”