Arts & Entertainment

Actors Michael Imperioli, Deborah Royce Join Greenwich International Film Festival Board

The festival is set to make its debut in June 2015.


Greenwich International Film Festival has added two new members to its Board of Directors — actor Michael Imperioli and Greenwich philanthropist and actress Deborah Goodrich Royce.

Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF) is a not-for-profit three-day event that's scheduled to debut June 5 through June 7, 2015. GIFF will showcase a slate of select curated films. Artists in various disciplines may submit work in following categories: narrative feature, narrative short, documentary feature, documentary short, and original score. The festival will be set in Greenwich’s downtown.

Imperioli, known for his television roles on "The Sopranos" (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2004), "Law and Order," "Detroit 187" and "Life on Mars," was last seen on the big screen in Oldboy. He is set to star in the upcoming comedy "The M Word" and is starring in the ABC comedy pilot "Saint Francis." The Mount Vernon, NY native's directorial debut, "The Hungry Ghosts," was released in 2009.

Royce began her career as an actress in film and television before transitioning to Miramax Films as story editor. She and her husband, Chuck, have restored numerous Main Street buildings and businesses, including the Avon Theatre, the independent not-for-profit cinema in Stamford. Royce serves on the boards of the New York Botanical Garden, Greenwich Historical Society, the Garden Conservancy and the Hunter Foundation, and we welcome her to the Greenwich International Film Festival board as well.

Also serving on the film festival board, are:

  • Julie Fareri, works in her family’s real estate investment and development business and is actively involved in fundraising for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. In 2013, Julie produced the film, "After The Fall," which starred David Duchovny and Hope Davis. 
  • Jenna Bush Hager is an author and journalist currently working as a correspondent for "The Today Show" and as a contributor to NBC nightly news. In 2009 she authored New York Times best seller, Anna's Story, about a young mother with HIV.  
  • Avram Ludwig is a writer and producer who has produced over a dozen films starting with the indie sensation comedy "Swingers" to the political thriller "Fair Game" with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. His current release, Hairbrained, stars Brendan Frasier. Ludwig has directed commercials and also serves on the Board of the Actors Studio. 
  • Clay Pecorin is a Greenwich native and the producer of "The Big Wedding," starring Robert DeNiro and Diane Keaton. He co-founded Two Ton Productions with his partner, Justin Zackham.
  • Jeb Stuart is a critically acclaimed screenwriter and producer known for his films "Die Hard," "The Fugitive" and "Fire Down Below." He resides in Greenwich, with his family.
  • Mark Teixeira is an American Major League Baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees and a Greenwich citizen and philanthropist who resides here with his family. 
  • Emily Wachtel is an actress, writer and producer who demonstrated each of these diverse talents in her latest feature film, "Lucky Them," which starred Thomas Hayden Church, Toni Colette, and Johnny Depp. 
  • George Walker is the chairman and CEO of Neuberger Berman. He and his wife, Nancy Dorn Walker, are supporters of the arts as well as many other charities.


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