Luhrmann Likes Soundview Cinemas

“Great Gatsby” director Baz Luhrmann introduced his new film to a Port Washington theater filled with VIPs by giving a shout out to Dara and Jordan Desner, the owners of the brand new Soundview Cinemas.    

Barely opened two weeks, Soundview Cinemas now has the distinction of being the first movie theater ever to screen Luhrmann’s “Great Gatsby.”  

“I have screened the film at events and special preview screenings but never actually in a real movie house, never actually in a real cinema,” Luhrmann told the crowd.  

“When I was a little boy, my dad had the local cinema for a while,” he added. “I was really just bowled over to come in and see how much detail was put into this cinema. You can tell it’s a cinema that is being realized out of the love of movies. So Nassau County is very lucky to have this cinema house back.”  

The Gatsby screening helps put both the fledgling Gold Coast International Film Festival and Soundview Cinema on the map. It is the kind of coup that extends beyond the Desner’s wildest dreams. They had struggled with logistics for nearly a year to open the theater, overcoming complications that arose because its location, Soundview Marketplace, was in foreclosure.

Happy to put that struggle behind him, Desner said he was “blown away” by Luhrmann, whom he described as “a pretty amazing man.”

“He was informed about every aspect of the theater,” Desner said, adding that Luhrmann even offered pointers to the theater’s projectionist. “He was very impressive.”

North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman saw the screening as a win for not only the film festival, but also in providing economic development for the town. “What a great way to launch this new movie theater,” he said.  

“Gatsby” he said, is helping to “marry” Great Neck, where the film festival has its office, and Port Washington, which held not only the screening, but also an after-party at Hempstead House in Sands Point Preserve. The screening brought people into the community, where many would likely spend money, whether it was buying gas or coffee, or discovering a new store, Kaiman said.  

What’s more, he said, it was also bringing people in from outside the region, even from as far away as California, to be a part of the screening, and to get involved with the film festival.  

Desner said he would likely do more work with the film festival.  

The theater is showing a sneak preview Thursday at 10 p.m. in both 3D and regular. Beginning Friday at 12 p.m., it will show every hour for the next week.