6 North Shore Towers Courier n August 2015 Gerald Celente and his big screen portrayer Andrew Koss BY STEPHEN VRATTOS “‘Zizi and Honeyboy’ has just won the award for Best Biographical Drama at the Manhattan Film Festival,” writer, co-producer and star, Andrew Koss, announced to nearly 100 whooping and applauding friends and family members shortly before a private screening of the short movie at the Towers Cinema in late June. Based on “What Zizi Gave Honeyboy, ” the autobiography by American trendsetter, Gerald Celente, the film stars Doris Roberts, 4-time Emmy Award winning actress for her portrayal of Marie Barone on the long-running hit series, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and Koss as the titular world-renowned prognosticator Celente. In the late 90s and early 21st Century, Celente was the darling of the financial world, a modern-day Nostradamus noted for his predictions about the global financial markets and other events of historical significance, such as the fall of Soviet Russia. He was a New York Times Bestselling author and appeared daily on such high-profile television shows and networks as CNN, The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. But all that success and fame came to an abrupt halt after 9/11 when Celente predicted that the U.S. would lose a war with Afghanistan, flying in the face of the jingoistic fervor that gripped the nation after the attacks. President George W. Bush’s proclamation, “You’re either with us or against us,” made anyone even questioning American retaliation a traitor. Suddenly, Celente was persona non grata, blackballed by a media that mere moments before his fateful pronouncement were clamoring for the Bronx-born’s attention. Facing sudden financial ruin, Celente sought solace and advice from his aunt, affectionately referred to as “Zizi,” a common term for “aunt” in Italian families. “Zizi and Honeyboy” tells that story. It was the personal element of Celente’s story that most attracted Koss. “He was so hot,” the Queens native explains. “But literally overnight, with this one prediction, his life was over. He went from being the world’s advisor, someone whose every word was heeded, to a nobody, ultimately finding answers through the advice of another.” Before any work on the film could begin, however, Koss had to convince Celente that he would do a good job adapting his story to the screen. Given the trend-predicting author’s history with the media, it was understandable Celente might be a bit resistant to sign off the rights to a part of himself. Koss made frequent trips to Celente’s home in Kingston, New York, with his producing partners, longtime Bayside resident Elizabeth Liberatore and Astoria native Dominick Ciardiello— known for directing the popular PBS cooking show, “Lydia’s Italy—detailing their vision for the movie. Liberatore and Ciardiello were Koss’s connection to Celente and eventually the three cajoled the trendsetter and author into signing over the rights to his story. Koss financed the film in part by launching an indiegogo.com crowdfunding campaign to raise $37,000 little more than a year ago. He completed the 15-minute short in time to make the 2015 indie movie circuit. Submitted and shown in nearly twenty different festivals around the country, the movie has already generated lots of buzz and several awards and nominations, including the aforementioned Manhattan Film Festival award and a Best Actress win for Doris Roberts at the Idyllwild International Film Festival of Cinema, where Director Brett Donowho was also nominated. Other festivals include the Pasadena International Film Festival, at which Doris Roberts received a Lifetime Achievement Award; the Hoboken International Film Festival, ranked one of the 10 largest film festivals in the country, the First Glance Film Festival LA, named one of the top 10 festivals by Time magazine; and the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE), which was founded 18 years ago by Henry and Anne Stampfel, proprietors of NST’s very own Towers Cinema. Koss himself was nominated in the category of Best Actor at CineRockom International Film Festival, competing against the likes of Lou Gossett, Eric Roberts. Michael C. Williams and Jason Patric. According to Koss, working with Roberts was “a great experience. When she delivered, she really delivered.” The day he met the former sitcom star, he was walking through Manhattan with the beloved actress, amazed at the number of people who recognized her. As they passed a construction site, a hardhat working a crane shouted, “Hey, ‘Golden Girls!’” Unfazed and without skipping a beat, Roberts “Zizi” Tops Andrew Koss on the set Photos courtesy of Andrew Koss and by Stephen Vrattos NST resident filmmaker wows the 2015 indie movie circuit with new film
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