South Middlesex Times

More than 20 films from North America, Europe, and other regions will be screened at Rutgers University–New Brunswick during the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival from Friday, Sept. 6 to Friday, Oct. 18.

Marking its 43rd anniversary, the festival will be a hybrid event with in-person screenings at Rutgers–New Brunswick and virtual videos-on-demand available for 24 hours on their show dates.

“We will be screening some great films from Poland, Austria, Canada, England and other faraway places,” said Al Nigrin, executive director, curator and founder of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center.

The festival will also feature an audio-visual concert by electronic music artist Jim Haynes at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. Additionally, prize-winning films from June’s 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival will be screened on Friday, Oct. 4.

Nigrin himself will present a retrospective of his experimental films at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 as a benefit for the New Jersey Media Arts Center to raise funds for a newly created assistant director position.

Each general admission ticket or festival pass purchased grants access to both virtual and in-person screenings. The Haynes concert and in-person screenings will take place in Room 105 of Voorhees Hall at Rutgers University with show times starting at either 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.

General admission tickets are priced at $15 per program; student tickets for in-person screenings are $10 per program. An all-access festival pass is available for $100 while general admission for the Haynes concert is set at $25 per person.

Festival organizers noted that ticket buyers would have access to filmmaker introductions and question-and-answer sessions for many of the films. More information can be found on the festival’s website.

The film lineup includes:

- Shaun Seneviratne’s romance feature "Ben and Suzanne: A Reunion in Four Parts"

- Ravinol Chambers’ documentary "A Girl Can Touch the Sky," which re-examines gender roles

- Christopher Wiersema’s experimental documentary "Rough Blazing Star," focusing on anarchism and local history

- Taylor Olson’s autobiographical feature "Look At Me"

- Nadia Zoe’s comedy feature "A Little Family Drama"

- Jenna Kathleen Taylor’s film "Thank You for Sharing," spotlighting mental health

The festival also includes various short films along with animated and experimental works.

Nigrin stated that all films being screened were selected by a panel comprising media professionals, journalists, students, and academics as part of the New Jersey Film Festival competition process. Finalists were chosen from over 400 submissions worldwide.