South Middlesex Times

Forty-four films from various countries will be showcased at Rutgers University-New Brunswick during the Spring 2025 New Jersey Film Festival. The festival will take place on select dates from January 24 to February 21.

Al Nigrin, executive director, curator, and founder of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, expressed enthusiasm about the lineup: “We have a really excellent line-up of films. All the films we are screening are New Jersey premieres. Festival patrons get to see these films before anyone else.”

Celebrating its 43rd anniversary, this is New Jersey's longest-running juried film festival. It will offer a hybrid experience with both in-person screenings at Rutgers–New Brunswick and online access as on-demand videos for 24 hours on their show date.

The festival will feature an audio-visual concert by singer-songwriter Renee Maskin at 7 p.m. on February 21 in Room 105 of Voorhees Hall. Tickets for general admission are priced at $15 per program, while student tickets cost $10 per program. An all-access festival pass is available for $100.

Nigrin mentioned that in-person screenings might include appearances by directors, artists, and actors. He also highlighted Renee Maskin's performance: “The singer-songwriter is a staple of the thriving music scene in Asbury Park, N.J.”

The event will include films made by directors affiliated with Rutgers or in collaboration with the university. Among them is "Annabel Lee," directed by former Rutgers undergraduate Liat Kisos; "His New Girl," directed by Madeline Hettrick; and "You Still Can," directed by Rutgers-Newark alum Samuel Edelsack.

Feature-length movies and documentaries like "No Somos Maquinas: We Are Not Machines" by Mark Nistico and "The Storm & The Boats" by Jody Small are part of the lineup. These works were selected from over 677 submissions worldwide.

Nigrin noted that prize winners would be announced on social media after the screenings conclude on February 16.