New Jersey Film Festival

About the Event

The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center proudly announces the 43rd Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival. The Festival will be a hybrid one as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. Each ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. The in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. Tickets: $15=Per Program; In-Person Show Student Tickets=$10 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120.

Schedule :

Saturday, February 8, 2025 – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 5PM!

Giant’s Kettle - Markku Hakala, Mari Käki (Ylöjärvi, Finland)

Somewhere up north at the age of peak modern there is a man longing for connection but unable to break loose, and a woman feeling alien to the world which has everything figured out for her, without her. They make their best to fit in and fulfill their roles but struggle to connect with the world, themselves and others. Something important is missing. As if the whole world was drained of love, chugging along on mere duties and bureaucratic inertia, passing over the baggage of the generations. During the family trip back to the past everything starts to break apart. For how long is it possible to resist the force of life? Giant’s Kettle is a journey into the unconscious, a love story without love, an epic tragicomedy of the mundane, and a mystery in a world emptied of mystery. 2023; 71 min.

Saturday, February 8, 2025 – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7PM!

Embryo – Joy Waldinger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Sometimes a couple needs a little magic to start their family. This short film explores the stages of embryo development using non-traditional baby bump photos to celebrate growth and normalize different paths to parenthood! It documents the long and winding journey to parenthood via surrogacy and explores how to maintain a closeness to one’s child while they are in someone else’s uterus. 2024; 6 min.

Crowboy – Alexander S. White and Cynthia N. White (University Park, Pennsylvania)

Crowboy is a contemporary parable about childhood loneliness. Captivated by a crow, a young boy embarks on a journey to return her lost feather. Though faced with challenges and self-doubt along the way, the child finds courage and comfort in new friendships that lead him to a place of inner connection. 2024; 5 min.

The Storm and The Boats - Jody Small (Fair Lawn, New Jersey)

In this compelling documentary about the first year of the pandemic, New Jersey residents shared their raw emotions and personal stories. Filming began immediately after the first vaccines became available. The producer created a makeshift studio in her home to film the participants who are diverse in age, background and life experience. Once underway, the film received some grant support from the Rutgers University Oral History Archive and the New Jersey Historical Commission. 2024; 53 min.

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