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 :

Sunday, February 16, 2025 – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 5PM!

2025 United States Super 8 Film and Digital Video Festival Day 2 - Program 1

View the winning films and digital videos of the International United States Super 8 Film & Digital Video Festival, selected by a jury of filmmakers, Rutgers University student interns, and media professionals. The festival--now in its 37th year—will feature finalist works by independent filmmakers from the United States and around the world. Co-sponsored by Pro 8mm!

a film with sound (take three) – Josh Weissbach (USA)

A father and daughter make a new movie after the daughter requests to make a film with sound after making a silent one the previous year. 2024; 3 min.

Fighting Sleep - Kevin Obsatz (USA)

A super-8 documentary that grapples with the sometimes grim realities of parenting a newborn, and my personal need for a violent outlet for all the accumulated frustrations. Featuring voiceover recorded through a baby monitor accompanied by music played on a child's xylophone. 2024; 6 min.

Take Care, Tar Creek – Aaron Gibson (USA)

Located in far northeast Oklahoma, the area generally known as Tar Creek is considered one of the most toxic places in the US. In the early 1900s and for decades thereafter, the region known as the Tri-State Mining District, encompassing Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri was heavily mined. Lead mined here was used for ammunition in both WWI and WWII. When the mines were abandoned in the 60s and 70s, some of them caved in, some filled with water which became extremely toxic over time. Mountainous piles of spent mine tailings called "chat" were left littering the landscape. These mountains of waste, though they look like sand dunes, are concentrated with heavy metals. High concentrations of metals including lead, cadmium, zinc, and others, can be found in the land and water. Since the 1980s the region has been designated an EPA Superfund site. Over time, towns have been abandoned, and infrastructure left to wither away. Take Care, Tar Creek is a message; a letter, a poem, as told from Tar Creek to all humans. This short film, authentically photographed in Super 8, encapsulates the perspective of the region from the water, from Tar Creek. The film asks us to consider the implications of human behavior, the intrinsic value of water, and the impact our decisions, have on the future. 2024; 7 min.

The Insides of Our Lives – Misja Pekel (Netherlands)

The Insides of Our Lives is a poetic blend that combines fiction with found footage. A selection from thousands of hours of found footage - mostly 8mm material - tells the coming-of-age story of two girls growing up along a border in Europe, as the border gradually drives them apart. The story sensitively portrays what it means to grow up in a world where one day fences appear, creating an 'us' and a 'them'. The film, though composed with footage of hundreds of different lives that have been filmed, is crafted in such a way that it feels like the life of one person. 2024; 50 min.

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