Movies made by women 'given the platform that they need' at upcoming NJ Film Festival
Just 7% of the cinematographers working on the 250 highest-grossing films of 2022 were women, according to a Celluloid Ceiling report.
But on the high heels of the success of “Barbie,” which was directed by Greta Gerwig and is one of the 20 highest-grossing movies of all time, audiences are realizing that female-led films are no giggling matter.
The 42nd Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival, which returns to Rutgers University and remotely on weekends from Jan. 26 to Feb. 18, has long known this to be true.
Half of its judges panel, which includes media professionals, journalists, students and academics, are women. And this year, out of the 43 films to be shown at the festival, 19 – nearly half – were created by women.
“The women’s films we are showing are very sensitive, interesting and challenge the phallocentric images that we see in society today,” said Al Nigrin, executive director and curator of the festival, which is the longest-running juried film festival in New Jersey. “Women’s films have always been made; they just haven’t been given the platform that they need.”
Each general admission ticket or festival pass is good for both a virtual and in-person screening. All the films will be available virtually for 24 hours on their show date. The in-person screenings will be held in Rutgers’ Voorhees Hall 105 at 71 Hamilton St. in New Brunswick at 5 or 7 p.m. on their show date.
General admission tickets are $15 per film, or an all-access pass is $100. About 3,000 tickets are expected to be purchased. Tickets can be purchased at watch.eventive.org/newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2024.
Filmmakers from around the world submitted 636 works for consideration, meaning that only the top 7% of submissions will be shown at the New Jersey Film Festival.
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Prize winners for both festivals will be chosen by judges and Nigrin after the screenings on Feb. 19. Prizes are given by sponsors OVID, a streaming service of independent films; Pro8mm, a California shop that offers Super 8 and 16mm cameras and supplies; and Jungle Software, a filmmaking software company.
“All of the films we show are really interesting and some of are difficult watches, but we are all about challenging the audience,” said Nigrin. “We don’t want to show fluff, we want to show good, interesting films that make people think.”
Some of those films made by female filmmakers include “The Blues Society,” a documentary by Augusta Palmer, daughter of former New York Times movie critic Robert Palmer, about the creation of the Memphis Blues Music Festival in the 1960s and its effects on desegregation.
Other films made by female filmmakers include “The Disembodied Adventures of Alice” by Cléa Elisa van der Grijn, a Gothic take on the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland"; “Body Issues” by Marjorie Conrad, a film made exclusively using body cam footage; and “Wild Fire” by Jennifer Cooney, which explores love, lust and loyalty through the lens of three couples of various sexualities.
This running of the New Jersey Film Festival will also offer the most visiting filmmakers that the festival has ever had, coming from as far as Ireland. Usually, only less than a handful of filmmakers visit for their screenings, but this year, 21 are attending.
“The benefit of our festival is you get to interact with the filmmaker and it’s a wonderful networking opportunity as well,” said Nigrin.
Five of the films to shown at the festival were made by New Jersey filmmakers, including “Conjoined,” made by Charly and Eriel Santagado of Metuchen, about the exploitation of conjoined twins; “Innocent Observer,” made by Evelyn Reese of Bridgewater, about the decaying of one girl's sanity as she pursues her true love; and “Dream Screen,” made by Nigrin of Somerset.
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“Dream Screen,” which is not part of the festival’s competition, is the first film Nigrin is showing at the festival that he also founded in about 30 years.
Shot on Super 8mm film and digital video, “Dream Screen” is an experimental short film about a woman who dreams of multiple versions of herself. It was shot at local locations such as the Cornelius Low House in Piscataway, Kirkpatrick Chapel on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and Johnson Park in Piscataway.
“I normally don’t show my work as part of the festival, but I’ve been making movies again and I’m very excited about it,” Nigrin said. “I tried to use as many locations that are close by as possible to show the beauty of New Jersey.”
“Dream Screen” isn’t the only movie shot on Super 8mm film that will be showcased at the New Jersey Film Festival. The 36th Annual United States Super 8 Film and Digital Video Festival will also take place at the New Jersey Film Festival on Sat., Feb. 17 and Sun., Feb. 18.
The Super 8 festival is the longest-running festival of its kind in the world and features films made with Super 8, a motion-picture film format released in 1965.
“This festival is a way to make sure that people recognize that Super 8 still exists and it’s still a viable way of making movies,” Nigrin said. “It’s used by artists like myself and it has a very unique look.”
Go: Weekends between Jan. 26 and Feb. 18; $15 per film; Voorhees Hall 105 at Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, at 5 or 7 p.m. or virtually; purchase tickets at watch.eventive.org/newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2024; more information at njfilmfest.com.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Film Festival at Rutgers University spotlighting female filmmakers
