'We’re really picky': New Jersey International Film Festival returns with 35 flicks

The 28th annual New Jersey International Film Festival, coming to Rutgers University in New Brunswick from June 2 to 11, isn’t rolling the camera just for kicks.

With just a 5% acceptance rate — out of 711 films submitted this year, only 35 were chosen — it’s harder to get into the NJIFF than it is to get into Cornell University or qualify for the Boston Marathon.

But on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays of the first two weeks of June, about 3,000 diehard movie fans will check out those chosen films both virtually and in person.

This year, that includes seven films made by New Jersey filmmakers or that were shot in the Garden State, more than the usual one or two shown.

Those include “Bibi,” a psychological thriller about a mother and daughter who live in secluded mansion that is hiding a terrible secret (written and directed by Christopher Beatty); “Stargazer,” about a grad student burning with fury about the fate of a forgotten astronomer (directed by Alan McIntyre); “Danceable,” about three dancers with disabilities who find freedom through movement (written and directed by Kelsey McGee); and “The Answer,” a documentary on how Atlantic City fought the legal and political process to demolish the decaying and hazardous Trump Plaza Casino (written and directed by Matt Kliegman).

“We’re really picky and we watch everything," said Albert Nigrin, executive director and curator of the festival. “Many of the films we show are eventually shown on PBS, cable, Amazon Prime and Netflix, so people can say, ‘I saw it at the New Jersey Film Festival first.’ “

In order to show at the NJIFF, a film must have not yet premiered in the state. Films are chosen by a jury of journalists, former festival winners, academics and Rutgers University students.

The jury also selects prize winners, which will be announced on June 12.

“We’re there for the filmmaker and we try to give as much feedback as we can,” said Nigrin. “We don’t have big parties. We don’t want our viewers to get drunk or stupid. We just want to focus on the screenings.”

Since COVID-19, the festival has been showcased virtually, as well as in-person. In-person screenings take place at 5 or 7 p.m. at Rutgers University's Voorhees Hall #105, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick. Tickets are $15 per film, or $100 for an all-access pass.

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Nigrin founded the festival, which is presented by Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center and the Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies, in 1996 thanks to a grant. But 15 years before that, Nigrin, then a Rutgers University graduate student, started the festival with just some of his teacher’s assistant earnings.

“I realized there weren’t many offerings for revival cinema —there was no streaming or DVDs, so you could only hope that Channel 13 or PBS would show those classic films, and that wasn’t satisfactory for me,” he said.

Those classic movies evolved into first and second run arthouse movies showcased at the State Theatre New Jersey, which partnered with Nigrin to present films on its dark nights.

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It became a “mob scene,” Nigrin said.

It even attracted the actors of Kevin Smith’s “Clerks” at its screening there, as well as Martin Scorsese at a 1994 benefit.

After 1996, NJIFF morphed into an indie festival for films premiering in the state, Nigrin said.

“It became really important to me to do that kind of a festival because we want to champion the independent filmmakers, the short filmmakers, the documentarians, the animators and the experimental filmmakers,” he continued. “We want to make sure our audience sees good movies.”

Go: 5 and 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, June 2 to 11, Voorhees Hall #105, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick. Films also can be screened virtually; $15 for one screening or $100 for all; 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.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: New Jersey International Film Festival returns to Rutgers