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Winners of the 2019 New Jersey International Film Festival Announced!


By Al Nigrin

originally published: 06/10/2019



Winners of the 2019 New Jersey International Film Festival Competition Announced!


All the works that were part of the New Jersey International Film Festival Competition were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 20 finalists which were publicly screened at our Festival. The finalists were selected from 498 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges chose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director.



Winner Best Feature Film


Aleksi – Barbara Vekarić (Dubrovnik, Croatia)



Winner Best Documentary Film


Sing you a Brand New Song: The Words and Music of Coleman Mellett Jeanie Bryson (East Brunswick, New Jersey)



Winner Best Short Film


The Traffic Separating Device – Johan Palmgren (Stockholm, Sweden)



Winner Best Animation Film 


Fuse – Shadi Adib (Stuttgart, Germany)




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Honorable Mention Winners

When I Last Saw Jesse – Brian Rose (Kansas City, Missouri)

Little Histories – Rafael Marziano (Caracas, Venezuela)


Carlotta’s Face – Valentin Riedl (Munich, Germany) and Frédéric Schuld  (Hamburg, Germany)

Beast – Natalie Peracchio (Los Angeles, California)

House of Stronzo – Matthew White (Pittsford, New York)

The Reservoir – Jordan Rowe (Encino, California)

Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am – Nick Mead (Newton, Pennsylvania)



For More Information Contact:

New Jersey International Film Festival

Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center

Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies

4170 Academic Building, 15 Seminary Place

New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901-8525 U.S.A.    

(848) 932-8482 phone; NJMAC12@gmail.com, NJMAC @aol.com email

Web Site: www.njfilmfest.com



Albert Gabriel Nigrin is an award-winning experimental media artist whose work has been screened throughout the world. He is also a Cinema Studies Lecturer at Rutgers University, and the Executive Director/Curator of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, Inc.



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EVENT PREVIEWS

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Ten great films screen at the 2025 New Jersey Film Festival this weekend!

Ten great films screen at the Spring 2025 New Jersey Film Festival this weekend!



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Amazing Feature God Teeth screens at the New Jersey Film Festival on February 7!

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Immersive The Hollowing screens at the 2025 New Jersey Film Festival on February 1st!

The Hollowing, directed by Steven Weinzierl, follows a couple as they try an experimental therapy to test the compatibility of their relationship. They are placed into a sleep state and are put into a false reality together. This dream-like version of their life showcases the mundane, everyday scenarios of a relationship to the more supernatural and grotesque elements that are unearthed by this therapy. It starts off with relatable feelings of relationship trouble while introducing and building up who the characters are and their relationship to each other, before taking dramatic turns and heightening the stakes of the relationship between the two as the therapy procedure continues. The film plays with the line between reality and dream in a way that is both noticeable and unnoticeable, creating a sense of suspense that is only heightened by the events unfolding onscreen. The film also showcases stellar cinematography and lighting that make the false reality just as immersive for the audience as it is for the characters.



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Emotive short Phantom Limb plays at the New Jersey Film Festival on February 1!

Alice Jokela’s Phantom Limb is an experimental short film that immerses the audience in the emotional journey of navigating trauma and the search for autonomy. The short film centers on Violetta (Shay Yu), a young woman who lost her right arm in an electrical shock accident while tagging in an underground railroad with her boyfriend. With her body forever altered, Vi wrestles to build a sense of identity while coping with the emotional impact of her trauma. In an interview with The New Jersey Film Festival, Jokela expressed her intention to create a film focused on female rage and the overt trauma that often goes overlooked or misunderstood because of the internal, invisible nature of pain. This is reflected in the short film, as those around Vi misperceive her emotional scars. Vi’s story emphasizes how internal trauma can be complex for others to recognize, especially when it’s not immediately visible.



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Two riveting shorts The Hollowing and Brooklyn screen at the New Jersey Film Festival on February 1!

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