(TEANECK, NJ) -- The 19th annual Teaneck International Film Festival, with its forever theme of Activism: Making Change, was the biggest and best ever according to Executive Director Jeremy Lentz who emphasized that "this year, it was even more important to present films and talkbacks that would highlight critical issues and inspire interest and involvement in the preservation of human rights and democracy."  Audiences obviously agreed: ticket sales were high, with several venues filled to capacity, and talkbacks included spirited question and answer periods.

The opening night film, Freedom Hair, sponsored by The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Bergen/Passaic Chapter, won both the Audience and Juried Awards in the Narrative category.  Guests at the talkback included the subject of the film, Melony Armstrong, who fought for the right to establish a hair braiding business in Mississippi.

From the Freedom Hair talkback.

The producer and director of the documentary, The Picture Taker, sponsored by the Bergen County (NJ) Chapter of The Links, Inc., were on the post-screening panel of that film, discussing the controversy surrounding Ernest Withers, whose millions of pictures documented the Civil Rights Movement and Black history, but whose legacy has been questioned because of his employment by the FBI.

From the The Picture Taker talkback.

It was a comedy with a serious subject for the Saturday night Centerpiece event, when the film was Voy! Voy! Voy! – a feature based on the true story of a blind soccer team that included sighted players who were desperately trying to leave Egypt when that country was experiencing dire economic conditions.  The filmmaker, who flew in from Egypt, was present to discuss the film and answer questions about the situation that led to the incredible plan to emigrate.  The evening – including the gala - catered by La Promenade and Bistro Taino, was sponsored by the Teaneck law firm, Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.

From the Voy! Voy! Voy! talkback

Politics is a Mother, Raising Hell is Part of the Job, was the closing film.  The documentary written and directed by Francine Weinberg Graff about the political career of her mother, NJ Senator Loretta Weinberg, was followed by a talkback with Francine, Senator Weinberg, and Governor Jon Corzine, who had chosen Loretta as his running mate in an unsuccessful bid for reelection in 2009.  The film won the Audience Awards for Best of Fest and Best Documentary, and the Juried Award for Best Documentary.

The Juried Award for Best Short went to Save the Cat, the heartwarming tale of a cat from the Ukraine that was reunited with the family that had fled the country and now lives in California. Daughter of Mine won the Audience Award for Best Short.  The story of a Hillsdale mother’s activism and successful effort to eliminate parole for anyone convicted in New Jersey of the assault or murder of a child was followed by a talkback with that mother – Rosemarie D’Alessandro – and the director of the film.

TIFF, which has been a project of the Puffin Foundation since planning began 20 years ago, is grateful to “the Puffin” and major sponsors:  New Jersey State Council on the Arts;  Davis, Saperstein and Salomon, P.C; Teaneck Public Schools; Fairleigh Dickinson University; New Jersey/Rockland Jewish Standard; NJ PBS; Adeline Wijnen; Teaneck Cinemas; Township of Teaneck; and Teaneck Public Schools; its film sponsors;  and, of course, supporters, and audiences.

The cadre of loyal TIFF volunteers urges all to go to www.teaneckfilmfestival.org for information about what’s ahead – in winter and spring, for virtual films in partnership with PBS/Indie Lens Pop-up – and in Fall 2025, when TIFF celebrates its 20th anniversary.