(RED BANK, NJ) -- The ninth annual Indie Street Film Festival (ISFF), presented by Basie Center Cinemas, takes place August 19-25, 2024. ISFF 2024 will kick off at the Vogel theater with the New Jersey Premiere of the acclaimed documentary Mediha, directed by ISFF alum filmmaker Hasan Oswald (Higher Love). Both Oswald and subject Mediha Alhamad will be in attendance.
The remainder of ISFF runs in person at Basie Center Cinemas (36 White Street) in Red Bank. Feature-length films, short films, filmmaker Q&As, and panels with industry professionals will be presented.
The ISFF 2024 lineup brings almost 60 innovative short films and nine of the year’s most exciting independent feature films to the screens of Red Bank. The shorts will be presented across three narrative programs, three documentary programs, a special New Jersey program, and an animation program. Jay Webb, ISFF Founder and Executive Director, says "this year with all the divisiveness and fear around politics, AI, and the news cycle, we wanted to focus on authentic human made stories from a broad brush of perspectives to remind us all once again that our differences and our humanity can be a connecting and unifying force."
The slate of Narrative Feature films in-competition this year are all New Jersey Premieres. They include Johnny Barrington’s Silent Roar, Mary Dauterman’s Booger, Jordan Noel’s Guacamole Yesterdays, and Anu Valia’s We Strangers.
Feature Documentaries in competition include Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck’s Eternal You, Contessa Gayles’ Songs From The Hole, Chris Kasick’s Citizen Sleuth, Hasan Oswald’s Mediha, and Michael Selditch’s Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field.
Indie Street’s Artistic Director, Allyson Morgan, points out the increasingly competitive and diverse program of films and filmmakers. The 68 films that are being presented at this year’s ISFF come from across the globe, and over 50% of the films are creations by female and non-binary directors. “In our ninth year, it was more important than ever to ensure we had a variety of voices and points of view in the expanded festival,” says Morgan. “It’s our biggest and most diverse Indie Street yet - we truly have something for everyone, with hilarious, heartbreaking, moving, timely and poignant films across genre and the globe.”
Count Basie was the festival’s presenting sponsor for the first years of the Indie Street Festival, and now Basie Center Cinemas returns as Indie Street’s presenting sponsor for the 9th annual edition.
The winning films will be selected by a jury consisting of industry professionals, including Samantha Bergeson, Senior News Editor at IndieWire, Red Bank Council-person and Emmy-nominated documentary producer David Cassidy, Bedatri D. Choudhury, Programmer for DOCNYC and SFFILM, Gina Cuomo, Cinema Consultant, and ISFF Alum Filmmaker Ryan Moore (Marajuna Minutes). The winning filmmakers will be honored during a ceremony open to passholders at Triump Brewing Co. on Sunday, August 25th at 4:30pm.
For a complete schedule of events and to purchase festival passes, please visit www.indiestreetfilmfestival.org. ISFF offers 5 day All-Access passes for $129.00 that grant access to all films, discussions, parties, art events and complimentary food/beverages from participating sponsors. Individual Film Tickets are also now on sale for $12.95.
The full feature film program for the 2024 Indie Street Film Festival is listed below:
OPENING NIGHT FILM: Mediha. Documentary Feature Director: Hasan Oswald. Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl who has recently returned from ISIS captivity, turns her camera on herself to process her trauma while rescuers search for her missing family members. This is the story of the Yazidi Genocide and its aftermath, shown through the lens of one young survivor as she confronts her past through personal video-diaries, reclaiming her voice and stepping bravely towards the future.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM: Booger. Narrative Feature Writer/Director: Mary Dauterman. After the death of her best friend Izzy, Anna focuses all her attention on Booger, the stray cat which she and Izzy took in. When Booger bites her, she begins to undergo a strange transformation. *Some content may be disturbing to viewers. Parental guidance is advised.
ADDITIONAL FEATURE FILMS:
Citizen Sleuth; Documentary Feature Director: Chris Kasick. A true crime podcaster from Appalachia blurs the line between fact and entertainment as she investigates the mysterious death of a local girl. Citizen Sleuth examines the ethics of the true crime genre and how the power of narrative affects truth, victims, and communities.
Eternal You; Documentary Feature. Directors: Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck. If you had the chance to talk to a loved one who died, would you take it? Eternal You delves into the world of startups using AI to create avatars of the deceased. A film about what might become one of the greatest human experiments of our time.
Guacamole Yesterdays; Narrative Feature Director: Jordan Noel Writer: Hudson Phillips. Following a painful separation, a heartbroken woman uses an experimental technology that allows her to revisit and manipulate her memories as a means to cope.
Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field; Documentary Feature Director: Michael Selditch. Happy Clothes is a candid look into the life and career of iconic costume designer Patricia Field, a two-time Emmy-winning costume designer. Field is best known for her work on Sex and The City, Emily in Paris, The Devil Wears Prada, and many other films and TV shows. Featuring interviews with Kim Cattrall, Lily Collins, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Silent Roar; Narrative Feature. Writer/Director: Johnny Barrington. On the island of Lewis, Scotland, Dondo, a young surfer, refuses to accept the death of his fisherman dad, despite being missing at sea for over a year. Unlike quiet and dreamy Dondo, his clever classmate Sas, is never afraid of rubbing people up the wrong way. Dondo and Sas’ unlikely bond will help them find their path in their rural community, through waves, beliefs, and hellfire.
Songs From The Hole; Documentary Feature Director: Contessa Gayles. At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother's life was taken. An incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary visual album composed behind bars. Through clear-eyed narration and lyrical journal entries, incarcerated musician James “JJ’88” Jacobs reveals his innermost struggles as a person who has both committed and experienced violent harm. While serving a double-life prison sentence, he searches for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary-musical odyssey composed behind bars. In a unique creative process director Contessa Gayles (The Feminist on Cellblock Y, Founder Girls) collaborated with protagonist/writer JJ’88 and producer/music producer richie reseda to interweave the collective storytelling of the film’s non-fiction participants, with imagined memories, dreams and spiritual dialogues set to JJ’88’s original music. The result is a powerful mix of truth-telling and dreaming that reveal the potential for healing and liberation within us all.
We Strangers; Narrative Feature Writer/Director: Anu Valia. Rayelle Martin (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) works as a commercial cleaner in Gary, Indiana. She's mischievous, playful, and skilled at adapting to her surroundings. One day while at work, Ray is approached by Dr. Neeraj Patel, a therapist who hires her to work as his housekeeper. Who’s going to say no to extra money? Not Ray.
SHORTS PROGRAMS at ISFF 2024:
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM: COMING OF AGE - Everyone is on their own, unique journey.
Business Trip (Writer/Director: Gerardo Coello Escalante); Fishing (Writer: Esme Allen, Director: Josie Charles); Ily, Bye (Writer/Director: Taylor James); Jedo's Dead (Writer/Director: Sara Nimeh); Layaway (Writer/Director: Kaitlyn T. Busbee); Love Taps (Writer/Director: Derrick Woodyard); Lunchbox (Writer/Director: Anne Hu)
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM: WORK/LIFE BALANCE - Finding moments of lightness in the daily grind.
Bust (Writer/Director: Angalis Field); Gary (Writer/Director: Irina Arnaut); Hair Care (Writer: Karl-Mary Akre, Director: Fatima Wardy); Merci, Poppy (Writer/Director: Hanna Gray Organschi); Merv (Writer/Director: Sam Roebling); Order For Pickup (Writer/Director: Jackie! Zhou)
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM: TAKING ACTION - All of these characters are moving forward - one way or another.
Bite (Writer/Director: Jorey Worb); Lost Nation (Writer/Director: Hannah Cabell); Making Babies (Writer/Director: Éric K. Boulianne); Safe (Writer/Director: Debbie Howard); Sorry Grandpa Hsiao (Writer/Director: Candace Ho); The Steak (Writers: Kiarash Dadgar & Ali Narimani, Director: Kiarash Dadgar); The White Rabbit (Writer/Director: Michael Marantz)
NEW JERSEY SHORTS - A selection of short films across genre with a connection to our home state of New Jersey!
A Lien (Writers/Directors: David Cutler-Kreutz & Sam Cutler-Kreutz); Come and Save Me (Writer/Director: Chris White); Digital Automatic Writing! (Writer/Director: Jeffrey Delano Davis); Don't Pick Up (Writer: Susannah Nolan, Director: Jeremiah Kipp); The Handyman (Writer/Director: Adam Worth); Henry At The Golden Hour (Writer: Karinne Keithley Syers, Director: Maureen Towey); Last Summer Day (Writers/Directors: Flora Fei & Shintaro Ochiai); Placemat (Writer: Lindsey Hope Pearlman, Directors: Lindsey Hope Pearlman & Sean Welski); Puppy Love (Writers: Elizabeth Valenti & Daniel Rashid, Director: Daniel Rashid)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS: BEING HUMAN - A look at all the ways we express ourselves.
Christmas, Every Day (Director: Faye Tsakas); Diligence On Red Sand (Director: Brooklyn Demme); Friends On The Outside (Director: Annabel Moodie); Nothing Special (Director: Efrat Berger); The Queen Vs. Texas (Directors: Emil Lozada & Raemonn James); Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too (Directors: Urša Kastelic, Shannet Clemmings); Sangre Violenta / Sangre Violeta (Directors: Edna Diaz, Arturo R. Jiménez)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS: SPECIAL HOBBIES - Learn more about what brings our subjects joy.
American Seams (Director: Carly Jakins); Balloon Boy (Directors: Arlin Golden, Brian Gersten); Big Moves (Director: Sarah Grant); The Big Wait (Director: Yannick Jamey); Carnaval (Director: Justine Martin); Krush The Wrestler (Director: Alex Megaro)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS: COMPANIONS - We all need someone to lean on.
All Quiet On The Westlake (Director: Wei Zishuo); Audio & The Alligator (Director: Andrés I. Estrada); Is Gay Marriage Next? (Director: Emily Clark); Leonie, Skeet & The Piglets (Director: Jip Heijenga); The School of Canine Massage (Director: Emma D. Miller); Sisters At The Court (Director: Marci Mazzarotto)
ANIMATED SHORTS
The Bleacher (Writers/Directors: Nicole Daddona, Adam Wilder); Circle (Writer/Director: Yumi Joung); A Cow In The Sky (Writers/Directors: Darren Press, C. Fraser Press); A Crab In The Pool (Writers/Directors: Alexandra Myotte, Jean-Sébastien Hamel); Crush (Writers/Directors: Michal Socha, Jakub Socha); Demons In The Closet (Writer/Director: James Smith); Human Resources (Directors: Trinidad Plass Caussade, Titouan Tiller, Isaac Wenzek); The Miracle (Writer/Director: Nienke Deutz); Spotlight (Director: Maya Puyat); Tennis, Oranges (Writer/Director: Sean Pecknold); Wander To Wonder (Writers: Daan Bakker, Stienette Bosklopper, Simon Cartwright, Nina Gantz, Director: Nina Gantz)
INDIE STREET INSTITUTE is a non-profit organization formed to create interactive art & film experiences that challenge people to connect with and be inspired by new ways of thinking. The organization’s flagship event, THE INDIE STREET FILM FESTIVAL, brings the most talented storytellers from across the globe to the screens of Red Bank, NJ. Born from a cooperative of filmmakers, Indie Street Film Festival combines top-notch independent cinema with industry discussions, live art and music experiences, and social gatherings that look to spark important conversations within our diverse communities.
The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey’s premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas. The Basie Center mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. As a nonprofit organization, the Basie Center is committed to enriching the community’s quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations and driving regional economic prosperity.
