(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Indie Street Film Festival (ISFF) returns with in-person screenings from September 8-12 and virtual screenings from September 13-19. The festival opens on Wednesday, September 8th at 7:00pm in-person with Alien On Stage, directed by UK-based filmmakers Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey, to be screened at the festival’s Drive-In at Fort Monmouth (Expo Theater, Avenue of Memories, Eatontown).
On Friday, September 10 at 7:00pm at the Fort Monmouth Drive-In, ISFF will be screening 2 documentaries about fierce female-only teams in unique arenas. Queens of Pain, directed by Cassie Hay and Amy Winston, about an all-female roller derby league in New York, preceded by short documentary film The Missfits by Ellie Wen, about an all-female robot building team. The filmmakers of Queens of Pain will be in attendance to provide a live intro.
The 6th Indie Street Film Festival continues its mission to connect the diverse communities of NJ around impactful stories and art, returning in person at various Red Bank locations from September 8-13th, 2021 and virtually offering films September 13-19, 2021. All access passes are available now and include admission to all in person films, drive-in movies, panel discussions, and filmmaker networking events with select open bar specials. All-Access Pass Holders will also be given access to the virtual film festival the week after ISFF. Online only passes are available and give you access to all the amazing films participating in the virtual festival between the dates of September 13-19th. (60+ films). Passes are available for purchase online.
In addition, the Indie Street Film Festival has made it a point from year to year to bring the best international and American made short films to the big screens of Red Bank. This year attendees will have access to films from 22 different countries to show a wide array of personal perspectives and filmmaking techniques. DAVID, a short film directed by Zach Woods, starring Will Ferrell, will be presented as a part of the narrative short film program “Family Bonds” screening in-person in Red Bank, and has already been widely acclaimed on the festival circuit this year, including being on the Oscar shortlist.
Some of the special events and guest appearances include a documentary reception for Vinyl Nation on September 9 at 5:30pm. The reception takes place at Jack's Music Shoppe and includes live music and beverages for passholders. Film to follow at 6:45pm. On September 10th and September 12, Detour Art Gallery will feature artworks from Veterans shown in the film, This Is Not A War Story, which screens on Sunday, September 12th at Basie Center Cinemas. On September 11th at 5:15pm Amir Arison (The Blacklist) and Stephanie Angel will present Angel Light Films’ short film Tati's Fashion Show (as a part of Jersey Shorts block) written by 8-year-old Tatiana, a brain cancer survivor. And on September 11th at 8:15pm, Workhorse Queen, an additional feature film added to the lineup will include an appearance by drag queen Mrs. Kasha Davis. Directed by Angela Washko, Workhorse Queen tells the story of telemarketing manager by day and drag queen by night, Ed Popil, who finds his life changed forever after being cast on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Electric Jesus; Writer/Director: Chris White. It's the summer of 1986. Erik (Andrew Eakle) is the shy, quiet type—but far more passionate than most teenagers when it comes to God and rock-n-roll. His dream comes true when he is asked to run sound for his favorite band, 316—a Christian hair metal band made up of older kids from his church.
Ninjababy; Writer: Johan Fasting; Director: Yngvild Sve Flikke. Astronaut, forest-keeper, cartoonist. Young Rakel has a whole lot of other plans than becoming a mother. She would rather party, get drunk or stoned instead of sitting hours on the toilet. But she can't ignore it. Is it her or the baby?
Stanleyville; Director: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos; Writers: Rob Benvie & Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. A satirical feature comedy that follows six disparate characters with nothing to lose as they face off in a bizarre competition for a slightly used habanero-orange compact sport utility vehicle.
This Is Not A War Story; Writer/Director: Talia Lugacy. This film tracks a ragtag group of combat veterans in New York whose anti-war art, poetry and papermaking keep them together, despite the spectre of their friend’s suicide and the ever-crystalizing fact that healing from war is sometimes an impossible mission.
Zola (Special Screening); Director/Writer: Janicza Bravo. Zola (newcomer Taylour Paige), a Detroit waitress, strikes up a new friendship with a customer, Stefani (Riley Keough), who seduces her to join a weekend of dancing and partying in Florida.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Alien On Stage; Directors: Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey. When a British bus driver’s amateur stage adaptation of Ridley Scott’s ALIEN somehow makes it to a famous London theatre, will the homemade homage win over the crowd?
Queens of Pain; Directors: Cassie Hay, Amy Winston. One of the most successful teams in New York sports history, Gotham Girls Roller Derby is a feminist powerhouse of elite athletes, misfits, and renegades. This film follows three skaters — Suzy Hotrod, Evilicious, and Captain Smack Sparrow — as they battle the constraints of being a woman in America while fighting for the coveted Golden Skate.
At The Ready; Director: Maisie Crow. A group of high school seniors train to become police officers and Border Patrol agents at El Paso’s Horizon High School, near the U.S./Mexico Border.
Vinyl Nation; Directors: Kevin Smokler, Christopher Boone. A deep dig into the crates of the vinyl record resurgence to discover what an old technology says about our relationship to music and each other in a divided time in America.
Workhorse Queen; Director/Writer: Angela Washko. Workhorse Queen is a documentary film exploring the complexities of mainstream television’s impact on queer performance culture.
SHORT FILM PROGRAM
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM: BECAUSE I CARE - Characters showing the lengths they’ll go for others - and to save themselves.
COME ON, SHAKE YOUR BODY BABY, DO THE CONGA! | Writer/Director: Tom Hipp. All Tim wants to do is ask Jane to dance.
I LOVE YOUR GUTS | Writer/Director: David Janove. Two girls working the graveyard shift at a fast food restaurant fend off a belligerent drunk guy while also confronting their own friendship.
SLOAN HEARTS NECKFACE | Writer: Ian Grody | Director: Justin Fair. Sloan has a not-so-low-key crush on Neckface, an anonymous graffiti artist. Neckface has less-than-resolved intimacy issues and a no relationship policy. Which he makes abundantly clear to his obsessive fan girl. That is, until Neckface realizes he and Sloan may be the same kind of crazy; and embarks on a mission to win her back. Which may or may not involve exploiting his roommate, stealing a much coveted pair of sneakers, and incurring the wrath of a ferocious lunch lady.
STUFFED | Writer/Director: Theo Rhys
YOUR MONSTER | Writer/Director: Caroline Lindy
YORUGA | Writer/Director: Federico Torrado Tobón
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM: RISKING IT ALL - An exploration of what it means to put it all on the line.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | Writer/Director: Arvid Eriksson. On a sweltering day at the pools, monotony conspires to take us on an ethereal journey. A bored front desk attendant reads the acknowledgments of a paperback while dreamily observing the swimmers.
CUCKOO! | Writers: Jörgen Scholtens & Pepijn Van Weeren | Director: Jörgen Scholtens. Absurd comedy about a lonely man who lives inside a cuckoo clock. Every hour he straps himself into his ejection seat and shoots through the doors of the clock. "Cuckoo!" He yells, "Cuckoo!" His work is of vital importance.
D?LÁP?? IS FINE | Writers: Joan Iyiola & Chibundu Onuzo | Director: Ethosheia Hylton. A story about a young black girl's relationship with her hair and name, and how it helps her understand who she really is.
LOST KINGS | Writer/Director: Brian Lawes. Searching for food, a boy breaks into a neighborhood home. But when the homeowners return, he becomes trapped inside with those he's stealing from.
MURIKA | Writer: Fedna Jacquet | Directors: Marchánt Davis & Fedna Jacquet. Leya and Tyler are forced to grapple with their elation over Biden's win and the gut punching reality of the 74 million who voted the other way.
PLAY IT SAFE | Writer/Director: Mitch Kalisa. Coaxed into playing a racial typecast in a fellow student’s play, Black drama student Jonathan is faced with all too familiar decision: to challenge prejudice, or play it safe.
ROUGH | Writers/Directors: Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson. In contemporary Belfast a young man faces retribution for the transgressions of his beloved dog.Rough is a film about a dog sentenced to death by gangsters, but it’s also a film about those who have been forgotten by Northern Ireland's Peace Process.
NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM: FAMILY BONDS - Blood is thicker than water. (Sometimes.)
BRUISER | Writer/Director: Miles Warren. After his father gets into a fight at a bowling alley, Darious begins to investigate the limitations of his own manhood
DAVID | Writers: Brandon Gardner & Zach Woods | Director: Zach Woods. It concerns a therapist's attempts to balance his relationships between his wrestler son and his suicidal patient, both named David.
IN FRANCE MICHELLE IS A MAN'S NAME | Writer/Director: Em Weinstein. Michael, a young trans man, returns home to the rural American West after years of estrangement from his parents. After an uneasy dinner, Michael joins his dad for a drive, but their early bonding soon gives way to a chasm of misunderstanding.
LIKE THE ONES I USED TO KNOW | Writer/Director: Annie St-Pierre. December 24, 1983, 10:50 p.m.; Julie and her cousins ate too much sugar, Santa Claus is late and Denis, alone in his car, is anxious at the idea of setting foot in his ex-in-law's house to pick up his children. Les Grandes Claques is an early coming-of-age that is as squeaky as it is poetic.
STRONG SON | Writer/Director: Ian Bawa. An endearing portrait of a South Asian father as he attempts to give life and marital advice to his bodybuilding and image-obsessed son. This deeply touching, comedic short film is an autobiographical piece that stars the director's own father.
US MX | Writer/Director: Joseph O Hooten. In the not too distant future, LEAH, and her daughter, ARIEL, race against the clock to immigrate across the U.S./Mexican border before sunrise. As officers close in, the direction they run becomes less and less clear.
NEW JERSEY SHORTS PROGRAM - Featuring NJ-based filmmakers, cast, and stories.
HOW LONG UNTIL | Writer: Matthew Stephens | Director: Jon Rehr. Castaway was about a man stranded on a deserted island. This is about two men stranded on a deserted island. Which changes everything.
LAST SUMMER WITH UNCLE IRA | Writer: Gary Jaffe | Directors: Katie Ennis & Gary Jaffe. In the summer of 1991, a closeted teenager's mother nudges him to reconnect with his uncle, who is dying from HIV/AIDS. His uncle wants to talk about their shared identity before time runs out, but he might not be ready to take that step…
THE LOVE SPELL | Writer: Jane Stiles | Directors: Jane Stiles & Meryl Jones Williams. A 16mm film which follows a babysitter and child who perform an Astrological ritual together to honor Venus. The odd friendship between the babysitter, Tucker, and child, Sebastian, is an ode to yearning for connection amidst our society's epidemic of loneliness. Slowly throughout the story Tucker and Sebastian reveal their kindred spirits to each other and heal their separateness by way of ecstatic catharsis and union, under the full moon. Their mutual support unveils that the spell holds more power than just summoning a partner, but rather it’s a battle cry to be witnessed and love whoever is in front of you.
MEMORY TRADE | Writer/Director: Jon Riddleberger. A colorful parable that follows a Monster whose preparation for his Mother's favorite soup is interrupted by the sudden realization that he has been trading a community of sentient creatures to acquire the ingredients. Is the soup worth it? Will his fond memories of his mother vanish if he never eats the soup again? How can one Monster make a difference in the world? Find out in The Memory Trade.
MY FATHER | Writer/Director: Daniele Sestito. An adolescent girl fears that her father is going to kill her.
SNOWY | Directors: Kaitlyn Schwalje & Alexander Lewis. Snowy, a four-inch-long pet turtle, has lived an isolated life in the family basement. With help from a team of experts and his caretaker, Uncle Larry, we ask: Can Snowy be happy, and what would it take?
SURRENDER ME | Writer/Director: Chris Del Sordo. As a distraught man struggles to overcome a personal tragedy, an unexpected twist of fate changes everything.
TATI'S FASHION SHOW | Writers: Stephanie Angel, Amir Arison, Tatianna Bernard | Director: Amir Arison. Presented by Angelight Films, is a short film born from the imagination of 8-year-old creator, superstar and survivor, Tatianna Bernard. We follow Tati as she facilitates and stars in her own fashion show.
YOUNG FOREVER | Writers: Stevie Szerlip, Young Lee | Director: Stevie Szerlip. A Korean entrepreneur living in Los Angeles is entangled in a pyramid scheme that goes far beyond beauty product endorsement in an elliptical thriller about risk, survival and loss.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM - True life stories from across the globe.
AIN'T NO TIME FOR WOMEN | Director: Sarra El Abed; Tunis, November 2019. A group of women is gathered at Saïda’s, the hairdresser, on the eve of the presidential election. The salon is transformed into a town square, mirroring the internal turmoil of the country. In this female sanctuary, we get an intimate look at the county’s teenage democracy.
CLOWN | Director: Shane O'Neill. A seasoned, professional clown on the eve of retirement reflects on a lifetime of adoration & rejection, humour & heartbreak.
THE CURVE OF THE EARTH | Director: Lorenzo Benitez. Nearly four years after befriending someone on Facebook with the exact same name as him, u16.co member Lorenzo Benitez ventures to South America to meet the friend he had come to know in writing, but had yet to meet in-person. In this experimental ‘travel video’, what began in jest evolves in sincerity as they appraise the surprising significance of their serendipitous friendship.
THE FIELD TRIP | Directors: Meghan O'Hara, Mike Attie, & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck. "Why does life have to be so complicated?" Fifth-graders experience adulthood for a day in a new short film from the Sundance Film Festival.
MISS CURVY | Director: Ghada Eldemellawy. A Ugandan mother tries to navigate her past traumas through participating in the country's first beauty pageant for plus-size women.
THE MISSFITS | Director: Ellie Wen. An all-girls robotics team competes to smash stereotypes and prove themselves in a male-dominated field, while also trying to get through high school.
TEN LEAVES DILATED | Director: Kate Hinshaw. Ten Leaves Dilated is a documentary that uses the make-believe world crafted by Cabbage Patch Kids to examine discourses surrounding childbirth and motherhood in the American South.
ANIMATED SHORTS PROGRAM - An array of techniques and storytelling for both adults and families.
AWKWARD | Writer/Director: Nata Metlukh. A day full of socially awkward moments.
BENCH | Writer/Director: Rich Webber. A short film about sharing...
THE GREAT MALAISE | Writer/Director: Catherine Lepage. A young woman describes herself and her life in glowing terms, but the visual narrative tells a different story: with heart-rending power it illustrates the heavy burden of anxiety carried by this worried overachiever.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES | Writer/Director: Anne Koizumi. An animated short documentary about a difficult father-daughter relationship. Drawing on childhood memories, Anne Koizumi, the filmmaker, explores her upbringing with her Japanese immigrant dad, who was also the janitor at the elementary school she attended. The film explores the idea of shame and how it can shape and define us while also concealing who we can truly become.
LOVE IS JUST A DEATH AWAY | Writer/Director: Bára Anna Stejskalová. A tender story about finding love even amid utter decay.
MATILDA AND THE SPARE HEAD | Writer/Director: Ignas Meil?nas. This is a story about a girl who wants to be the smartest person in the world. When all the things she’s learned can no longer fit in one head, her mother buys her a backup one. Two heads are better than one but Matilda soon becomes confused which head should she wear at what time and loses the second head shortly after. It is uncertain what would happen if not for a ball that accidentally flows in through her window. It changes Matilda forever.
NUEVO RICO | Writer/Director: Kristian Mercado. A brother and sister stumble upon a celestial secret that changes their lives forever and propels them into Reggaetón stardom, but they soon discover that their newfound fame comes at a deep price.
O BLACK HOLE! | Writers: Renee Zhan & Vanessa Rose | Director: Renee Zhan. A woman who can't stand the passing of time turns herself into a black hole. A thousand unchanging years pass until finally, one day, the Singularity awakens inside her. An immovable woman meets an unstoppable girl in this epic 2D/stop-motion operatic quest to discover the beauty of transience and letting go.
OPEN MIC | Writer/Director: Jonathan Rosen. At an open mic night, a young couple navigates a tense moment against the backdrop of an old comedian, a washed up country singer, and a crazed, oracular poet. The minimalist, hand-drawn short uses humor and melancholy to prod the depths of love and betrayal.
For a complete schedule of programming, including short film selections, and to purchase festival passes, please visit www.indiestreetfilmfestival.org. ISFF offers All Access Passes for $99 and Online Only Pass for $39.
Two River Theater produces a theatrical season that includes American and world classics, new plays and musicals, programs for young people, and festivals of new work. Each year, we also offer 40+ events that reflect our diverse community of Red Bank, New Jersey. Two River produces work on two stages—the 350-seat Rechnitz Theater, and the flexible 110-seat Marion Huber Theater. The theater’s recently opened Center for New Work, Education and Design is a three-story facility that includes two rehearsal studios, artist labs, classrooms, expanded shops and centrally located offices. Two River Theater has commissioned and premiered original projects including Be More Chill by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz (the theater’s first Broadway production) and Hurricane Diane by Playwright-in-Residence Madeleine George (which won an Obie Award for its Off-Broadway run). In June 2019, Two River was nationally recognized by USA TODAY as one of “10 great places to see a play” across the U.S. Two River serves thousands of students and community members through arts and humanities programs at the theater, in schools and throughout its region. Two River Theater is led by Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst.
Basie Center Cinemas continues the Count Basie Center for the Arts’ rich tradition of preserving and promoting the arts in our community. Independent and major studio films, workshops, classes and film festivals are all part of the Basie Center Cinemas experience.
