By Al Nigrin
originally published: 02/17/2020
New Jersey Film Festival Spring 2020 Winners Announced!
All the works that were part of the Spring 2020 New Jersey Film Festival Competition were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 27 finalists which were publicly screened at our Festival. The finalists were selected from 611 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges chose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director. Here are the Winners.
Grand Prize Winners
Best Feature Film : Strive – Robert Rippberger (Los Angeles, California)
Best Documentary Film: Work Songs – Mark Street (Brooklyn, New York)
Best Short Film: The Seahorse Trainer – Ricardo Bonisoli and Babak Bina (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Best Animation Film: Daughter – Daria Kashcheeva (Prague, Czech Republic)
Honorable Mention Winners
Textile Workers – Andrea Nappi and Juno Roome (Queens, New York)
For Hope – James Rees and Jay Thomas (New York, New York)
Two – Vasilios Papaioannu (Syracuse, New York)
Smoke -n- Suds – George Nicholas (Mamaroneck, New York)
The Twelve Thousand – Eric Davis and Randy Watson (Langley, British Colombia, Canada)
Lab Dog – Noemi Durivou (Glendale, California)
Bailaora – Rubin Stein (Madrid, Spain)
Pacarrete – Allan Deberton (Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil)
Tevye’s Daughters – Vladimir Lert (Kyiv, Ukraine)
For More Information Contact:
New Jersey 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
[email protected], [email protected];
www.njfilmfest.com
About the author:
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.
Atonement
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 12:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJAmidst the chaos of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch. Anchored by unforgettable performances from Boyd Holbrook (A Complete Unknown, Narcos, The Morning Show), Hiam Abbass (Succession), and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human true story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness.
The Dads - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJA group of dads building a movement to support their trans and gender expansive kids are forced to make an impossible choice amid a shifting political landscape: stay and fight or flee the country.
The Choice - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 5:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ A haunting yet life-affirming film about reframing pain and the radical power of choice. It follows grieving mother Iris Haim as she mourns the loss of her son in the aftermath of October 7th and forms an unexpected bond with Dr. Edith Eger—a renowned psychologist, author, and Auschwitz survivor—whose hard-won wisdom guides her toward transformation.
Women On Trial - East Coast Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Teaneck Cinemas
503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ1972. A landmark trial shakes France as young Marie-Claire is prosecuted for having an illegal abortion with the help of her mother and two other defendants. In a courtroom governed by men, the verdict seems inevitable: prison for the women, while the rapist goes unpunished. Their last hope lies with Gisèle Halimi, a fearless lawyer known for openly challenging patriarchy and confronting the system that condemns victims and lets perpetrators walk free. Alongside the accused, Gisèle will not only change their fate, but, against all odds, transform the condition of women forever.
American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJAgainst political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.
Far Out: Life On & After The Commune - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 4:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJFar Out: Life On & After the Commune traces fifty years in the lives of a group of New England writers, activists and artists. It conveys how the 1960s counterculture, embodied in two rural communes, transformed America. The story begins when a group of radical journalists leave New York for a new life in the country and follows them from the back-to-the-land movement to a new discovery of political commitment.
We Met At Grossingers - Teaneck Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 12:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJWe Met at Grossinger’s is an immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills—once known as the Borscht Belt—reviving the iconic resort that inspired Dirty Dancing and defined an era of Jewish American life.
Dust Bowls And Jewish Souls
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJMany know Woody Guthrie as the quintessential Oklahoman balladeer who wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” but few are aware that Jewish culture had a hand in shaping his private life and career. From award-winning filmmaker Steven Pressman (
The Levys of Monticello),
Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls explores Guthrie’s moving relationship with his mother-in-law, prominent Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, and the impact she had on his songwriting.
Jane Elliott Against The World - Weekend Closing Night - New Jersey Premiere!
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Teaneck International Film Festival - Temple Emeth
1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJA rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Teaneck International Film Festival names first recipient of Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) has named filmmaker Luchina Fisher the first recipient of the Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award, a new annual honor celebrating an exceptional woman whose work reflects the creativity, curiosity, integrity and commitment to social impact that defined Klein's life and her nearly two decades with the festival. The award includes a $1,000 grant. Fisher will receive the inaugural award at the TIFF screening of her film, The Dads, on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Teaneck Cinemas (503 Cedar Lane).
"Directors' Commentary" to have NJ Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival
(ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ) -- After its world premiere at Dances With Films LA (DWFLA), one of the nation's leading indie film festivals, Directors' Commentary will have its New Jersey Premiere at SModcastle Film Festival, hosted by filmmaker Kevin Smith. The film will screen on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 12:00pm.
Teaneck International Film Festival Names Katie Camosy Recipient of 2026 Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award for "Gaslit"
(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) and The Puffin Foundation have selected director Katie Camosy as the recipient of the 2nd Annual Emerging Filmmaker Activist Award for her documentary Gaslit. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and trophy and recognizes emerging filmmakers whose work embodies TIFF's guiding theme, "Activism: Making Change."
James R. Halsey Foundation Student Film Showcase to Take Place November 12th
(TRENTON, NJ) -- The James R. Halsey Foundation of the Arts (JRH), a 501c3 non-profit agency dedicated to providing quality arts education and mentoring to youth in the City of Trenton and greater New Jersey area presents the 2026 Student Film Showcase. Taking place on November 12th at the New Jersey State Museum Auditorium from 5:00pm - 8:00pm, this event features three films, written, directed, and produced by students, as well as a documentary focused on raising awareness on men's mental health, featuring authentic student voices and professional interviews.
Count Basie Center for the Arts to Celebrate Centennial with an immersive re-enactment of its opening night
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts will cap its Centennial Celebration with an immersive re-enactment of its opening night on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 6:00pm. Patrons can expect an immersive theatrical presentation from the moment they approach the venue – from 'stars' of the era arriving in classic cars, Gatsby-esque fashion and flair, an authentic speakeasy experience with custom, era-specific cocktails and mocktails, 1920s hot jazz and more.
Learn about producing films with "Producing 101: From Script to Set with The Gig Media"
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Interested in filmmaking? You can learn how to produce a film like a pro at "Producing 101: From Script to Set with The Gig Media" on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Miraley Studios in Jersey City.
The Clairidge hosts Indie Film Showcase on November 21st
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- On Saturday, November 21, 2026, The Clairidge hosts a film showcase featuring three indie films - Wedding Night, Lady in the Mirror, and End of the Line: Brotherhood. Dive into three epic tales, one screen, and endless vibes at The Official Film Showcase. Showtime is 1:30pm.
