New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

Spectacular Shorts


By Gary Wien

originally published: 02/26/2018


The first two weeks of the New Jersey Film Festival feature amazing short films that cover virtually every genre.  The works were selected by a panel of judges which include media professionals, journalists, students, and academics.  Four shorts stood out for us.

While doctors try to save Marion Ross (of Happy Days fame) from dying in The Final Show by Dana Nachman, we see her character in a house that includes her long-time hairdresser, her two husbands, and her first ever boyfriend.  Her mission in this comedy short is to choose one of them to spend eternity with. Two Balloons by Mark Smith is a sweet animated film about friendship, adventure, and travel between animals traveling in a pair of blimp like crafts. Lockdown by Max Sokoloff  is a terrifying look at a high school shooter roaming the halls who gets the school placed in lockdown mode on picture day.

And then there’s The Inescapable Arrival of Lazlo Petushki by Sven Werner, a film that is beautifully shot with a surrealistic quality as if it is part of a dream.  In the short, a young man is about to arrive in a mysterious city by boat, when he finds himself lost in the labyrinthine hull of the ship. Embarking on a surreal journey through the boat, he is chased by the inescapable, by himself, and by the very luggage he was hoping to leave behind. The short is sort of like a piece of poetry that can easily be interpreted many ways.

“I welcome various interpretations and listen carefully when people tell me of their experience of the film,” said Werner.  “I have a relatively clear idea of the narrative and what it means to me when making the film, but it’s the kind of film that will resonate differently with different people.  I do believe that leaving dark corners and not spelling everything out allows the viewer’s imagination to fill those gaps and make the journey more personal.”

Werner adds, “My intention was indeed to allow the audience to get a little lost in Lazlo’s inner experience of the situation, fueled and warped by his imagination.”




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



All four shorts showcase beautiful filmmaking and feature good acting. They also all tell a distinct story; none of the films feel as anything more was needed to get their point across.

“Shorts are in some ways more difficult to create than features as you have to do more with less,” explained Albert Nigrin, Executive Director/Curator of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, Inc.  “You have a time limitation and most likely financial limitations as well.  I’m not sure if shorts allow filmmakers more leeway with their work, but I can tell you that I see a lot of feature films that would be great short films.  Many filmmakers don’t know how to let go of some of their images.  They fall in love with too many of them and don’t realize they are bogging down their work.”

Nigrin says he believes narrative short films should make a distinct point, but experimental films do not have to be understood.  Sometimes the two worlds appear to collide as in The Inescapable Arrival of Lazlo Petushki.  Werner, from Glasgow, Scotland, took one and half years to create his short, and says many people have been enthusiastic about the film — a project that will hopefully be a stepping stone in his career.

“The truth is that I find the short film format rather challenging,” Werner admits.  “I really like arriving in a scene and its atmospheric intensity and look forward to making feature films.  The ultimate goal with this film and all of my work is to hopefully create a worthwhile experience that leaves people inspired.  I’m also hoping to establish my filmic handwriting with this short with the view to creating a feature next.”

The New Jersey Film Festival takes place on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick from January 26 through March 2nd.  The festival generally screens both shorts and feature films and every screening is a New Jersey or an area premiere. For more on the festival visit www.njfilmfest.com




Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. He can be contacted at gary@newjerseystage.com.




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: Moana 2

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 @ 7:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film


 

FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: Moana 2

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 @ 10:30am
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film


 

FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: The Wild Robot

Tuesday, July 22, 2025 @ 7:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film


 

FREE

FREE SUMMER MOVIE: The Wild Robot

Tuesday, July 22, 2025 @ 10:30am
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: film


 

Free

Free Movie Tuesdays: The Goonies (40th Anniversary)

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: film


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

The

The ShowRoom presents: UNSTREAMABLE CINEMA – Four Daring Films You Won't Find Online

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- This summer, The ShowRoom proudly launches UNSTREAMABLE CINEMA—a provocative new series showcasing four bold and controversial films that are currently unavailable on any streaming platform. These are rare, one-night-only opportunities to see these uncompromising works on the big screen, where they belong.



Fall

Fall 2025 New Jersey Film Festival Preview

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Film Festival returns to Rutgers University September 5 through October 10, 2025. As it has done the last few years, the festival will include select in-person screenings with all films available via video on-demand (VOD) as well. There are also a few screenings available only via VOD. Twenty films will have their New Jersey or Area Premiere (Middlesex County).



The

The Levoy Theatre hosts the CUT International Short Film Festival

(MILLVILLE, NJ) -- The Levoy Theatre hosts the CUT International Short Film Festival September 19-20, 2025. The festival's motto is 'Short Films for Quick Minds'. Its aim is to become the premier festival in New Jersey for short form films.



Count

Count Basie Center for the Arts presents An Evening With Francis Ford Coppola and screening of "Megalopolis"

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Legendary director, Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders) is bringing his monumental 2024 film, Megalopolis, to select cities across the country. The tour kicks off at the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 7:00pm.



The

The Williams Center to Screen "Wayward Kin" by David Joseph Volino

(RUTHERFORD, NJ) -- After a four-year-long production process, filmmaker and New Jersey native, David Joseph Volino, is sharing the full-length feature, Wayward Kin, with local audiences. See the film for one night only at The Williams Center in Rutherford on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. The screening begins at 7:00pm with the cast and crew in attendance.