By Al Nigrin
originally published: 06/10/2024
The Competition component of the 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival has just concluded! Here below are the Award Winning films and the Festival Director's Citations. All the works that we are screening are part of the New Jersey International Film Festival were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 34 finalists which were publicly screened at our Festival. The finalists were selected from over 702 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges choose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director. Congratulations to all the winners and the official selections!
2024 New Jersey International Film Festival Winners
Winner Best Feature Film The Featherweight – Robert Kolodny (Brooklyn, New York)
Winner Best Documentary Film FILM IS DEAD. LONG LIVE FILM! – Peter Flynn (Wakefield, Massachusetts)
Winner Best Short Film INFINITY! – Benjamin To (Chino Hills, California)
Winner Best Animated Film Tennis, Oranges – Sean Pecknold (Los Angeles, California)
Winner Best Experimental Film The Miracle of You – Peter Spruyt (Hollywood, California)
Honorable Mention Winners
Shame on You – Jeffrey Himpele (Princeton, New Jersey)
Altona – The Affolter Brothers (New Westminster, BC, Canada)
Judy’s Garden – Evie Metz (Richmond, Virginia)
Brain Freeze – Kelsey Comeau (Brooklyn, New York)
Along The Rail – Jonathan Harkel (New Jersey)
I Want to Live on Mars – Mariya Somova (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Game Interrupted – Ilayda Iseri (Istanbul, Turkey)
Fencing for the Edge – Holly Buechel (South Orange, New Jersey)
Cowgirls and Synthesizers – Joe Wallace (Springfield, Illinois)
STAKES IS HIGH – Jean-Pierre Caner (Los Angeles, California)
Good Girl – Jenny Kleiman (Elmhurst, New York)
Crossing The River – Allan Novak (New York, New York)
Festival Director’s Citations
Performances:
James Maddio - The Featherweight
Ruby Maxine Wolf - The Featherweight
Claire Haller - I Want to Live on Mars
Bethany Stollar - I Want to Live on Mars
Rahad Coulter-Stevenson - Stakes is High
Olivia Cordell - INFINITY!
Direction:
Robert Kolodny - The Featherweight
Benjamin To - INFINITY!
Peter Flynn - FILM IS DEAD. LONG LIVE FILM!
Mariya Somova - I Want to Live on Mars
Kelsey Comeau - Brain Freeze
Sean Pecknold - Tennis, Oranges
Cinematography:
Adam Kolodny - The Featherweight
Akanksha Shyam - INFINITY!
Adam Nimyo - I Want to Live on Mars
Sklyer Bocciolatt - Stakes is High
Editing:
Robert Greene - The Featherweight
Jenna A. Bush - Fencing for the Edge
Sean Pecknold and Aaron Beckum - Tennis, Oranges
Jean-Pierre Caner - Stakes is High
Screenplay:
Steve Loff - The Featherweight
Peter Flynn - FILM IS DEAD. LONG LIVE FILM!
Jean-Pierre Caner - Stakes is High
Production Design:
Sonia Foltarz - The Featherweight
Evie Metz - Judy’s Garden
Adi Goodrich - Tennis, Oranges
Music:
Samuel Jones - Stakes is High
Nick Daly - Judy’s Garden
Joe Cyrus and Shine Delphi - I Want to Live on Mars
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.
EVENT PREVIEWS
ACME Screening Room presents TCB and the Jerome Jennings Quintet
(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Join the Acme Screening Room and Flemington DIY on Saturday, May 16, 2026 for the documentary "TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing" plus live Jazz with the Jerome Jennings Quintet. The event begins at 6:00pm.
Atlantic County Film Club & Eammon Films present a screening of "The Chronology of Water" on May 18th
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Atlantic County Film Club & Eammon Films present a screening of The Chronology of Water at Anchor Rock Club on Monday, May 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. Based on the beloved memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, this film is a raw and unflinching portrait of survival, sexuality, and self-invention.
2026 New Jersey International Film Festival Video Interview with Sonia and Lisa on Mushrooms Director Vincent Turturro
Al Nigrin, Executive Director and Curator of the New Jersey International Film Festival, sits down with Vincent Turturro, director and writer of Sonia and Lisa on Mushrooms, for a filmmaker interview at EBTV. Sonia and Lisa on Mushrooms will be screened on May 29, 2026.
Obsession, Murder, and Movie Magic: Brian De Pal-Month Comes to Asbury Park
(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- The ShowRoom Cinema presents Brian De Pal-Month, a three-film retrospective celebrating the stylish, suspense-driven work of visionary filmmaker Brian De Palma. Taking place throughout the second half of May, the series spotlights three of De Palma's most acclaimed thrillers—each showcasing the director's mastery of voyeurism, psychological tension, and bravura cinematic technique.
Trenton Filmmaker Phillip McConnell to Premiere New Short Film "Tell Me Where We Stand"
(HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- Independent filmmaker Phillip McConnell will premiere his new short film, Tell Me Where We Stand, at Mill One on Sunday, May 31, 2026, bringing together local artists, performers, and members of the community for an evening celebrating independent film and storytelling.
2026 New Jersey International Film Festival to Take Place from May 29th to June 7th
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, in association with the Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies, presents the 2026 New Jersey International Film Festival which marks their 31st Anniversary. The NJIFF competition will be taking place on the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between May 29 - June 7, 2026 and will be a hybrid one as they will be presenting it online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University.
Emmy-nominated, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor/director Jason Alexander to Lead Acting Masterclass on Long Beach Island
(LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ) -- The Lighthouse International Film Festival (LIFF) presents a rare five-day acting masterclass led by acclaimed actor and director Jason Alexander, taking place June 7–11, 2026 on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, just prior to the opening of the Festival's 18th edition, which runs June 10–14.
2026 New Jersey International Film Festival Overview
The New Jersey International Film Festival returns online and to Rutgers University on the weekends between May 29 - June 7, 2026. Professor Al Nigrin, Executive Director and Curator, provides a video overview of the films being showcase at the 31st annual Festival.
MORE EVENTS
Click on the listing to bring up its webpage
Sonia and Lisa on Mushrooms, Impivaara, Bottom Feeder & Chemical Meadows – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7PM!Friday, May 29, 2026 @ 7:00pmNJ International Film Festival
New Brunswick, NJ
Shorts Program #1: Godzilla’s Day Off, Paper Crane, 35 Days, I Exist, Pizza Man, Prison and Time, Dustsceawung & Miracle Under 34th Street – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7PM!Saturday, May 30, 2026 @ 7:00pmNJ International Film Festival
New Brunswick, NJ
