By Al Nigrin
originally published: 10/06/2024
Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival Winners Announced!
All the works that were part of the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival Competition were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 21 finalists which were publicly screened at our Festival. The finalists were selected from 402 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges chose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director.
Winner Best Feature Film
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts – Shaun Seneviratne (Ridgewood, New York)
Winner Best Documentary Film
WHAT IS HAPPENING? ART IN THE LIFE OF GERTIE FRÖHLICH – Marieli Fröhlich (Vienna, Austria)
Winner Best Short Film
Dog Days – Ryan Kurt Whiting (Oakland, California)
Winner Best Animated Film
Red Snow – Susana Olmedo Alvarez, Aurelia Gil Junco (Madrid, Spain)
Winner Best Experimental Film
The Horse Tail - Justyna Łuczaj – Salej (Krosno, Poland)
Honorable Mention Winners
All You Need is Blood – Cooper Roberts (Greenvale, New York)
A Little Family Drama – Nadia Zoe (Los Angeles, California)
These Years – Kiana Rosa Fischer (Highland Park, New Jersey)
Rough Blazing Star – Christopher Wiersema (Montpellier, Vermont)
Spirit of Place – Jack Cooper Stimpson (London, England)
Festival Director’s Citations
Performances:
Anastasia Olowin (Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts)
Sathya Sridharan (Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts)
Emma Chasse (All You Need Is Blood)
Mena Suvari (All You Need Is Blood)
Diana Elizabeth Torres (A Little Family Drama)
Taylor Olsen (Look at Me)
Direction:
Shaun Seneviratne (Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts)
Cooper Roberts (All You Need Is Blood)
Justyna Łuczaj-Salej (The Horse Tail)
Nadia Zoe (A Little Family Drama)
WHAT IS HAPPENING? ART IN THE LIFE OF GERTIE FRÖHLICH Marieli Fröhlich (Vienna, Austria)
Cinematography:
Molly Scotti (Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts)
Travis LaBella (A Little Family Drama)
Malgorzata Szylak (The Horse Tail)
Screenplay:
Shaun Seneviratne (Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts)
Justyna Łuczaj-Salej (The Horse Tail)
Nadia Zoe and Ramon O. Torres (A Little Family Drama)
Editing:
Joe Violette (Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts)
WHAT IS HAPPENING? ART IN THE LIFE OF GERTIE FRÖHLICH Marieli Fröhlich (Vienna, Austria)
Cooper Roberts (All You Need Is Blood)
Production Design:
Henry Pskowski (All You Need Is Blood)
Alessandra Manias (A Little Family Drama)
Justyna Łuczaj-Salej, Maciej Bieganski, Tomasz Rolniak (The Horse Tail)
Music:
Jack Cooper Stimpson, Benji Compston (Spirit of Place)
Mikolaj Trzaska (The Horse Tail)
Steve Berlin (A Little Family Drama)
Sponsors:
The New Jersey Film Festival is funded and/or sponsored in part by The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center; The Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies/School of Arts and Sciences; Middlesex County, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts - Funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund; Grant funding has also been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners - This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; The Rutgers University Office of Summer and Winter Sessions; OVID/Icarus Films, The Rutgers University American Studies Department; Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program; The Rutgers University Zimmerli Art Museum; The Rutgers University Writer’s House; Pro 8mm; The Rutgers University Office of Disability Services, WRSU; New Jersey Stage; The Home News, The Asbury Park Press; New Brunswick City Center; The Rutgers University Office of Community Affairs; Design Ideas; Advanced Printing; Steven C. Schechter, Esq.; Share and Harris.
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.
2026 New Jersey International Film Festival Middle Life Video Q+A
Here is the 2026 New Jersey International Film Festival Video Q+A with Middle Life Writer/Director Pavan Moondi, Lead Actors Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, and Festival Director Albert Nigrin.
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(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
