Showing film results: From 6 to 16
Like the boxing movie, you might think the prison drama should have grown stale by now, and yet it continues to surprise. Inside, the feature debut of Cannes-winning writer/director Charles Williams, might have the least original title for a prison movie imaginable, but it uses its familiar setting in distinctive ways that almost reinvent the sub-genre.
When it comes to coming-of-age comedies, the best ones of recent years have been centred on teenage girls (Lady Bird, The Edge of Seventeen, Eighth Grade et al) rather than their male counterparts. Comedies about teenage boys tend to portray them as one-dimensional horndogs whose only goal is to get laid before they graduate, whereas the female protagonists of such movies have far more complex concerns. It's a relief then to find that Lemonade Blessing is that rare teen comedy that offers us a well-rounded young male protagonist, one who isn't even all that bothered about losing his virginity.
The Competition component of the 2025 New Jersey International Film Festival has just concluded! Overall, we had a very good festival this year and I want to thank the hundreds of people who viewed the terrific films we screened in-person and online. I also want to thank all of the filmmakers, cast and crew who came to the in-person screenings to talk about their films with our audiences.
Nobody Wants to Shoot a Woman is a gripping and emotionally raw drama that follows a woman forced to make impossible choices. Written and directed by Kerry Ann Enright, the film centers on Mary (Tina Benko), a single mother left broke and emotionally wrecked after her controlling husband, John (Lev Gorn), is killed when the consequences of his lengthy criminal history finally catch up with him. With no job and no savings, Mary must suddenly figure out how to provide for her son alone.
Imagine waking up on a day like any other and being told you were going to die within two years, for Agata di Masternak this was her reality. Faces of Agata is an incredibly beautiful film following Agata as she undergoes countless surgeries in an attempt to cure a cavernous hemangioma in her cheek and jaw. Agata is an incredibly captivating subject, sharing vulnerable stories of living with the ever-present threat of death and wearing her heart on her sleeve as she discusses her fears, hopes, and frustrations with her situation.
Arturo Dueñas’ Supporting Actresses (Secundarias) is a love letter to theater, but more than that, it’s a bustling, compelling portrait of the people who make it come alive. Set against the backdrop of an opening night performance at the Calderón Theater in Valladolid, this Spanish-language film blurs the line between fiction and reality in deeply satisfying ways. It’s shot (or appears to be shot) in one, continuous take, and that single, unbroken breath captures the anxiety, chaos, beauty, and deeply human moments that unfold behind the curtain.
Within the world of animation, an artist can choose between many mediums of art in order to best create the piece they want to make. Some choose to stick within one form, and others experiment with multiple. No matter what an artist chooses, their decisions, along with similar filmmaking ones, will not only guide audiences through the work but also offer meaning and set the tone for viewer receptions and interpretations. It is for that reason that this decision is important and paramount within an artist’s process. Artists Nick Zweig, Elizabeth Schneider and Michael Covello, Esther Casas Roura, and Maureen Zent have all made this decision within their respective films, and the end results have no doubt succeeded in reflecting their creators’ thoughts and feelings. Despite this, the films are incredibly different and expansive within their creativity and uniqueness, cementing them as must-watch pieces.
Watching Burn Ceremony feels less like viewing a film and more like being pulled into a trance. It’s definitely not something you watch casually. It demands attention - focus - concentration. Alexander Girav’s experimental short is hypnotic and deliberate, offering no clear narrative but instead crafting an experience rooted in sensation and atmosphere.
A Place of Honor is a short documentary, directed by Vanessa Roth, that recounts the lived experiences of veterans and gold star family members from before, through and after the war who found renewed purpose and meaning in their lives when they decided to create the only memorial and museum dedicated to the lives lost in Vietnam.
In Child No. 182, filmmaker Camilla Roos turns the lens inward to explore the earliest years of her own life, spent drifting through Finland's child protection system in the 1960s and 70s. Over the course of this 50-minute documentary, we explore the emotional landscape of a child trying to reach stability within an inherently unstable situation. It’s a deeply personal and engaging portrait, one that is all the more intriguing as it is of the filmmaker herself.
