New Jersey Film Festival screening
Seeing Other People - Amanda Prager
A woman trapped in a toxic relationship scrambles to find a way out. Anne and Jesse are celebrating their anniversary. However, Anne quickly realizes there is something unusual about this bar... in fact, it seems like Jesse has some sort of mind control over the patrons... but when Anne tries to break up with him, he reveals the true extent of his power. He escalates with charm, using his hivemind to try to convince her to stay with him. Then, he gets violent, blocking all chances of fleeing. Can she survive, or will she give in rather than reveal her truth? This film is a metaphor for living in an emotionally tumultuous relationship, and how difficult it is to escape from the hold it has on your friends, family, and mind. It's a metaphor about relationships, why we're in them, and what we get out of them. 2023; 9 min.
Bluebird – Sara Crow (New York, New York)
After an unexpected death in the family, a well-behaved Catholic schoolgirl explores authority, mortality, and the limits of her own belief system with the help of an eerie classmate. 2023; 12 min.
Innocent Observer – Evelyn Reese (Bridgewater, New Jersey)
Innocence, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what happens when the eye is blind to wrongdoing? If all is fair in love and war, then who's to say one has gone too far? Who's to blame when a person is fighting against standards seemingly unattainable, yet so painfully in reach? Innocent Observer follows the rapid decaying of one girl's sanity as she pursues her "true love" without limitations. Her crooked mind lends to violence, yet avoids liability. She grapples with her practical perception of her life, though it is quieted behind the desperate thoughts driving her desire. Her wish to be cinematic like the ones she watches quickly turns her feelings of guilt into those of worthiness., though others may not agree. Her quandary is simple: does he love her, does he love her not? 2023; 7 min.
No More Love - Zafar Mehdi (India)
No More Love follows a heartbroken woman burdened by recurring breakups, embracing cynicism as a shield against her true sadness. In a pivotal phone call with her friend Tugba, she reluctantly reveals her disillusionment with love. Tugba's surprise visit sparks a transformative realization – embracing life means acknowledging suffering's role. Together, they embark on a poignant journey of self-discovery and acceptance. No More Love explores the delicate balance between heartache, friendship, and the innate resilience of the human spirit. In French, subtitled. 2023; 8 min
Wiener – Natalie Peracchio (Los Angeles, California)
A meaty comedy about a college admissions tour gone wrong. 2023; 16 min.
Joey Skaggs: The Solomon Project – Judy Drosd, Joey Skaggs (New York, New York)
In 1995, Dr. Joseph Bonuso, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Joey Skaggs), announced that he, along with 150 computer scientists and attorneys specializing in artificial intelligence, had developed a solution to the crisis of American jurisprudence and was poised to radically revamp the entire judicial system. Enter Solomon, a distributed program running on a set of super computers that could deliberate on evidence and render swift, unassailable, equal justice for all, putting judges in the back seat and relegating juries to history. This is the tenth film in the oral history series entitled, "Joey Skaggs Satire and Art Activism, 1960s to the Present and Beyond" in which the irrepressible Skaggs recounts the captivating tale where innovation meets the unthinkable. Information about the whole oral history series is here: https://joeyskaggs.com/videos/oral-histories. 2023; 16 min.
Please Hold the Line – Tan Ce Ding (Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia)
A young scam call operator is thrust into a moral dilemma as she navigates a life-changing situation. In Chinese, subtitled. 2023; 19 min.
Boobee Cheet Sheetz – Adrienne Fowler (Lumberton, New Jersey)
Funny animation on the sun’s “dampening” effect on the woman's body during the summertime. 2023; 2 min.
