NJ Film Festival offers 3 films via video on demand.
Freeing Juanita - Juanita has been unjustly detained in Reynosa, Mexico for over seven years, accused of a crime she didn’t commit and forced to confess in a language she didn’t understand. This intimate portrait follows Ana and Pedro, Juanita’s aunt and uncle, on their thousand-mile journey from the highlands of Guatemala. With the help of their Maya Chuj community and a network of Maya interpreters, they fight for Juanita’s freedom and demand justice from the Mexican authorities, a cause that became internationally recognized for its defense of migrants’ rights and language justice. Directed by Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers
Wrestle-Off - Tenacious high school wrestler Alex battles with the grief of her father’s passing and the hostility of her teammates as she fiercely competes for a varsity spot on an all-male wrestling team. Director Sabatino Ciatti Jr.
I Was There - This is a haunting exploration of familial bonds, intergenerational memory, and the enduring impact of shared narratives. Filmmaker Kamila Kuc steps into the emotional stream of inherited family history as the lines between documentary, testimony, and fiction blur. She performs acts of bearing witness not just for herself but also on behalf of her grandmother. Together, they testify to their experiences and the reverberations these stories have over time. I Was There is a palimpsest - a layered tapestry where past and present intertwine in the intimate process of activating memory and vulnerability as forms of resistance. I Was There honours the testimonial object inherited from ancestors and the living connection that binds generations in the shared pursuit of justice and healing. Director Kamila Kuc
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "ICE SS" by the Central Jersey punk act Sally Draper.
