By Al Nigrin
originally published: 02/19/2024

Still from M. Wild's Witchblossom
We had a very nice 36th Annual United States Super 8 Film + DV Festival over the last two days although the in-person screening on Saturday was cancelled due to a major snowstorm that hit Central Jersey. Luckily folks could still see the program online. Attendance was good and it looks like we will break even financially which is important for us to keep running this Festival. Many thanks to Phil and Rhonda Vigeant as well as Jaclyn Melo of Pro 8mm and Sara Leavitt at Icarus Films/OVID for sponsoring our Festival again and providing the prizes for the Best of Festival winners. Without further ado here are the Award Winners of the 36th Annual Festival:
Still from Phil Docken's you thRill me
Best of the Festival
you thRill me – Phil Docken (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Witchblossom – M. Wild (Los Angeles, California)
Still from Gregg Chilingirian's George
Honorable Mention
George – Gregg Chilingirian (London, England)
Silent chirping of invisible Digits – Vera Sebert (Austria)
The Rocket Movies – Carl Weingarten (Alameda, California)
Roses, Pink and Blue - Julia Yezbick (Detroit, Michigan)
Kristin dan Kuching Kuchingnya – Michael Kam (Singapore)
Still from Carl Weingarten's The Rocket Movies
The 2024 United States Super 8 Film & Digital Video Festival, which is part of the Spring 2024 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; The Rutgers University Office of Summer and Winter Sessions; OVID/Icarus Films; Pro8mm; 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; 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.
Information:
Al Nigrin
Executive Director/Curator
New Jersey Film Festival
Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center
Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies
4170 Academic Building, 15 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901-8525 U.S.A.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.njfilmfest.com
About the author:
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.
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