(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival unveils its 20th anniversary roster!  A project of The Puffin Foundation Ltd., the 20th anniversary festival will be held November 6-13, 2025, featuring over 25 films, panel discussions, awards, and parties with filmmakers, actors, elected officials and industry guests attending.

The film festival with a social conscience is committed to telling stories that need to be heard, and inspiring thoughtful discussion, involvement, and activism. The narrative features, documentaries, and shorts cover a broad range of subjects that are of concern to all: civil rights, women's rights, immigration, threats to free speech, the unhoused and food insecurity, LGBTQ+ concerns, the environment, and more.

According to Executive Director Jeremy Lentz, "The work of the Teaneck International Film Festival has become more urgent at a time in our nation's history where we see threats to our most sacred democratic institutions.  The Teaneck International Film Festival stands strong as we celebrate our 20th year in continuing to provide a platform to showcase some of the most compelling independent films that shed light and raise awareness on some of the most pressing issues of our time."

The opening night film, the documentary feature The Disappearance of Miss Scott, is sponsored by The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Bergen/Passaic Chapter at Teaneck Cinemas (503 Cedar Lane) on Thursday, November 6th at 7:30pm.  The documentary chronicles the rise and fall of jazz virtuoso Hazel Scott, who was blacklisted from Hollywood and had her American television show canceled during the Red Scare after she refused to perform for segregated audiences. 

For the festival's Narrative Centerpiece on November 8th, Italian filmmaker Riccardo Milani, presents A World Apart (Un mondo a parte) a comedy-drama that follows a Roman teacher who must overcome his "urban inadequacy" to save a tiny mountain school from closing. The film, praised for its heartfelt character-driven story and community spirit, won two Nastro d'Argento Awards in 2024, including Best Comedy Film and Best Actress in a Comedy for Virginia Raffaele.

A World Apart is sponsored by Addie Wijnen, a long-time Teaneck resident and, at 92, still an active TIFF volunteer and supporter.  Addie's father, who was born in Italy, was a renowned poet who was celebrated posthumously several years ago by his home town.  The Centerpiece event includes food and wine, the film, and a talkback.  Invitations are extended to individuals who have donated at least $40.

The "in-person" part of the festival will run through Sunday evening, November 9th, when the closing film, Lilly, a narrative feature starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Patricia Clarkson, will be shown at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Road, followed by a talkback with the filmmaker, Rachel Feldman, Senator Loretta Weinberg, and other surprise guests.  Based on a true story, Lilly follows Alabama factory supervisor Lilly Ledbetter as she takes on her employer, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, after discovering she was paid significantly less than her male coworkers. The movie chronicles her decades-long fight for equal pay, which eventually led to a landmark Supreme Court case and inspired the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

Sponsors of the film are WOW (Women of Wisdom), NCJWBCS (National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section), Senator Loretta Weinberg, Shahanaz Arjumand, and the YWCA of Northern New Jersey.  This year, WOW will present its annual award to two Teaneck women – Allison Davis and Hildy Dillon, whose activism and leadership are inspiring.

The weekend brings more features, documentaries and shorts, among them: Using humor as a survival mechanism, the documentary Coexistence, My Ass! follows Israeli activist-comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi as she fiercely confronts the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict and critiques the performative "peace industry" that ignores systemic inequality.

Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Journey powerfully chronicles the 50-year history of the National Association of Black Journalists, highlighting their courageous pursuit of truth and resilience in overcoming systemic barriers and the transformative impact on American media. Sponsored by the Bergen County Chapter of The Links, Inc., the talkback features a panel discussion with the film's producer Allison Davis and lauded NABJ journalists.

A Place of Our Own follows two trans women in India, Laila and Roshni, as they search for a new home and societal acceptance after an unjust eviction, sponsored by Nachman, Phulwani, Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C.

Shttl, a Yiddish narrative feature shot in Ukraine, depicts the vibrant life of a Ukrainian Jewish village in a single, continuous shot, set during the 24-hours before the Nazi invasion in 1941, sponsored The Jewish Link.

Saffron Kingdom is a powerful story of love, loss, and resilience that follows a Kashmiri family's journey of trauma and displacement, providing a counter-narrative to the conflict, sponsored by the Indian American Muslim Council.

Among Neighbors, a documentary that uncovers the hidden history of a Polish town where peaceful coexistence between Jewish and Catholic neighbors was shattered during and after World War II, revealing acts of both love and betrayal. The film combines interviews with the last remaining witnesses—including a Holocaust survivor and an eyewitness to murder—with evocative animation to tell this painful story of truth, silence, and memory, brought to you by the Jewish Standard.

The Librarians which follows librarians across the United States as they combat book bans and defend intellectual freedom against a rising tide of censorship, sponsored by Friends of the Teaneck Public Library, the Teaneck Community Chorus, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Bergen County Alumnae Chapter.

Visit the festival website for a full list of all the films showing in-person during the festival weekend.

Included in the festival week, TIFF will also be hosting a free "Filmmaker Bootcamp" at Teaneck's Fairleigh Dickinson University scheduled for November 12th from 6:30pm–9:30pm.  Facilitated by Television Executive and Producer, Ashley McFarlin, formally of WeTV/Allbk (AMC Networks).  The bootcamp will combine interactive icebreakers, visual presentations, and small-group breakouts to explore the fundamentals of TV/film production and provide hands-on content development experience. Participants will also engage in discussions on financing, staffing, pitching, and distribution, with opportunities for real-time feedback on their ideas.

After the TIFF weekend is over, there is a bonus film screening at Teaneck's Ethical Cultural Society on Thursday evening, November 13. Sponsored by Ethical Culture, the documentary Sally! follows the charismatic radical lesbian activist, author, and academic who spearheaded the 1970s and 80s lesbian feminist movement, a figure who has been largely forgotten.

For those unable to come in-person or for filmgoers in other parts of the country, there are five virtual films that may be watched from the comfort of your own living room any time during the festival week which include moderated talkbacks.  The virtual film series includes Cast Aside the Clouds, a narrative drama about a young Baha'i woman and a secular Muslim doctor who fall in love in modern-day Iran, forcing them to face persecution as their families and society condemn their relationship.  The Dancer, a groundbreaking documentary about a stateless citizen, Ahmad Joudeh, who defied war and family disapproval to join the Dutch National Ballet, but haunted by the trauma of his past, he makes a perilous decision: to return to Syria for the first time since the war, risking everything to bring the healing power of dance to a community still ravaged by conflict. We, the Collective explores the New York City nightlife ecosystem as a means of social and economic mobility for Black & brown people of the queer and trans experience and A City Fights Back: How L.A. Defends Itself from I.C.E., a Puffin supported documentary that chronicles how Unión del Barrio, a member of the Community Self Defense Coalition, is fighting back against I.C.E. in Los Angeles.  Locker Room Talk, a documentary that chronicles the Kingston (NY) High School football team's journey as players confront a hyper-masculine culture through memoir writing and storytelling, ultimately redefining what it means to be a man. The virtual pass includes all five films for $15. 

TIFF's youngest audience is not ignored.  Prior to the official opening night of November 6th, Little Kid Flicks, the collection of award-winning animated films curated from the New York International Children's Film Festival will be back again:  Little Kid Flicks is for children 4 -8 years old who are invited free with a paying adult through support from the Puffin Foundation and sponsored by the Teaneck Public Library and Barbara Ostroth, Coldwell Banker Realty.  Returning again as this year's emcee – filling the shoes of longtime host Bob McGrath (Sesame Street) – will be Miss Jolie, the Taylor Swift of New Jersey's youngest set who plays to SRO crowds.  Mark the date:  November 2 – 1:30pm, at the Puffin Cultural Forum, 20 Puffin Way in Teaneck.

Tickets are on sale at www.teaneckfilmfestival.org.  Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at door if available, except: Little Kid Flicks (Kids are free with paying adult thanks to a grant from the Puffin Foundation), Centerpiece Gala and Film – minimum donation of $40 in advance, Virtual Film Series pass includes all five films for $15.  Talkbacks will follow most films.  And check out all that is on this year's program – for all interests and all ages.