(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Film Festival Fall 2026 kicks off with a screening of Your Lips Never Left Mine on Friday, September 4, 2026. Matthew Kozlark's thriller will be available via video on demand starting at 12:00am with an in-person screening at Rutgers University movie theater at 7:00pm.
In the film, a young woman is hired by a finance couple to tutor their son at their summer lake house, and finds herself increasingly enmeshed in the undisclosed darkness of their past.
According to the film's website, the original inspiration for the film was a lake house and property which had been in Kozlark's family since 1962.
"As a child, I spent summers here with my family, 3 generations gathering by the water’s edge," Kozlark says on the website. "My sister and cousins and I would stage little plays on the lawn. Surrounding the lake are woods. In the middle of the lake there is a lone island. Geographically, you are two hours by car from the city, so there’s a palpable sense of isolation. These have always struck me as potent ingredients for a thriller."
Tickets are $16.25 and available for purchase online. Each ticket is good for both the virtual and the in-person screening, which takes place in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University (71 Hamilton Street) in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The cast includes Cassandra Due, Theodore Dalton, Maceo Oliver, Jennifer McCabe, Noah Aronstein, Laurent Rejto, Lori WIlner, and Matthew Kozlark.
The 45th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 4 - October 4, 2026. As they have been doing the last few years, the festival will be presented as a hybrid with select in-person screenings at Rutgers University and most of the films available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. The festival also be offering an Audio-Visual Concert featuring the bands Lawns and Hanging Coats as well as two FREE Filmmaking Workshops.
All the works being screened are part of the New Jersey International Film Festival were selected by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the films which will be publicly screened at the Festival. The finalists were selected from over 400 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges will choose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director. Prize winners will be announced via their social media sites after the screening on October 4, 2026.
Special Guest Appearances by Directors, Artists, and Actors: One of the best parts of the festival is being able to see and hear from the cast and crew of several films. Confirmed in-person special guest appearances include Matthew Kozlark; Felicia Ricci, Anthony Di Mieri; Martina Casas; Keshav Srinivasan, Korab Uka and many by film directors, producers, and actors to the NJFF! There will also be many virtual Filmmaker Introductions and Q+A Sessions for many of the films.
Tickets: Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered. The in-person screenings, the filmmaking workshops and the AV Concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 1:00pm, 5:00pm or 7:00pm on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$100; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program.
Tickets for all of the screenings and the complete schedule is available online.
