Your Lips Never Left Mine is a modern mystery/thriller, with traces of neo-noir, and features many of the nuances of classic horror films. Making his feature directorial debut, Matthew Kozlark, delivers an exhilarating story with lots of twists and turns that is sure to leave the viewer on the edge of their seat, anticipating what will happen or be revealed next.
A troubled child, Connor, and his parents hire a tutor for the summer to help him improve his knowledge and grades, and when the new tutor, Lara, arrives at the family’s summer lake house, she very quickly discovers that something is not right. The dark, intricate, romanticized history of a former tutor is revealed, and slowly unravels into something even more sinister.
Multiple infidelities, murder, and mistaken identity is just scratching the surface of the plot of Your Lips Never Left Mine. A wife, happier with her past rather than her present life, a husband, increasingly more suspicious of his wife, a son, still lingering on the highs and legacy of his former tutor, and the path that the new tutor is forced to navigate, no matter what the consequences may end up being for her.
A great person is able to leave their mark on others, sometimes very deep and their memory lasts a long time. It could be their charm, their intelligence, or even the love that they give. Usually, they leave different impressions on different people. It could be from a poem, a gift, or even a life lesson. Your Lips Never Left Mine shows us that things are not always as good as they seem, even if you believe it to be real and true. You never know what lies right below the surface.
Matthew Kozlark, along with long-time film collaborator Felicia Ricci, worked through their company, 4 of Clubs Productions to create their first feature length film. The duo have a long history, beginning with sharing a dorm in Yale, of making short-form content as well as various other multimedia collaborations. Kozlark wrote and directed the film, while Ricci produced and did sound design for the film. Keeping the circle close, they went with Felicia’s brother, Marcus, to do the beautiful cinematography for the film.
After seeing Cassandra Ana Maria’s demo reel on iMDB, Felicia sent a cold email to her to see if she would be interested in being in the film. Cassandra, being the professional actor she is, quickly said yes and the team began production on the film. Featuring Maceo Oliver and Jennifer McCabe as the parents, and Theodore Dalton as young Connor, the dysfunctional family dynamics are apparent from the beginning of the film, and only grow in intensity from the trio.
The New Jersey Film Festival is excited and privileged to open this year’s festival with Your Lips Never Left Mine. Be sure to grab your tickets early because this is one of many films you won’t want to miss!
Your Lips Never Left screens on opening night of the New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, September 4, 2026 – – Online for 24 Hours on this date and In-Person at 7PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901! Your Lips Never Left director/writer Matthew Kozlark, along with editor/producer Felicia Ricci and lots of other cast and crew will be at the in-person screening to do a Q+A with the audience! Get more info and buy tickets here.
The 45th Bi-annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 4-October 4, 2026. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered. We will also be offering an Audio-Visual Concert featuring Hanging Coats and Lawns as well as two FREE Filmmaking Workshops! 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 1PM, 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$100; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. The Filmmaking Workshops are FREE and open to the public but have limited seating and require advance registration. To register email us at [email protected]
For more info on the Film festival go here: https://newjerseyfilmfestivalfall2026.eventive.org/welcome
There are multiple performances including:
Thursday, Oct 15, 2026
@ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
New Brunswick, NJ
Thursday, Oct 15, 2026
@ 6:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
Thursday, Oct 15, 2026
@ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
New Brunswick, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Friday, Oct 16, 2026
@ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
The original Broadway sensation returns to STNJ! Celebrating 20 years—Jersey style!
Sunday, Oct 18, 2026
@ 6:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
