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Shorts Program #1: Godzilla’s Day Off, Paper Crane, 35 Days, I Exist, Pizza Man, Prison and Time, Dustsceawung & Miracle Under 34th Street – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7PM!

Saturday, May 30, 2026 @ 7:00pm



NJ International Film Festival
71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Screening at the New Jersey International Film Festival - available online for 24 hours starting at midnight with an in-person screening at 7:00pm

8 films in this package

Godzilla’s Day Off - Myra Sito Velasquez (New York, New York). Even monsters need to chillax! 2025; 3 min.



Miracle Under 34th Street - Owen Andrejco (Jersey City, New Jersey). Deep in depths under 34th Street Herald Square subway station, two meager rats spark an explosion of joy, warmth and material goodness. Miracle Under 34th Street is a hand-drawn with pencil on paper, created while I was living in Astoria, Queens. During my daily commute, I would sometimes bring my drawings to animate while on the W Train, the MTA line that plays a starring role in this short animation.2025; 2 min.



Paper Crane – Michael Amter (Somerset, New Jersey). A humble effort to honor Sadako Sasaki for the 80th anniversary of the historic events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki forever changing the world. Profoundly moved by her tremendous story. The creation of 1000 paper cranes to obtain a special wish, an attempt to save one’s life. An extraordinary display of grace, courage, dignity, and creativity in human history. This experimental animation is intended to be childlike as a reflection of Sadako Sasaki’s youth - as well as short in duration to contemplate this brief life. A memorial study inspired by the devotion to the traditional origami art form. 2025; 3 min.



Prison and Time – Evan Bode (Syracuse, New York). Filmmaker Evan Bode animates excerpts of an essay by writer & activist Marvin Wade, who speaks personally about his 25 years of incarceration—and the growth he achieved in spite of, not because of, the inhumane prison system around him. This collaboration was produced by Project Mend, an organization in Central New York which celebrates the lives and creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people as well as other individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. 2025; 7 min.



35 Days – Heidi Kumao (Ann Arbor, Michigan). 35 Days is an experimental, stop motion animation about what happens when a coalition of strangers answers the call to locate a missing cat during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Created frame-by-frame using fabric cutouts and thread. 2025; 7 min.



I Exist – Martin Del Carpio (New York, New York). Jordan wakes up in a hospital after another night full of decadence and finds himself facing two very mysterious strangers who are not what they appear to be. Will it be too late for him? An existential horror film. 2025; 15 min.



Pizza Man – Sebastian Hunt (New York, New York). Overwhelmed by the evil forces of apathy and ennui, a struggling cartoonist is visited by his first (and greatest) creation: The Phenomenal Pizza Man. 2025; 16 min.



Dustsceawung – Matues Luna (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). A frustrated and heartbroken writer discovers that his robot vacuum shredded his rejected book into his own poetry, dedicated to the house’s Alexa. Fascinated, the man feeds the new author with the classics, but claims the work as his own, sparking a surreal clash between authorship, love, and cleaning. In Portuguese, subtitled. 2025; 21 min.




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EVENT PREVIEWS

(RED BANK, NJ) -- The 2026 Count Basie Center Breakthrough Filmmaker Fest, the annual competition celebrating New Jersey's emerging crop of young filmmakers, takes place Saturday, April 25th on the Count Basie Center campus (99 Monmouth Street) in Red Bank.
Puffin Cultural Forum and Teaneck International Film Festival present "Horsegirls" as part of the 18th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival

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(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with the ReelAbilities Film Festival—the largest film festival in the world dedicated to films by and about people with disabilities. This marks the first time TIFF will serve as an official New Jersey host site for ReelAbilities, further advancing its commitment to inclusive storytelling and diverse voices.
Learn the Perils of Plastic Pollution During Documentary Screening of "We

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(SURF CITY, NJ) – The Long Beach Island Branch of the Ocean County Library will host a screening of the documentary film We're All Plastic People Now on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 2:00pm. The film investigates the hidden story of plastic and its effects on human health.
New Jersey

New Jersey's Premier Film Expo Returns to East Rutherford April 30th

(EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ) -- On Thursday, April 30, 2026, the Screen Alliance of New Jersey (SANJ) will host its second NJ Film Expo at Meadowlands Arena in Rutherford. Building on the strong success of its inaugural year, the expo returns on an even larger scale with several panels, hundreds of vendors, live music and food trucks to showcase New Jersey's expanding role in film and television.
Lighthouse International Film Society presents Ten Films That Shaped American Comedy

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(LOVELADIES, NJ) -- What role does film play in shaping a nation's sense of humor? How have films like Some Like it Hot, Blazing Saddles and Bridesmaids left a lasting impression on American society?
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(TRENTON, NJ) -- The Trenton Film Society presents a Regional Documentary Film Festival on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Mill Hill Playhouse. Screenings are scheduled at 6:30pm on Friday and noon, 3:00pm, and 6:00pm on Saturday, followed by a reception and awards ceremony.
Trenton Filmmaker Phillip McConnell to Premiere New Short Film "Tell Me Where We Stand"

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(HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- Independent filmmaker Phillip McConnell will premiere his new short film, Tell Me Where We Stand, at Mill One on Sunday, May 31, 2026, bringing together local artists, performers, and members of the community for an evening celebrating independent film and storytelling.
2026 New Jersey International Film Festival to Take Place from May 29th to June 7th

2026 New Jersey International Film Festival to Take Place from May 29th to June 7th

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, in association with the Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies, presents the 2026 New Jersey International Film Festival which marks their 31st Anniversary. The NJIFF competition will be taking place on the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between May 29 - June 7, 2026 and will be a hybrid one as they will be presenting it online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University.
Emmy-nominated, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor/director Jason Alexander to Lead Acting Masterclass on Long Beach Island

Emmy-nominated, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor/director Jason Alexander to Lead Acting Masterclass on Long Beach Island

(LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ) -- The Lighthouse International Film Festival (LIFF) presents a rare five-day acting masterclass led by acclaimed actor and director Jason Alexander, taking place June 7–11, 2026 on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, just prior to the opening of the Festival's 18th edition, which runs June 10–14.

 

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