The best of artistic and independent cinema comes to the silver screen of Scott Hall this summer, as a part of the New Jersey Film Festival's summer season. The event, which kicks off Friday, June 1, will hold over 47 film screenings and workshops; over 30 films will have their New Jersey or area premieres at this season's festival, from experimental shorts to feature-length psychological thrillers- good luck trying to find them at the AMC 18 on Rt. 1. The film's subjects run the gamut from humorous to horrific, heart-warming to hopeless, each delivering a new and original cinematic experience. Numerous artist guest-appearances have also been scheduled, for which directors and writers alike will be in attendance to introduce their films and field questions from the audience. With a different film each night, there is a lot to see, but here are a couple of the highlights:
The Classics:
These films, among others, comprise a series within the festival known as the Cinema 101 film appreciation course. This series represents the films better known to mainstream audiences (sort of) and are essential viewing for anyone who considers themselves a film buff.
Disney's sugarcoated version of Beauty And The Beast pales in comparison to Jean Cocteau's evocative realization of the timeless fairytale. The romance is richer and, like his earlier experimental works, the story opens portals to worlds of deeply rooted emotion. Thursday, 6/6
Gone To Earth: the emotionally towering Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger masterpiece about an introverted English gypsy whose best friend is a fox, and the hunting squire that vies for her affection. Thursday, 6/14
Lost Highway: David Lynch's disturbing dance of emotionally charged horror, film noir, and surrealist shock cinema. Coded in Lynch's characteristic jumbled narrative, the stories of jealous jazz musician Fred Madison and teen mechanic Peter Dayton collide and wrap themselves around the viewer's brain, pulling it apart at the seams. Lynch, of course, reassembles it…backwards and inside out. Thursday, 7/19
The Cultural Chronicles:
This summer's festival brings a series of films that examine the human condition of creating communities, identities, and even societies.
From Oscar-nominated director Mira Nair, The Namesake is a coming-of-age story about a young Indian man (Kal Penn) who tries to create an individual identity without sacrificing his cultural heritage. Friday, 6/1
Through a mix of film mediums - including animation, archival footage, and interviews - Revolution '67 examines the 1967 Newark, New Jersey riots through a series of contrapuntal interviews: the revolutionaries (one-time NJ poet laureate Amiri Baraka, one time Newark mayor Sharpe James) and those in charge who tried to uphold the law (Brendan Byrne, members of the police and National Guard). Saturday, 6/2
The Orange Chronicles - When filmmaker Damian Kolody travels back to his family's native Ukraine to cover the country's controversial 2004 Presidential election, he becomes a part the largest non-violent people's movement in history. The experience then works as a catalyst for Kolody to discover his cultural identity. Saturday, 6/16
The Cutting Edge:
The NJFF prides itself on providing a venue for experimental and independent filmmakers who often have difficulty exposing their work to an appreciative public. This summer, a variety of short subject experimental films will be shown at the festival, many receiving their New Jersey premieres.
Birthed from students of the medium and local artists alike, Jersey Fresh Media will showcase a variety of homegrown shorts. The content spectrum includes everything from an examination of the authenticity of human emotion (Works in Progress) to a story about a misanthropic monster finding a friend (Monster). Sunday, 6/24
Scorpio Rising/Lucifer Rising - Kenneth Anger has emerged from the underground as one of cinema's most revered experimental filmmakers, and these films have become two of his most celebrated pieces. Sexual symbols, light vs. dark, good vs. evil all seep their way into Anger's films, and it has never looked better. Thursday, 7/12
The Endearing:
The festival examines the softer side of cinema through intelligent films that explore humor and the human heart.
Twisted: A Balloonamentary: A heartwarming comedic documentary - narrated by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart -that examines professional balloon artists, who make everything from dogs, to 100 foot tall soccer players! Sunday, 6/3
Millions: A Lottery Story - The lives of six ordinary people are changed after they hit the big-money lottery. Filmmaker Paul LeBlanc follows their stories across the country and documents how their incredible luck has affected their lives. Friday, 6/15
All the Days Before Tomorrow - A smart romantic comedy and an impressive debut from director Francois Dompierre. Starring Alexandra Holden, All The Days… takes a nod from 2004's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, as much of its story is told through flashbacks that reveal the complicated details of a platonic/romantic relationship. Look out for Shaft himself-Richard Roundtree -as a teen angel type character in one of the dream sequences. Friday, 6/22
All Thursday screenings will be held in Loree room 024 on the Douglass Campus and will begin at 7:30 PM. Friday - Sunday screenings will be held in Scott Hall room 123 on CAC, and will begin at 7PM. For more information on the NJFF and a complete schedule of programmed films, you can visit their website at www.njfilmfest.com.
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