New Jersey International Film Festival Summer 2016 Announces Lineup

The lineup for the New Jersey International Film Festival Summer 2016 has been announced. Showcasing new international films, American independent features, animation, experimental and short subjects, and cutting-edge documentaries, the festival will feature 21 film screenings and run on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday evenings between June 4-18, 2016.

Twenty-one films will have their New Jersey or Area Premiere screenings as part of the New Jersey International Film Festival Summer 2016. Some of these include: Jeff Barry’s Occupy, Texas -- a timely feature film about life after a failed ‘revolution’; Jeff Tan’s emotional short Mother’s Day which stars Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo; Robert McKeon’s Wifey Redux -- a dark comedy based on a story by acclaimed Irish author Kevin Barry; Chris Brown’s unique and moving film The Other Kids which is a hybrid mix of documentary and fiction; Elvie Mae Parian's Chilltown, USA -- an illuminating feature-length documentary highlights the thriving music scene in Jersey City; Chris Gero’s Nathan East: For The Record -- a great music documentary on one of the most influential bass players working today; Augusta Palmer’s wonderful animated film A is for Aye-Aye: An Abecedarian Adventure; Bulent Gunduz’s Kurdistan-Kurdistan -- a sensitive feature film about the tension between tradition and modernity, and the difficulty of returning home; Javier Chillon’s beautifully shot and suspenseful futuristic tale They Will All Die in Space; M. Woods’s surreal experimental film Post-Panoptic Gazing; Pat Murphy’s documentary Psychedelia thoughtfully chronicles the use of mind-altering drugs; Alvaro Congosto’s The Suitor -- a thrilling romance set during the night that Orson Welles broadcast The War of the Worlds; Joe Garrity’s lovely and surreal Twinsburg; Daniel Maldonado’s feature film H.O.M.E. -- a meditation on urban communication, alienation, and serendipitous encounters told through the lens of a disconnected city in constant motion; and many others.

All of the competition films selected were screened by a panel of judges including media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. These judges selected the 21 finalists which will be publicly screened at our Festival. These finalists were selected from over 366 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. In addition, the judges chose the Prize Winners in conjunction with the Festival Director. Prize winners will be announced after the screenings on Saturday, June 18.

Over fifteen special guest appearances by film directors, artists, actors, and scholars to the 2016 New Jersey International Film Festival have been confirmed. All visiting directors will introduce their work and do a Question and Answer session after the screenings. Additional guests will be announced in the future.

The New Jersey International Film Festival Summer 2016 is presented by the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, in association with the Rutgers University Program In Cinema Studies, Jungle Software, Johnson & Johnson, Footage Firm, New Brunswick City Market, and Jimmy Johns.

Free Food will be served at the 2016 New Jersey International Film Festival prior to all the competition screenings courtesy of Jimmy John's of New Brunswick and Gourmet Corn and Confections. Free Parking in University lots near the screening space. Our new primary screening location Voorhees Hall #105 features comfortable, cushioned seats, stadium seating, and hi-definition projection and sound systems.

The New Jersey International Film Festival Summer 2016 is funded and sponsored in part by The Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center; The Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies/School of Arts and Sciences; Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission/Board of Chosen Freeholders and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; The Rutgers University Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs (GAIA Centers); The Rutgers University Office of Academic Engagement and Programming; Confucius Institute of Rutgers University; The Rutgers Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs; Johnson & Johnson; Capitol Corn & Confections; Jungle Software; Jimmy Johns of New Brunswick; WCTC/WMGQ; WRSU; The Home News Tribune; New Brunswick City Market; The Rutgers University Office of Community Affairs; The Rutgers University Digital Classroom Services Office; Design Ideas; Advanced Printing; Steven C. Schechter, Esq.; Share and Harris.

More info is available at www.njfilmfest.com or by calling 848-932-8482!