New Jersey Independent Film Festival

New Jersey's Newest Film Festival For the inaugural edition of the New Jersey Independent Film Festival, 51 films out of more than 600 entries from all over the globe were selected to be screened at Park Theatre. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation and government regulations, a live event was not in the cards on the foreseen dates. The New Jersey Independent Film Festival team decided to postpone this year's screenings by a year. This means we will be hosting a double edition in 2022, in which both the 2021 and 2022 official selections will be screened. The New Jersey Independent Film Festival showcases global independent films. Not only does the festival bring a diverse selection of cutting-edge films to Union City, it will also honor the city’s Hispanic population by featuring a special section featuring work by Latin American filmmakers. New Jersey Independent Film Festival is the newest member of a family of film festivals including the Venice Film Week, the Boston Short Film Festival, the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival, and many more! It's fair to say the festival is in good company. The Park Performing Arts Center is the hub of the festival. Inside the Arts Center is the newly restored Park Theater, one of the major movie theaters remaining from the early heyday of the North Jersey cultural landscape. With its vaulted ceiling, curtained stage area, and seating for up to 1400 people, this 89-year-old architectural masterpiece is the perfect venue to host a modern festival as diverse as the theater’s history. We hope to see you all in May 2022 for an exciting live double edition! PROUD PARTNER OF THE BIGGER SCREEN New Jersey Independent Film Festival is a proud partner of The Bigger Screen, an organization that aims to make film as an art form more accessible and more inclusive. We support their different programs on both sides of the screen: behind the screen, encouraging and supporting filmmakers in their quest to spread their work through grants and opportunity, as well as in front of the screen, by welcoming audiences to enjoy this art form, no matter what their social or financial status is. A short overview: CONNECTING CULTURES PROGRAM: Each year, The Bigger Screen selects ten countries and grants filmmakers from those areas the ability to submit their work free of charge to partner festivals all over the world. This opens the door of film exposure to those who may not otherwise be able to enter. As we support inclusivity and shareable films, this program exemplifies our mission. From February 2021 until February 2022 included, The Bigger Screen Connecting Cultures Program supports filmmakers based in the following countries: Burundi, Eritrea, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Myanmar and Iran. INCLUSIVE AUDIENCE PROGRAM: Our screenings are always low or even free of charge to provide opportunity for interested film goers to view up and coming, challenging, and inspiring pieces of art, encouraging students, seniors, and those in underprivileged environments to share the experience of film and cinema. We welcome film goers, regardless of income and financial status. THE TARKOVSKI GRANT: All selected filmmakers will receive The Tarkovski Grant, a film festival submission fee waiver package with an average value of about $250. This not only saves you a lot of money, but it also recognizes your work as something to watch for during the selection procedure, making a selection with another partner film festival more likely - but of course, never guaranteed. The Tarkovski Grant supports hundreds of filmmakers each year in their challenging journeys as independent filmmakers, by promoting existing films, no matter the genre, style or length.