An annual Bergen County event, The Bergen International Film Festival of NJ showcases top independent films from filmmakers, as well as new talent. The diverse array of films, selected by a committee, includes features and shorts from all genres, as well as documentaries and screenplays. The festival is hosted in Bergenfield, New Jersey at Bergenfield Cinemas at 58 S Washington Ave, Bergenfield, NJ 07621. This year’s event is today, July 21st, from noon until 11 pm.
You can purchase $12 tickets for one screening block, or get an all day access pass for $30. The award ceremony are at 9:45 pm is an additional $6. Tickets can be purchased here: https://biffnj.ticketleap.com/biff2022/
After each screening block, there will be a Q&A with the filmmakers. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking with other filmmakers, actors, and attendees. The awards ceremony follows the last block of films. Categories include Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Audience Choice.
The following is the schedule for the screening blocks:
JULY 21, 2022 Theater A - Bergenfield Cinemas. 58 S Washington Ave. Bergenfield, NJ Theater B - Tommy Fox's (downstairs screening room). 32 S Washington Ave. Bergenfield, NJ 12-1:55pm BLOCK 1A ROCK PAPER SCISSORS (feature) Sam and Missy Wagner have reached a crossroads in their mundane, suburban relationship. One night of horrific events lead them down a path of fear, retribution, and renewal. Directed by Doug Bollinger 1:55-3:30pm BLOCK 2A TALES FROM THE NARROW BRIDGE THE WYRMWOOD DEVIL (feature) A group of friends journey into the woods to find the legendary Wyrmwood Devil in this horror anthology featuring eight terrifying tales. Directed by Joey Mosca, Sami Saad, Jayleen Perez, Jenna Kildosher, Sam Platizky, Isaac Platizky, and Billy Farley
3:30-5pm BLOCK 3A CARICATURE CARL An abrasive caricature artist's world is upended when an abstract artist starts working in his park. Directed by Ross Stern AND SO I BEGIN. A semi-animated short film portraying three artists living next door to each other, yet decades apart, at a glance: a painter in the early 1900s, a writer in the 1940s and a modern ballerina. Separated by walls and time, their connections unfold. directed by Margarethe Baillou
FOLLOW THE CROW Sometimes our worst nightmares become a reality. This film will keep you in suspense and take you to some dark places you won't think to visit. Follow the Crow was written and produced by Ariela Rozentul when she was 12 years old. Directed by Arta Kallaba and Jessika Quintana DRIVING HER AWAY A teenage girl is ready to learn how to drive, but her mother isn't ready for her to grow up. Directed by Maddy Freeman THE MAGICIAN Eric, 17, is an aspiring magician against his parent's discretion. One day while rummaging through old belongings for a neighborhood garage sale, he finds an unfamiliar face in an old photograph sitting next to his mother's grandfather. Directed by Brielle S. Carroll 5-6:30pm BLOCK 4A BLINK Follows a Chinese American college student named Steven who finds himself standing up for what he believes in while going through 2020 with his father. Steven illustrates the physical and mental toll that the events of 2020 had on many people within the Asian American community. Directed by Raymond Tisch
THE FRESH START A drama about a man who was walked over his entire life, but gets his past washed away in Purgatory…only to have his fresh start get taken away at the last moment. directed by Robert Sartori ASSISTED SUICIDE Kristen’s suicide is hindered when her friend Nancy decides to help her. Directed by Herb Cremer and Joe Cremer FORGOTTEN A young man's long-lost sister returns, bringing with her a lifetime of forgotten memories. Directed by Herb Cremer and Joe Cremer HARVEST TIME Don Most and Anson Williams' first scripted program that they’ve appeared in together since playing legendary best friends Ralph and Potsie on HAPPY DAYS. This time they play brothers in the dramatic comedy Harvest Time. Directed by Anson Williams 6:30-8pm BLOCK 5A MINUTE FILMS ERIN HILL: ELEANOR RIGBY Rock 'n' roll harpist & singer Erin Hill reimagines The Beatles' masterpiece. Directed by Erin Hill
A FEAST THAT NEVER COMES Four characters inhabit cycles within cycles of contentment, discontentment, inertia, movement, desire, and betrayal. Directed by Maria Juranic CONGRATULATIONS Matt visits his ex-girlfriend and estranged father before making a big life decision. Directed by Joey Mosca UNDER ATTACK A Detective's interrogation of teenagers leads to the painful truth about a girl they all bullied. Directed by Joshua Nelson 8-9:30pm BLOCK 6A LOVE SUCK Billy seeks help from a fortune teller about his love life. With the prospect that tonight is the night he finds the one, he might have found the last girl he will ever have to meet. Directed by Larry Rosen I DON'T KNOW JOE Joe is searching for answers to his problems. But will he listen? Directed by Joe Fernandes REWIRED When a middle aged man undergoes a vasectomy, he is caught off guard by the doctor's awkward procedures. Directed by John Kerner INCURABLE Trina wants to tell the man she loves about the invisible illness she hides, but when her imagination gets the best of her, it leads her on a rollercoaster ride of rejection and the worst possible outcomes. Directed by Michelle Bossy THE WEST VIRGINIAN STARFISH After the mysterious exit of her father, Carly is stuck with his old mission- picking up defeated thru-hikers from The Appalachian Trail. One hiker's companionship over the course of a night, however, will set Carly on a new path forever. Directed by Katherine Davidson and Hyten Davidson EBB AND FLO A young woman's relationship begins to deteriorate as she struggles with an unknown disability that prevents her from understanding the concept of time. Directed by Grace Soriano MIRACLE BABY A psychological thriller about a congressman’s wife who discovers that her husband has been cheating on her. The film follows her glorious and chilling revenge as she reveals herself as the true power-partner. Directed by MICHELLE BOSSY 9:45pm Awards Ceremony 12-2pm BLOCK 1B HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FILMS 2-3:30pm BLOCK 2B FAIR PLAY (documentary) Fair Play takes a deep look at domestic inequity, making visible the invisible care work historically held by women. The film inspires a more balanced and equitable future. Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom Executive Produced by Reese Witherspoon
3:30-5pm BLOCK 3B FELICIA AND MUSA (documentary) Follows Felicia as she goes to the local traditional market to buy food for her family, and of Musa, who sells her his produce. This simple interaction--one that happens countless times a day around the world--is made dramatic in the face of unsafe food, food contaminated with viruses, bacteria, and other microbial pathogens. Directed by Karolina Jasinska de Benavides VITRIOL (documentary) A short documentary exploring vehement social media interactions from both sides of the political spectrum. Directed by Mark Clauburg JUST A BROADWAY BABY: MARY ELLEN ASHLEY (documentary) The career and life of Mary Ellen Ashley who made her Broadway debut in 1943 in The Innocent Voyage (as Mary Ellen Glass) and went on to do the entire run of the original Broadway Production of Annie Get Your Gun with Ethel Merman. Her career has spanned 80 years. Directed by Patrick A Riviere 5-6:45pm BLOCK 4B DO NOT HESITATE (feature) (Netherlands) After the sudden disappearance of their superior, three young soldiers are left to guard a military vehicle by themselves. As their situation renders them disconnected from reality, an encounter with a local boy escalates into a life changing fight. Directed by Shariff Korver
6:45-8:30pm BLOCK 5B
THE UGLY TRUTH (feature) (Germany)
Mona, her husband Theo and daughter Hanna live in an idyllic villa on the outskirts of Berlin. When the attractive 18 years old daughter of a friend comes to visit, the profound problems and fragility of the small family reveal, as a tragic downward spiral takes its inevitable course.
Directed by Krishna Ashu Bhati
UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAYS
Amy and Angel (written by Deedee Benkovich & Julia Verdin)
Paperplate Face (written by Chad Trudgeon)
The Hobgoblin's Gennel - A Feature Film (written by James Fitzmaurice)
The Pyramid (written by Frank Buttafarro)
Zenny's Picasso (written by Kenneth D. Kozlowski)
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