FilmNOW Festival

Join us for this free screening to celebrate the short films of budding screenwriters, directors, producers, and editors from all over the region. FilmNOW is a regional high school film festival that gives students the chance to showcase their work and have it juried by film industry professionals. The FilmNOW program is underwritten by a grant from the Vesta Fund.

Followed by an awards ceremony and a Q&A discussion with the winning filmmakers. Free Event.

2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

NARRATIVE

The Rain Song
Justin Marinelli - Howell High School (NJ) - 8 min
Three people's lives, a man who is allergic to rain, the love of his life, and an alcoholic psychiatrist, weave together and impact each other in life-changing ways.

Fresh Kills
Caleb Sambucci - East Brunswick Magnet School - School of the Arts (NJ) - 7 min 8 sec
Three young teens discover something that will change their lives forever.

At Odds
Anthony Truncale - The Pingry School (NJ) - 2 min 33 sec
A high school student struggles with negative thoughts as he copes with the stress of life and school.

EXPERIMENTAL

Dear Samaira
Foster Barone - Philadelphia High School for Creative & Performing Arts (PA) - 5 min 58 sec
A personal film about leaving to go away to college told through letters to a friend.

Tunnel Lights
Nicholas Giordano - Pascack Valley High School (NJ) - 2 min 1 sec
A silent film about the feeling of escaping your shell and discovering what the world can offer you. TUNNEL LIGHTS follows a person who controls the lights in a tunnel and finally decides to escape and find the feeling of freedom.

Obtrude
Euridice Sagastume - East Brunswick Magnet School - School of the Arts (NJ) - 1 min 31 sec
Consuming obsession expressed through the act of self-mutilation.

DOCUMENTARY

Lafayette & Noble Josias Ortiz - East Brunswick Magnet School - School of the Arts (NJ) - 9 min 1 sec Documentary about the struggles of raising a family / growing up during the 70s - 90s in the Bronx, NY.

My Joy Has Arrived
Malcolm Smallwood, Briyel Brown - Winslow Township High School (NJ) - 7 min 10 sec
This documentary is about a Nigerian boy (Ayomide Ogunsola), finding joy through basketball despite the many hardships and pain that came with moving to the United States.

Subjective Worlds
Euridice Sagastume - East Brunswick Magnet School - School of the Arts (NJ) - 3 min 39 sec
The reality of immigration and the struggles Guatemala faces.

ANIMATION

A Tale of Two Idiots
Louis Turco - East Brunswick Magnet School - School of the Arts (NJ) - 6 min 21 sec
In the town of Mationsville, a rivalry between two students goes to new extremes.

I Built a Paper House
Max Benner - Bayard Rustin High School (PA) - 4 min 38 sec
Eli, a junior struggling with balancing school and his dream to be an artist, consistently abandons his schooling. This all comes to an end when Eli finds his school work has constructed a magical paper house.

Tellurium vs. Gold
Josias Ortiz - East Brunswick Magnet School - School of the Arts (NJ) - 2 min 37 sec
Gold tries to take over Periodic City, while the element Tellurium is tasked with stopping him.

Director Various

Country USA

Language English