New Jersey Film Festival to be streamed this year

Just like that had to do in the fall, the New Jersey Film Festivals’ spring edition will be virtual, with all the movies available via streaming. The festival, which is a production of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center and the Rutgers University Program In Cinema, was originally to be held on various locations on the Rutgers campus but because of the pandemic had to be moved online, with films being streamed on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The first film will be available on Jan. 30; it’s called The WBGO Story … Bright Moments from Newark to the World. It will tell how this small radio station owned by the Newark Board of Education was turned into a powerful cultural force heard throughout the northern Jersey/New York City region that now reaches millions of Jazz listeners around the world. Another New Jersey-centric film, The Heart of Camden, will be shown on Feb. 13. It is described by the festival: As a young priest, Father Michael J. Doyle came to the U.S. from rural Ireland in 1959, bringing with him a joyful disposition, a fervent Catholic faith and an unwavering determination to help his congregation and community. These traits were put to the test in Camden, where he found himself confronted with urban decay and despair.

Along with those documentaries, there will be shorts, animated films, experimental films, and the Super 8 and Video Festival. The complete lineup can be found here. That is also where you can buy tickets, which are $12 per film and are available for 24 hours after purchase.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.