The 30th Annual New Jersey International Film Festival

Schedule:

Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 5:00 p.m.

A Mother’s Promise - Heather Waters (Armonk, New York)
It's the Roaring Twenties. Vivian Gordon takes the stage at a raucous Manhattan speakeasy and sings a sexy, playful rendition of "Who's Sorry Now." Vivian has escaped an abusive husband and created a new life for her and her 8-year-old daughter, Benita. Their happy existence, however, is destroyed when Vivian falls prey to an insidious extortion conspiracy among crooked cops, lawyers and judges that pervades New York's Women's Court. Vivian is falsely arrested and convicted on prostitution charges and wrongfully imprisoned in a "reformatory" for two years, with only her haunting memories of the injustices that brought her there and the desperate longing for her daughter. When she is finally released, she can't get a legitimate job, so Vivian turns the tables. She starts an escort service through which she blackmails her male clients and raises money for her fight to regain custody of Benita. Despite numerous attempts, her appeals are denied. Then, when Governor Roosevelt appoints a crime commission to investigate the court system, Vivian is determined to testify, believing that setting the record straight is her best chance of reuniting with her daughter. On the eve of her testimony, she retakes the speakeasy stage and belts out a bitter, vengeful performance of the opening song that ends abruptly and leaves open the question - who is sorry now? Inspired by a true story. 2024; 13 min.

Faces of Agata - Malgorzata Kozera (Warszawa, Poland)
When she was 16, Agata heard that she would most likely bleed herself to death within 2 years. On that day she was born anew. After 20 years and over 30 face surgeries, she lives in London and works as an artist who turned her struggle with a lethal disease into art. Her disease and the pain caused by it continue to accompany her, but more and more promising treatment options are being developed. Nevertheless, the most important form therapy is her art. Her face becomes even more deformed with recurring angiomas, which is the major theme explored by the protagonist in her art. In Polish, subtitled. 2025; 73 min.

Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7:00 p.m.

Nobody Wants to Shoot A Woman - Kerry Ann Enright (New York, New York)
A mother embraces a violent crime spree as a means to survive. Nobody wants to shoot a woman, do they? This film is about a woman against all odds, marginalized by society and trying to find a way to survive in a world where motherhood, misogyny, crime, and independence meet. This film is a noir crime drama set on the streets of Brooklyn brought to life by a female writer/director, producer and with a female lead. We wanted to pay homage to the great crime films set in New York City, where the city becomes one of the characters. 2024; 92 min.

Click Here For Buy Tickets