Asbury Park, NJ - The Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) concluded its enchanting 22nd annual event, held from March 21 to March 24, 2024, across the vibrant locales of Asbury Park and Cranford, New Jersey. Amidst a backdrop of creativity, camaraderie, and cinematic excellence, filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences came together for an unforgettable celebration of storytelling.

Spanning four days, the Garden State Film Festival captivated attendees with a diverse lineup of films, panels, workshops, and special events. From captivating narratives to thought-provoking documentaries, the festival showcased a wide range of cinematic talent from across the globe.

"We are thrilled to have hosted another successful edition of the Garden State Film Festival," says Lauren Concar, Executive Director of the GSFF. "This year's event was truly magical, filled with inspiring films, engaging discussions, and memorable moments. We are incredibly grateful to all the filmmakers, sponsors, volunteers, and attendees who made it possible."

Highlights of the 22nd annual Garden State Film Festival included:

- Opening Night Gala: The festival kicked off in style with a glamorous opening night gala, featuring red carpet arrivals, live interviews, and a screening of the eagerly anticipated premiere of “The Martini Shot”, winner of Best International Narrative Feature starring Matthew Modine, John Cleese, Fiona Glascott, Derek Jacobi and Stuart Townsend.  Filmmaker Talk Back followed the screening with an after party to top it all off!

- Film Screenings: Attendees were treated to an eclectic selection of films, ranging from heartwarming dramas to edge-of-your-seat thrillers and horrors. With screenings held at various venues in Asbury Park and Cranford, there was something for every cinephile to enjoy.  One of the highlights include "Don Q", directed by Claudio Bellante starring cast members Armande Assante (Best Actor in a Feature), Federico Castelluccio, Vincent Pastore, Saundra Santiago (Best Supporting Actress in a Feature) and more.

- Panels and Workshops: Industry professionals shared their insights and expertise during a series of informative panels and workshops, covering topics such as Screenwriting, Production, Location Scouting and the benefits of the NJ Film Tax Credit.

- Special Events: The festival featured special events, including filmmaker Q&A sessions, networking mixers, and awards ceremony, providing opportunities for attendees to connect with fellow filmmakers and industry insiders. Be sure to watch all of the podcasts from the Festival with AMC reality series Comic Book Men & owner of A Shared Universe PodcaSTudio, Ming Chen.

- Closing Night Celebration: The Garden State Film Festival concluded with a spectacular closing night celebration, where attendees gathered to toast to another successful year of independent cinema.

Asbury Park and Cranford provided the perfect backdrop for the Garden State Film Festival, with their rich cultural heritage, scenic beauty, and vibrant arts scenes adding to the festival's charm and allure.

The Garden State Film Festival extends its heartfelt gratitude to its sponsors, partners, volunteers, and attendees for their unwavering support. Plans are already underway for the 23rd annual event, promising another magical celebration of cinema in 2025 running March 27 - 30. Submissions open May 1st via Filmfreeway.

Lauren Concar, Garden State Film Festival Executive Director, said, “Each year our attendees and fans love exploring the numerous shops, restaurants, and other locations all over the city by the sea in Asbury Park and in downtown Cranford.  Union and Monmouth County are always a fun time, with so much to do, and so many places to go with family and friends, adding the Garden State Film Festival is a busy and beneficial time of year for restaurants, businesses, hotels, and more. We are very proud to provide arts education as well as being a catalyst on economic development.”

For more information about the Garden State Film Festival, including highlights from this year's event and updates on future editions, please visit www.gsff.org.

Founded in 2002, the Garden State Film Festival is New Jersey's premier independent film festival, dedicated to showcasing the best in independent cinema from around the world. Each year, the festival attracts filmmakers, industry professionals, and film enthusiasts to New Jersey for a vibrant celebration of storytelling and creativity.

2024 PROGRAM BOOK

The Garden State Film Festival
Honorees

Honorary Chair
Janice Kovach
Exceptional Women in Film
Carla Raij
 
Educator of the Year
David Diianni
 
MVP
Tom Zapcic
 
Rising Star
Sophia Lucia Parola
   
The Garden State Film Festival
2024 Winners
     
Narrative Feature
“I Think I'm Sick”
Jonathan Applebaum, Andrew Bilindabagabo, Carley Bilindabagabo,
Tyler Wells, Matti Haapoja - Producers
Danny Gevirtz - Director
 
International Narrative Feature
“The Martini Shot”
Susan Ilott - Producer
Stephen Wallis - Director
 
Narrative Feature Horror
“A Town Called Purgatory”
Ken Arnold,Dan De Luca - Producers
Matt Servitto - Director
 
Narrative Feature Thriller
“The Nanny”
Morgan A. MacDouglas, Kimberly Connolly - Producers
Brian Reynolds - Director
 
Narrative Feature Horror International
“HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING
SUICIDAL PERSON”
Line Sander Egede - Producers
Ariane Louis-Seize - Director
 
M. Carroll Raver Award for Cinematography
“Karma Is A Hitch”
Ben Blaskovic, Claude Koenig - Producers
Oliver Kahl - Director
 
Live Action Short Film
“The Fuse”
Youmi Haefelin-Roch - Producer
Kevin Haefelin - Director
 
Short Horror/Thriller
“CHOMP”
Suki-Rose, Cricket Arrison - Director
Michael Scott, Josh Ascalon, Steve Smith, Meg Murnane - Producer
 
Science Fiction Short International
(Russian Federation)
“Future Ads”
Nikolay Renard - Director
Churilin Maxim - Producer
 
Lou Costello Award for Comedy Short
“Skunk Bite”
Mickel Cannon - Producer
Kelly Quinn, Grace Pomilla - Director
   
Narrative Short International
(Turkey)
“Game, Interrupted”
Fehmi Ozturk, Nefes Polat, Tolga Karacelik - Producers
Ilayda Iseri - Director
 
International Comedy Short
(Netherlands)
“LOS”
Ferdi Çelik - Producer
Karlijn Koel - Director

Emanuel “Manny” Berlingo Award for Best Feature Length Documentary
“Journey to the UFC: Joe Pyfer”
Alex Davis, Chandler Henry - Producers
Chandler Henry - Director
 
“American Royalty”
John Daniel Fisher, Stephen Andrew Fisher, Jay Pitts - Producers
John Daniel Fisher, Stephen Andrew Fisher - Directors

Trailer
“The Neglia Nexus: A Story About the Birth of MMA
Peter Normandia - Director
 
International Feature Documentary
“The Film - Make - Her, The Lisa Azuelos Story”
David Serero - Director/Producer
 
Documentary Short Film
“Translators”
Rudy Valdez - Director
Andrea Cordoba, Megan Schale - Producer
   
International Short Documentary
(Turkey)
“The Syrian Cosmonaut”
Enis Ozkul - Producer
Charles Emir Richards – Director
   
Animation Short
“a tree once grew here”
Dara Semerad - Producer
Johnnie Semerad - Director
 
Animation Short - College
“Lost and Found“
Adin Brian Duncan – Director
 
Drama Short - High School
“The Last Liftoff”
(Oaks Christian High School in California)
Collin Nelson - Director
 
 Comedy Short - High School
“Late Night Edit”
(Huntsville High School)
Kyle M. Wegler - Director
 
International Short - High School
“Supernova”
(Emerging Limerick Filmmakers)
Niamh Collins - Director
 
International Web Series/New Media
(Russian Federation)
“About People and About War”
Dmitrij Pasichnyuk, Anna Chizhova - Producers
Andrej Krasavin - Director
 
Narrative Short Documentary – College
“The Beatles And Beyond: A Lasting Legacy”
Mimi Freund - Producer
Clara McCourt - Director
 
Narrative Short - College/Graduate School
“Slobopoly”
Jennifer Baker, Kaan Berkant - Producers
Yinghui Li - Director
  International Animation Short - High School
(Taiwan)
“1 2 3 Red Light, Green Light”
Liangyu Chen - Director/Producer
   
Voices of Neurodiversity in Cinema
“How to Survive Film Class”
Jackson Conroy - Director
 
Music Video
“The Ballad Of Jim Cramer”
Philip Curcuru - Director/Producer
 
TV Pilot
“East”
Jolie Curtsinger, Dana Marisa Schoenfeld - Producers
Dana Marisa Schoenfeld – Director

Broader Vision Award
“Be Not Afraid”
Chris Carden - Director/Producer
 
The Garden State Film Festival would like to recognize films shot in the State of New Jersey  with the following winners in the
“Home Grown Award” categories:
 
Home Grown Feature
“Jersey Bred”
Greg Russo - Director/Producer
 
Home Grown Documentary Feature
“Toothache: The Painful Truth”
Dr. Nicole McGrath - Barnes, Dr. Michal Herman, Andrea Wiley - Producers
Dr. Nicole McGrath - Barnes - Director
 
Home Grown Short
“The Handyman”
Adam Worth - Director
       
Home Grown Short Horror
“Hide Your Crazy”
Irina Slepneva – Producer
Austin Kase - Director
Home Grown Animation Short
“Phoenix”
Kevin Miller, Matthew Santonocito - Producers
Shannon Miller - Director
 
Home Grown Documentary Short
“Truth to Transformation”
Christine Norbut Beyer, Benita Miller - Producers
Cheryl Miller Houser - Director

“This is Why We Train - The Sea Girt Beach Patrol”
Sean Bell, Kevin R. Nulty - Producers
Kevin R.Nulty - Director
 
Home Grown Student Short College
“Portrait of Two Steelers Fans”
Alexander Pasquale- Directorsteeler
“nothing, except everything.”
Wesley Wang – Director
Scott Aharoni - Producer
 
Home Grown PSA
“Monmouth County Celebrates America's 250th Anniversary”
Adam Worth - Director
Chrstine Giordano Hanlon, Ted Maturo  - Producers
 
Home Grown Music Video
“Honey”
Brian Brodeur - Producer/Director
 
Home Grown Student Short Documentary - College
“Life on the Edge - Exploring New Jersey's Coastal Ecosystems”
Oscar Schofield-Producer
Angela Catt, Micah Seidel, Natalie Radu-Directors
     
Home Grown PSA - High School
“Sexual Harassment PSA”
(Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology)
Luisa Santos - Director
 
Home Grown Drama - High School
“Train Wreck”
(Middletown High School South)
Luke Roberts - Director
 
Home Grown Narrative - High School
“Panic”
(Middletown High School South)
Maura Catherine Collins, Mia Dimitry - Directors
 
Home Grown Short - High School
Sponsored by UArts
“Watch Your Back”
(River Dell Regional High School)
Ashley Chang - Director
 
Home Grown Animation - High School
Sponsored by UArts
“Tellurium vs Gold”
(East Brunswick Magnet High School)
Josias Ortiz - Director
 
New Jersey Hometown Documentary Short - High School
Sponsored by NJSBA
 Winner: “The Challenge”
 (Franklin High School)
Aryan Patel - Director
 
1st Runner Up: “Generations of Homemade Happiness”
(Westwood Regional High School)
Emma Lagatol - Director

The Garden State Film Festival Movie Music Competition Winners
Best Pop Song
Ballad of Jim Cramer
Composer: Philip Curcuru
Performed by: The Atomik Age Project
 
Best Song from a Short Film
Millie’s Carefree Day
Composer: Kevin Stahl & Spencer Camacho
Produced by: Kevin Stahl

Best Student Orchestral Score
Prey
Composer: Yi-Fan Chen

Best Song in a Short Drama
Mercy
Composers: Michael Gladstone & Rob Smith
Performed by: Junkyardfieldtrip
 
Best Score from an International Film
Force of Nature
Composer: Fadi Khoury
Performed by: Fadi Khoury, Cello Pierce Constanti
 
Best Score from a Feature Thriller
Mastermind
Composer: Jeff Tinsley
Performed by: Budapest Scoring Orchestra
 
Best Score from a Short Documentary
Messages To Self
Composer: Jarrod J. Radnich
Performed by: Jarrod J. Radnich
 
Feature Screenplay Winner
The Dude Is Legit!
Written by Dan Clemens and Laurie Clemens - Maier
 
Short Screenplay Winner
BTB
Written by Colin Hickey
 
Teleplay Screenplay Winner
Flawless: A Feminist Fairytale
Written by Deborah Rayne, Catherine Eaton
 
The Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) is proud to announce the winners for its acting awards.
 
Garden State Film Festival Acting Awards
Best Actor in a Feature
Armand Assante
“Don Q”
 
Best Actress in a Feature
Tia Tardy
“I Think I’m Sick”

Best Supporting Actor in a Feature
Ed Begley Jr.
“Don’t Tell Larry”
   
Best Supporting Actress in a Feature
Saundra Santiago
“Don Q”
 
Best Ensemble in a Feature
Connor Russell, TIa Tardy, Wes Brooks,
Paul Arthaud, Richard Alexander, Drew Moore
“I Think I’m Sick”
Best Actor in a Short
Jorge Gabino
“The Fuse”
Best Actress in a Short
Lisa Edelstein
“SWIPE NYC”
 
Best Supporting Actor in a Short
Justin Marcel McManus
“SWIPE NYC”
 
Best Supporting Actress in a Short
Stephanie Weppler
“EAST”
Best Ensemble in a Short
Sebastian Gerold, Christina Hecke, Rony Herman, Paulina Rümmelein,
François Goeske, Clea Eden, Arne Kübler
“Karma is a Hitch”
 
Honorable Mention
“Step Into The Highway”
Frank Agosta - Director
Frank Agosta, Joseph Lanza - Producers