School of Communication and Media Presents Annual “NJ Shorts: New Visions from Montclair State University” at Montclair Film Festival May 3

The School of Communication and Media will present “NJ Shorts: New Visions from Montclair State University,” its annual student-produced short-film showcase, at the Montclair Film Festival Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m, at the Bellevue Cinema 4 Theater in Montclair.

“NJ Shorts: New Visions from Montclair State University” is comprised of 9 of the top short films created by students from Montclair State University’s BFA in Filmmaking Program since the spring 2012 semester.

“Not only are we proud of our students in the Filmmaking Program and their exceptional creations, but we are also proud to be able to partner with the Montclair Film Festival again this year,” said Merrill Brown, director of the SCM, which houses the Filmmaking BFA Program, the only one offered in New Jersey. “The Montclair community places great value in the Festival. Allowing our students the chance to have their films screened by a wider audience is a high achievement. These types of programs and partnerships are important to the School of Communication and Media and the University.”

This year’s showcase event marks the second time that the University’s short films are screened as part of the Montclair Film Festival. This eclectic collection of films runs the gamut from a “neo-silent” black comedy to two films dealing with children enduring the heartache of parental alcoholism and an endearing story about an elderly couple renewing lost love.

The following films to be screened at this year’s event:

• Mrs. Blindside – (Running time, 10:14)
  Director: Kara Rada
  Description: Mrs. Blindside is a neo-silent, black comedy about an insanely jealous woman named Helen and her descent into madness as she attempts to kill her husband’s old flame.
• Our Mechanical Future – (Running time, 4:00)
  Director:  Jenina Podulka
  Description: Our Mechanical Future is a stop-motion animated short film, set in a world where artificial/prosthetic limbs have become so advanced that they are used as a common enhancement to the human body.
• Exit – (Running time, 17:00)
  Director: Monika Kolodziej
  Description: A girl longing to free herself from the responsibilities of caring for her alcoholic father receives the chance to do so when she gets a job in Paris but, before she leaves, she needs to convince her selfish sister to take care of him.
• Poor Earl – (Running time, 10:00)
  Director: Karl Ryan Erikson
  Description: Bethany and Earl, a retired couple complacent in their monotonous relationship, get an unsuspecting boost in their love life when Earl’s car is stolen.
• Anima – (Running time, 15:00)
  Director: Michael Stabile
  Description: A neuroscientist performs a controversial experiment on a death row inmate in hopes of unlocking the secrets of the afterlife.
• Principal – (Running time, 5:00)
  Director: Jared Cardenas
  Description: Jimmy is a young boy who loves causing trouble and doesn’t fear the dreaded Principal’s office but, little does he know, he’s about to be ratted out to an even higher authority.
• Thinner Blood – (Running time, 9:00)
  Director:  Jonathan Reino
  Description: Thinner Blood is about two sisters, Olive and Ava, struggling to survive with their abusive, alcoholic mother
• Unshore – (Running time, 7:00)
  Directors: Tom Mika & Lindsay Rassmann
  Description: Unshore is an intimate portrait of Seaside, New Jersey, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
• Just a Kid – (Running time, 15:00)
  Director:  Michael Scotti
  Description: Julie, a 10-year-old filmmaker, ventures to retrieve her camera back in the wake of her brother’s breakup to remind him how close they once were and how capable she is of making him happy again, regardless of her age.

Tickets to this event are $12.50. For more information about the Montclair Film Festival and/or to purchase tickets to this event, visit here.