The Museum is pleased to host a new series of screenings of Black Maria Film Festival award-winning films, presented by Festival director Jane Steuerwald.

This year’s series kicks off on Wednesday, Mar. 13, at 7 pm,  featuring a few selections from Black Maria 2019 collection of short documentaries in the theme of Women’s “Herstory” Month, featuring an archeologist, a clown, a daughter, and a feminist art critic. Filmmaker Emily Collins (Chula) will be our special guest.

Mark your calendars for upcoming screenings on Wednesday, April 3; Wednesday, May 1; and Wednesday, June 5. Guest filmmakers to be announced.

For each program, doors open at 6:30 pm, the film screens at 7 pm, followed by Q&A. Light refreshments will be served. A suggested donation of $5 will be collected at the door. Admission is free for students and teachers. 

Amelina – Documentary (25 min.) by Ruben Guzman, Bariloche, Argentina, tells the story of Amelina ‘Coca’ San Martín, who grew up in a remote Patagonian location inside the volcanic caldera of an extinct super volcano, rich in archaeological and paleontological remains. Her humble life passes by amidst her world-famous archaeological collection, her cats, her fish, and her beloved ‘choikes’ (rheas).

Chula, with Invisible Strings – Documentary (10 min.) by Emily Collins, Brooklyn, NY, focuses on Chula the Clown, at a time when polarizing politics make us question the world’s love for humanity. Hailing from Mexico City, Gaby Munoz, otherwise known as “Chula,” has spent over a decade working alongside other clowns in refugee camps and areas affected by conflict. This short film takes a look into the beautiful universe that Chula creates, and asks us to explore how we connect with each other.

Representative – Experimental (9 min.) by Kelly Wittenberg, Kalamazoo, MI, explores the layered definitions of the word, “representative,” meaning

1. Typical of a class, group, or body of opinion.
2. A person chosen or elected to speak and act on behalf of others in a legislative assembly or deliberative body.
3. Serving as a portrayal or symbol of something.

Gloria’s Call – Documentary (17 min.) by Cheri Gaulke, Studio City, CA, tells the story of art critic Gloria Orenstein. In 1971, as a graduate student she received a call from Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington that sparked a lifelong journey into art, ecofeminism and shamanism. Gloria’s Call uses art, animation and storytelling to celebrate this wild adventure from the cafes of Paris to the mountaintops of Sami Land. Now, more than 40 years later, Dr. Gloria Feman Orenstein is a feminist art critic, author, pioneer in the field of the women of Surrealism and scholar of ecofeminism in the arts. Her delightful tale brings alive a history of women in the arts.

The Black Maria Film Festival’s Hudson County Movie Tour is made possible through the generous support of The Hudson County Executive Thomas De Gise and the Board of Chosen Freeholders – the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs & Tourism. Special thanks to Division Director Gina Hulings, Director/Administrator.

Celebrating its 38th consecutive year in 2019, the Black Maria Film Festival is dedicated to creativity and innovation in the moving-image arts. It was named for Thomas Edison’s West Orange film studio dubbed the “Black Maria” due to its resemblance to the type of black-box police paddy wagon known as a “black maria.” The Festival is an annual juried competition traveling to audiences across the US and abroad, featuring new short works in all genres, and supporting the work of international independent filmmakers.

The Thomas Edison Media Arts Consortium – Black Maria Film Festival has generous support from the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, NJ State Council on the Arts, the Charles Edison Fund, the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs and Tourism, the Hoboken Historical Museum, WithumSmith+Brown, and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. For further information, visit www.blackmariafilmfestival.org.