Join us online on Thursday, June 18 at 6 pm, for a livestreamed evening of award-winning selected shorts from the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival collection celebrating the LGBTQ community and Pride Month. Festival Director Jane Steuerwald will lead a Q&A with the audience. Attendance is limited to the first 100 to register for the Zoom event. Link is available by emailing the organizers.

The one hour screening will be followed by a live Q&A with three of the filmmakers, Wrik Mead, Leandro Goddinho and Paolo Menezes. Admission is free. 

The films selected for this evening include:

“=” (2016, Experimental, 4 min.) by Wrik Mead, Toronto, Canada

In the 21^st century, gay rights are being threatened worldwide. In “=,” an animated likeness of the artist bears witness to a dizzying array of homophobic protests on the web that are currently happening around the world.

Lolo – (2020, Narrative, 13 min.) by Leandro Goddinho and Paulo Menezes, Berlin, Germany and Brazil

Lolo is an openly gay 11-year-old boy who tries to convince Max, his first love, to go public with their relationship at their school party.

The Typist – (2016, Documentary, 8 min.) by Kristine Stolakis, Palo Alto, CA

A gay Korean War veteran reflects on his time as an office clerk tasked with writing the discharges of outed gay sailors.

The Muse of San Francisco – (2017, Documentary, 22 min.) by Katrine Holmgren, London, UK

A portrait of actress and model Linda Martinez at age 79. Linda was a life drawing/pin up model and actress in underground art films – many made by the renowned avant-garde filmmaker George Kuchar. In The Muse of San Francisco, the filmmaker sets off to find out who the enigmatic Linda Martinez really is.

Spooners – (2014, narrative, 14 min.) by Bryan Horch, Pelham, MA.

After convincing his partner to retire their beloved futon, Nelson goes off by himself, so as not to be “cuddled.” He shops for their new bed. In response to his questions, the salesman draws Nelson out in a spectacular way.

The Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival series at the Hoboken Museum features screenings, guest filmmakers and lively discussions with Festival Director Jane Steuerwald on the second Thursday evening of the month through the spring.

For 39 years, the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival has been advancing the unique creativity and power of the short form. The Festival was founded in 1981 and is named for Thomas Edison’s original West Orange, NJ, film studio, whose resemblance to the familiar black-box shaped police paddy wagons sparked the nickname “Black Maria.” The festival is an international juried competition open to all genres and filmmakers across the globe.

The Festival’s touring program reaches out to diverse audiences in diverse settings with screenings of cutting-edge, cross-genre films — narrative, experimental, animation, and documentary. Subject matter includes issues and struggles within contemporary society such as the environment, public health, race and class, family, sustainability, and much more. These exceptional works range from animation, comedy, and drama to the exploration of pure form in film and video and are the heart and soul of the festival. Learn more at www.blackmariafilmfestival.org

The festival’s Hudson County Movie Tour is made possible through the generous support of The Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs & Tourism, Gina Hulings, Director/Administrator.