The Museum is pleased to host a fall series of screenings of Black Maria Film Festival award-winning films on the second or first Wednesday of the month, September – December, presented by Festival director Jane Steuerwald. For each program, doors open at 6:30, the films screen 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. 

Dates for the balance of the fall programs are Wednesday, Oct. 10; Wednesday, Nov. 7; and Wednesday, Dec. 5.  Content and guest filmmakers to be announced.

Program 1, “Reflections of the Jewish Experience at Home and Abroad,” features a selection of short films from the Black Maria’s Global Insights Collection, including animation,  documentary, and narrative films.  These include:

The Driver is Red – Animation – 15 min. by Randall Christopher, San Diego, CA
Set in Argentina in 1960, this true crime documentary follows the story of secret agent Zvi Aharoni as he searched for a mysterious man named Ricardo Klement. What he discovered in the remote outskirts of Buenos Aires would send shockwaves around the world.

Two Landscapes – Experimental – 4 min by Neil Needleman, Katonah, NY
A clash between the landscape the eye perceives and the one that’s deeply embedded in the mind.

A Way Back – Narrative – 15 min. by Alan King, Victoria, Australia
Leo Amsel is a man haunted by a decision that he made while serving as a young solider in France during World War II. Many years later, he is offered an opportunity to atone. This story focuses on his inner conflict defined by two distinct themes: remorse and his inability to accept the finality of his past actions.

Period. New Paragraph. – Documentary – 14 min. by Sarah Kramer, Brooklyn, NY
“Period. New Paragraph.” is a loving portrait of a father by his daughter. It’s also an homage to New York and a way of working that has all but vanished. In an office seemingly unchanged by technology or time, 85-year-old Herbert Kramer confronts the end of his career and his own mortality as he winds down his legal practice, closing the office he has worked in for the past 40 years. The film captures a rite of passage, as Herbert is forced to say goodbye to the work he loves—and begins to live a new life.

The Making of a Mensch – Documentary – 11 min. by Tiffany Shlain, Mill Valley, CA
“The Making of a Mensch” explores ancient Jewish ideas about being a “mensch” – aka being a good person, thinking of the bigger picture, and living a meaningful, purposeful life – through a vibrant 21st century lens.

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.

Since 1981, the Black Maria Film Festival has been celebrating and preserving the diversity, invention, and vitality of the short film. The Festival’s home is New Jersey City University in Jersey City, NJ and is named after Thomas Edison’s original West Orange film studio dubbed the “Black Maria” because of its resemblance to the black-box police paddy wagons of the same name.

Black Maria is an international juried film competition, focusing on short films including those that shine a light on issues and struggles within contemporary society. Its touring programs always include provocative works by diverse filmmakers from across the US and around the world. These artists often represent an under-served constituency who might not otherwise have the opportunity for live public exhibition nationwide or abroad.