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

Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, Dec. 5, the final installment of the Fall Film Series of the Black Maria Film Festival’s Hudson County Tour. The featured film is a remarkable documentary by Melissa Lesh and Tim Laman, “Person of the Forest,” about unique cultural behaviors in wild orangutans, shedding new light on the similarities between these amazing creatures and ourselves.

This film series has offered engaging discussions about film making and a variety of subject matter. For each program, doors open at 6:30, the films screen at 7 pm, followed by Q&A. Light refreshments will be served (homemade baked goods, too!). A suggested donation of $5 will be collected at the door. Admission is free for students and teachers. The films are drawn from the Black Maria’s Global Insights Collection, including animation, documentary, and narrative films.

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.