May 7, 2022
at The James Ward Mansion

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Party begins at 6:00pm

Films begin at 8:00pm

The festival weekend kicks off with an exciting red carpet party featuring local Westfield restaurants and food markets such as Vine Ripe Markets, Casa di Pizza, 1958 Cuban Cuisine and a popcorn bar sponsored by Savory and Spice Shop!

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Film Lineup:

Sober, Mumpsimus and Halcyon Discord, Death (And Disco Fries), Every Other Weekend, Limit, Tyrannosaurus Death!, With My Own Two Hands, Jim's Introduction to Gender Identity, The Talk, e.ro.sion, noun, Carpark, Weightless

KICK-OFF NIGHT

PARTY & FILMS

Friday, September 21, 2018

Cocktail Hour begins at 6:00pm

Films begin at 8:00pm

Don't miss out on our most anticipated night, Friday Night's Gala Event! Do you love movies? Do you love unlimited food and drink? You don't need to be in the film industry to enjoy a film festival! Celebrate with a catered cocktail party with hors d'oeuvres, open bar, an evening of short films, filmmaker Q&A, & after-party!

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Film Lineup:

Watching You Watching Me, Groomed, How Do You Type a Broken Heart?

GALA COCKTAIL HOUR & FILMS

Friday, September 21, 2018

Cocktail Hour begins at 6:00pm

Films begin at 8:00pm

This year, we are honoring three up-and-coming TV and Film Stars at our Rising Star Award Ceremony. Myles Clohessy (Blue Bloods), Holly Curran (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and Angelo Reyes (The Cell) will be gracing the red carpet at the 6th Annual Westfield International Film Festival. Ticket includes full Gala Night including a catered cocktail party, open bar, an evening of short films, filmmaker Q&A, & after-party!

RISING STAR CEREMONY

Saturday, September 22, 2018

10:00am - 11:00am

This year's Filmmaking Seminar is a "Stunts on Film" Panel. Experienced Hollywood stunt professionals will participate in a panel discussion and talk back with audience members, sharing their experiences on set. Including Westfield's very own Anna Mastroianni, owner of "SOLE Shoes" in Downtown Westfield!  Free admission.

STUNTS ON FILM PANEL

Saturday, September 22, 2018

11:30am - 1:30pm

Film Lineup:

Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: The Cordell Brown Story, Gone, Are You Volleyball?!, Dempsey the Diabetic Superhero, Committed, Chris Neptune's Magic, One More Experiment, The Switch

FILM BLOCK #1: SHORTS

Saturday, September 22, 2018

2:00pm - 4:00pm

Presenting the Foreign Feature Drama from the U.K. "The Escort". Director Bizhan Tong will be flying in all the way from the U.K!

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Preceded by Short Films:

Limbo, All About Rita, Passaic, Breathing Underwater, Among Other Things

FILM BLOCK #2: FOREIGN FEATURE

Saturday, September 22, 2018

5:00pm - 7:00pm

We will be honoring Ms. Persia White as this year's WIFF Woman in Film Honoree! 

Film Lineup:

Carousel - Written by Persia White and Joseph Morgan, Directed by Joseph Morgan

Juice Truck - Written & Directed by Mecca White, Produced by Mecca White, Persia White, and Joseph Morgan

WOMAN IN FILM CEREMONY & FILMS  HONORING PERSIA WHITE

Saturday, September 22, 2018

7:00pm - 8:30pm

Tickets for the Woman in Film Ceremony Block include a Red Carpet Party immediately after! Enjoy complimentary drinks, desserts, & treats while you mingle & network on the red carpet!

WOMAN IN FILM

RED CARPET PARTY

Saturday, September 22, 2018

9:00pm - 11:00pm

Presenting the Feature Comedy "This Much". Director Natalia Padilla will be in attendance flying in from Los Angeles!

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Preceded by Short Films:

Broken Lullaby, Adam & Eve, Bad Romance, Happy Ending

FILM BLOCK #3:

FEATURE COMEDY

Sunday, September 23, 2018

12:00pm - 2:00pm

Presenting the inspirational, must-see Feature Documentary "Reinventing Rosalee" directed by Lillian Glass.

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Preceded by Short Films:

Billie, Put a Pin In It, Against the Grain

FILM BLOCK #4:

FEATURE DOC

Sunday, September 23, 2018

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Film Lineup:

Ingenue-ish, Gloria Talks Funny, Panic Attack, Access Denied, The Greats, I Got a Callback, Turban Fever, The Recurring, The Nesting Doll, Last Night in Town

FILM BLOCK #5:

SHORTS

Sunday, September 23, 2018

6:00pm - 8:00pm

Film Lineup:

The Legend of Scotty Watts, Heroin(e): A Short Film, Spark, Night Call, Wild, Almost Free, 4:44AM, Midnight Light, The Spilling, A Drawing, Getting Ed Laid

FILM BLOCK #6:

SHORTS

Sunday, September 23, 2018

9:00pm - 10:00pm

Please join us in closing the festival weekend at our Film Awards Ceremony, where we will announce and present this year's awards as decided by our judges panel, consisting of leading filmmakers in the local industry. See below for Final Nominees. Free admission.

FILM AWARDS CEREMONY

Katherine Elisabeth Clark is the co-founder of local film screening series PopUp Anthology (www.popupanthology.com), highlighting filmmakers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York City and hosted in unique venues across the region. As a writer-director, her short films have screened both locally and internationally, and her scripts have been selected for development at programs such as Creative Lab Hawaii. In addition to her work in film, she is an organizer of Philly Theatre Week and the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre with Theatre Philadelphia. Katherine received her MFA from Columbia College Chicago and her BA from UNC Asheville. She is currently based in Philadelphia, and is excited to return as a judge at Westfield International Film Festival.

Joe Cruz is a Ph.D. candidate in Mass Communications at Penn State University. Although his research mainly concerns issues of digital citizenship and online political engagement, he also explores how cinema contributes to the dissemination of political ideologies. He has published about Latin American cinema, as well as various film reviews. Prior to pursuing a Ph.D., Joe held positions in banking and corporate communications, while managing a community theater group in Puerto Rico. He holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast media and communication studies from Kean University, and a master’s in communication and information studies from Rutgers University.

David is currently the Associate Director for the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. He produced 2 award winning independent films (A Dangerous Place, Murder Reincarnated, that are distributed by outlets such as Screen Media, Netflix, Blockbuster, York Ent). He also has set up feature film screenplays proposals which have awarded/recognized by organizations such as Producers Guild Of America, IFP, Panasonic Digital Filmmakers Award. In his spare time, David raises funds and is involved in various educational and child related charitable endeavors.

Rick Sordelet is a professor at Yale University School of Drama lecturing in Acting and Stage Management. He is known as the country’s leading fight director. His film credits include “The Game Plan” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Dan in Real Life” with Steve Carrell and “Just a Kiss” with Marisa Tomei and Peter Dinklage. His Broadway credits number over 50 productions including shows such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Lion King”, “Tarzan”, and “Aida”.

Kathleen Kelly is a professional actress, producer, director and college drama professor. She currently teaches Acting at Kean University. Kathleen has also taught at Rutgers University and The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in NYC. She has produced and directed Off Broadway. As an actress, she has worked Off Broadway and regional theatre.