Westfield International Film Festival
Big Dreams & Silver Screens
May 7, 2022
at The James Ward Mansion
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2018 SCHEDULE
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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
2018 PROGRAM
FILM COMPETITION AWARDS
All feature and short films are entered into competition, with the exception of music videos and any films noted as a special presentation.
Final Award Nominees and Winners are listed below. Winners are decided by a panel of judges, consisting of leading professional filmmakers in the industry, with the exception of the Audience Choice Award which is voted live by festival attendees.
As a female-founded and led film festival in a primarily male-dominated industry, we also present the "Best Female Filmmaker Award”.
The Award Ceremony will take place on Sunday, September 23, 2018 9-10pm at The James Ward Mansion in Westfield, NJ. All attendees welcome, no ticket required.
Best Animated Short
A Drawing
Billie
Jim’s Introduction to Gender Identity **WINNER**
Panic Attack!
Spark
Best Short Documentary
Dempsey the Diabetic Superhero
Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: The Cordell Brown Story **WINNER**
Turban Fever
Best Short Narrative – Comedy
Among Other Things
Death (And Disco Fries)
Gloria Talks Funny **WINNER**
Happy Ending
Juice Truck
Best Short Narrative – Drama
Carousel
Every Other Weekend **WINNER**
Heroin(e ): A Short Film
How Do You Type a Broken Heart
Midnight Light
Night Call
The Recurring
Best Screenplay – Short Film
Among Other Things
Death (And Disco Fries)
Every Other Weekend
How Do You Type a Broken Heart
Midnight Light **WINNER**
Night Call
One More Experiment
The Recurring
Best Cinematography – Short Film
Among Other Things
Breathing Underwater
Carousel
e.ro.sion, noun
The Greats
The Legend of Scotty Watts
Night Call **WINNER**
Tyrannosaurus Death!
Best Editing – Short Film
Dempsey the Diabetic Superhero
The Greats
Happy Ending
Heroin (e ): A Short Film
Juice Truck **WINNER**
The Legend of Scotty Watts
Mumpsimus and Halcyon Discord
Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: The Cordell Brown Story
Best Actor – Short Film
Alexandru Aldea (All About Rita)
Steven Strickland (I Got a Callback)
Steven Weed (Midnight Light)
Izhak Pekker (One More Experiment)
Jason Cerbone (Passaic)
Marlon Perrier (The Talk) **WINNER**
Ron Phippen (Tyrannosaurus Death!)
Best Actress – Short Film
Joanna Connolly (Against the Grain)
Mia Barnes (Bad Romance)
Keala Settle (Every Other Weekend) **WINNER**
Candi Milo (Gloria Talks Funny)
Teniece Divya Johnson (Heroin(e): A Short Film)
Marlyne Barret (Night Call)
Gwen Gottlieb (The Recurring)
Laura Dowling Shea (The Spilling)
Yaine Ellen Dong (Watching You Watching Me)
Best Female Filmmaker – Short Film
Tina Johns (Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: The Cordell Brown Story)
Monisha Dey (Turban Fever)
Kendall Goldberg (Gloria Talks Funny) **WINNER**
Mecca White (Juice Truck)
Alexa Werrlein (The Greats)
Catriona Rubenis-Stevens (e.ro.sion, noun)
Yaine Ellen Dong (Watching You Watching Me)
Best NJ Local Film
Heroin(e): A Short Film **WINNER**
Jim's Introduction to Gender Identity
Audience Choice for Best Short Film
The Greats **WINNER**
Best Short Film
Every Other Weekend **WINNER**
Best Narrative – Feature
The Escort
This Much **WINNER**
Best Documentary – Feature
Reinventing Rosalee **WINNER**
Best Screenplay – Feature
The Escort **WINNER**
This Much
Best Cinematography – Feature
The Escort
This Much **WINNER**
Best Editing – Feature
Reinventing Rosalee **WINNER**
The Escort
Best Actor – Feature
Kevin Leslie (The Escort) **WINNER**
Richard Neil (This Much)
Dan Creed (This Much)
Best Actress – Feature
Olivia Moyles (The Escort)
Ksenia Valenti (This Much) **WINNER**
Best Female Filmmaker – Feature
Lillian Glass (Reinventing Rosalee)
Nataliya Padilla (This Much) **WINNER**
Audience Choice for Best Feature Film
This Much **WINNER**
Best Feature Film
This Much **WINNER**
2018 JUDGES
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.