Local Filmmakers to Share Spotlight at Film Festival

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by the Diocese of Trenton.

Forgiving those who have hurt us, embracing and celebrating all human life and overcoming adversity to pursue a hopeful future are just some of the themes that will play out on screen in Manasquan’s Algonquin Arts Theatre May 6 for the Diocese of Trenton’s third annual RE:IMAGE Film Festival. Inspiring stories told on film by youths, young adults and established filmmakers will share the spotlight when 20 short works are screened for this year’s event. 

This year’s event reflects a dramatic increase in the number of local filmmakers participating.  Among the films in competition and additional pieces selected for exhibition will be works by individuals representing 13 parish and school communities in Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.  They include Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville; Monsignor Donovan High School, Toms River; St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft; St. Mark Parish, Sea Girt; St. Paul Parish, Princeton; St. James Parish and Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank; St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square; St. Pius X, Forked River; St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, St. John Vianney School, Holmdel, and St. Ann Parish  and the Catholic Campus Ministry at Rider University, both in Lawrenceville. 

“The number of local filmmakers whose work will be screened in this year’s festival has more than tripled from last year,” stated Marianne Hartman, director of the diocese’s Department of Radio and Television, which has spearheaded the event.  “It is particularly exciting to note that many of them are high school students who took part in one of the two film workshops we sponsored in the last year.  These are young people who have just begun to explore the art of filmmaking and its potential to make positive change in the world. “

Beginning with an 11 a.m. kick-off Mass in St. Denis Church, located at 90 Union Ave.,  Manasquan, the festival will run from noon to 10 p.m. in the Algonquin, located at 173 Main St., Manasquan.  The films will be screened in three categories – High School; College/Young Adult and General – and a filmmaker panel discussion will follow each segment. An hour-long screening of exhibition-only films will follow the competition films.

At 6:30 p.m. awards will be presented in all three age categories for Best Picture and Mission Excellence winners, who were selected by a panel of judges, most of whom with well-known backgrounds in the areas of film and media. Audience members will have an opportunity to select their favorite films for the Viewers’ Choice Awards.

The evening will cap off at 7 p.m. with the feature-length motion picture, “The Way,” starring Martin Sheen as a pilgrim walking "The Way of St. James" to honor his son's memory. This inspirational and cinematic treasure, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, was filmed in the Pyrenees Mountains and along small villages of France and Spain and offers a wonderful testament to the mission of the festival.  “The Way” promises to be the subject of conversation when viewers gather for a complimentary dessert reception following the film.

The RE:IMAGE Film Festival seeks to encourage visual storytellers to use their gifts and the medium of film to “re-image” the culture in a way that honors all of God’s creation.  It is a collaborative project involving the diocesan Departments of Radio and Television; Media and Public Relations; Youth, Marriage and Family and the diocesan newspaper, The Monitor.  

The all-inclusive ticket price is $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors; and can be purchased in the theater lobby at the festival as space permits. For more information go to www.reimagefilmfestival.com or www.TrentonMonitor.com.

Local filmmakers who are competing in this year’s festival:

HIGH SCHOOL

 ‘Consider It’
By Cassidy DeStefano, William Lee and Margaret Svikhart

In the face of rejection and negativity, it can be challenging to recognize the opportunity to love. 2 min.

DeStefano is from Middletown, NJ.  Svikhart is from Shrewsbury, NJ.  Both are members of St. James Parish, Red Bank and attend Communications High School, Wall.  Lee is from Princeton, NJ and is a member of St. Paul Parish, Princeton.  He attends Princeton High School.

‘Death by Texting (DBT)’
By Eugene Tyrell

A short film which tackles the big problem of driving while texting. It is a silent black and white movie. All dialogue is texted. 8 min.

Tyrell is from Ocean, NJ.

‘In Human Terms’ 
By Desmond Confoy and Ryan McGinnis

A teenage boy must decide if he is capable of forgiving the young man who murdered his parents. Sessions with his priest allow him to reflect on his suffering. His pain forces him to face the reality that he is becoming a slave to his own anger. 18 min.

Confey is from Lawrenceville, NJ. McGinnis attends Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, NJ.

‘Starving for Attention’
By William Seddon, Gunterh Billhardt, Adam Zuzola, Giuliana Yandoli and Allie Morris

Teens from the Diocese of Trenton learn about malnutrition in the Third World from a presentation in Philadelphia by Doctors Without Borders. 3 min.

Seddon is from Beach Haven Park, NJ, Billhardt and Zuzola are from Lanoka Harbor, NJ, and Yandoli and Morris are from Hamilton, NJ.

‘The Voices’
By St. Mark Parish CYO

A high school student finds himself depressed after receiving a college rejection letter. He runs to the beach where he hears inner voices telling him his life is not worth living. He learns a great lesson: life is a gift to be cherished. 14 min.

St. Mark Parish is located in Sea Girt, NJ.

COLLEGE/YOUNG ADULT

‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ 
By Jessica Landolfi

“Shake, Rattle and Roll” is not your typical ballroom dancing story. Through a unique class, two couples not only learn to dance, but discover ways to adapt to unexpected changes in their lives. Their stories will enlighten and inspire, revealing the enduring strength of the human spirit. 20 min.

Landolfi is from Princeton, NJ.

‘The Voices of the Street’ 
By Joe McQuarrie and Joe Martin

This intimate look inside urban homelessness takes a look at the social problem through the eyes of those living it. Through conversation and introspection, “The Voices of the Street” offers a glimpse inside a world most of us turn away from, leaving a portrait of the people who everyday are simply striving to exist. 5 min.

Both are freshmen at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.  McQuarrie is a Lawrenceville, NJ native and an alumnus of Notre Dame High School, there.  Martin is from Monroe, NJ and is an alumnus of Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft.

GENERAL

‘Children of Terror’ 
By Gina Grosso and Shawn Kildea
Two very young girls, one a Catholic from Poland, the other a Jew from Germany, are caught in a web of terror during World War II. This film documents their unforgettable true stories from that time and how they work together today to spread a message of hope through tolerance. 25 min.

Kildea is from Lawrenceville, NJ.  Grosso, a former student at Rider University, Lawrenceville, is  originally from Sussex County and now lives in Hoboken.

‘Gray Hair and Wrinkles’ 
By Therese Boucher

Worried about gray hair and wrinkles? Step back into the 1950s to meet a great-grandmother who redefines beauty. Look into her mirror for a glimpse of white hair as a ‘crown of glory.’ Listen to a delightful melody sung in her native language by Josee Vachon. 4 min.

Boucher is from Princeton, NJ.

‘Kevin’s Journey of Hope’ By Joan Kret
This is a music video showing one family’s journey of hope after their son suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a skateboard accident. They are blessed with caring for their son at home and working to help him recover by keeping him involved in family activities. 5 min.

Kret is from Middletown, NJ. She is a youth minister in St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft.