Godzilla’s Day Off - Myra Sito Velasquez (New York, New York)Even monsters need to chillax! 2025; 3 min.

Godzilla’s Day Off

Miracle Under 34th Street - Owen Andrejco (Jersey City, New Jersey)Deep in depths under 34th Street Herald Square subway station, two meager rats spark an explosion of joy, warmth and material goodness. Miracle Under 34th Street is a hand-drawn with pencil on paper, created while I was living in Astoria, Queens. During my daily commute, I would sometimes bring my drawings to animate while on the W Train, the MTA line that plays a starring role in this short animation.2025; 2 min.

Miracle Under 34th Street

Deep in depths under 34th Street Herald Square subway station, two meager rats spark an explosion of joy, warmth and material goodness.

Paper Crane – Michael Amter (Somerset, New Jersey)A humble effort to honor Sadako Sasaki for the 80th anniversary of the historic events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki forever changing the world. Profoundly moved by her tremendous story. The creation of 1000 paper cranes to obtain a special wish, an attempt to save one’s life. An extraordinary display of grace, courage, dignity, and creativity in human history. This experimental animation is intended to be childlike as a reflection of Sadako Sasaki’s youth - as well as short in duration to contemplate this brief life. A memorial study inspired by the devotion to the traditional origami art form. 2025; 3 min.

Paper Crane

A humble effort to honor Sadako Sasaki for the 80th anniversary of the historic events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki forever changing the world.

Prison and Time – Evan Bode (Syracuse, New York)Filmmaker Evan Bode animates excerpts of an essay by writer &amp; activist Marvin Wade, who speaks personally about his 25 years of incarceration—and the growth he achieved in spite of, not because of, the inhumane prison system around him. This collaboration was produced by Project Mend, an organization in Central New York which celebrates the lives and creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people as well as other individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. 2025; 7 min.

Prison and Time

Filmmaker Evan Bode animates excerpts of an essay by writer & activist Marvin Wade, who speaks personally about his 25 years of incarceration—and the growth he achieved in spite of, not because of, the inhumane prison system around him.

35 Days – Heidi Kumao (Ann Arbor, Michigan)35 Days is an experimental, stop motion animation about what happens when a coalition of strangers answers the call to locate a missing cat during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Created frame-by-frame using fabric cutouts and thread. 2025; 7 min.

35 Days

35 Days is an experimental, stop motion animation about what happens when a coalition of strangers answers the call to locate a missing cat during the pandemic lockdown of 2020.

I Exist – Martin Del Carpio (New York, New York)Jordan wakes up in a hospital after another night full of decadence and finds himself facing two very mysterious strangers who are not what they appear to be. Will it be too late for him? An existential horror film. 2025; 15 min.

I Exist

Pizza Man – Sebastian Hunt (New York, New York)Overwhelmed by the evil forces of apathy and ennui, a struggling cartoonist is visited by his first (and greatest) creation: The Phenomenal Pizza Man. 2025; 16 min.

Pizza Man

Overwhelmed by the evil forces of apathy and ennui, a struggling cartoonist is visited by his first (and greatest) creation: The Phenomenal Pizza Man.

Dustsceawung – Matues Luna (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)A frustrated and heartbroken writer discovers that his robot vacuum shredded his rejected book into his own poetry, dedicated to the house’s Alexa. Fascinated, the man feeds the new author with the classics, but claims the work as his own, sparking a surreal clash between authorship, love, and cleaning. In Portuguese, subtitled. 2025; 21 min.

Dustsceawung

A frustrated and heartbroken writer discovers that his robot vacuum shredded his rejected book into his own poetry, dedicated to the house’s Alexa.

Shorts Program #1: Godzilla’s Day Off, Paper Crane, 35 Days, I Exist, Pizza Man, Prison and Time, Dustsceawung & Miracle Under 34th Street – Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7PM!

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The 2026 New Jersey International Film Festival All Access Festival Pass gives you admission to all the Festival Screenings for one low price.

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The 31st Annual New Jersey International Film Festival will be taking place between May 29-June 7, 2026. Hover over images below to buy tickets and learn more about each screening! The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. Most of the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered. The in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 1PM, 5PM or 7PM on their show date.  General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. 

Welcome to the 2026 New Jersey International Film Festival! The 31st Annual Festival will be taking place place between May 29-June 7. The Festival will be presenting the Festival online VOD as well as doing select in-person screenings.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.