BFC Short Film Festival 2021: Event Date
Did you know that Fort Lee, New Jersey was the birthplace of the American film industry? Film studios such as Universal, FOX and Solax were established in Fort Lee and many movie stars, like the Barrymores lived and worked here. The Barrymore Film Center was established by the Borough of Fort Lee and construction is almost complete on the 250 seat cinema and film museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. The BFC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and will be operated by the Fort Lee Film Commission.
Although recent world health events have delayed our grand opening of the BFC, we are offering a virtual film festival featuring short films and filmmakers from around the globe. Our Official Selections will be screened online in early 2021 and accessible to the public for viewing free of charge.
We invite all filmmakers to submit your short film for judging and consideration to appear in our virtual film festival. As a thank you to our filmmakers, we will include a one year complementary membership to the BFC, which will begin once we open our film center to the public.
BFC Short Film Festival 2021: Notification Date
Did you know that Fort Lee, New Jersey was the birthplace of the American film industry? Film studios such as Universal, FOX and Solax were established in Fort Lee and many movie stars, like the Barrymores lived and worked here. The Barrymore Film Center was established by the Borough of Fort Lee and construction is almost complete on the 250 seat cinema and film museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. The BFC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and will be operated by the Fort Lee Film Commission.
Although recent world health events have delayed our grand opening of the BFC, we are offering a virtual film festival featuring short films and filmmakers from around the globe. Our Official Selections will be screened online in early 2021 and accessible to the public for viewing free of charge.
We invite all filmmakers to submit your short film for judging and consideration to appear in our virtual film festival. As a thank you to our filmmakers, we will include a one year complementary membership to the BFC, which will begin once we open our film center to the public.
BFC Short Film Festival 2021: Late Deadline
Did you know that Fort Lee, New Jersey was the birthplace of the American film industry? Film studios such as Universal, FOX and Solax were established in Fort Lee and many movie stars, like the Barrymores lived and worked here. The Barrymore Film Center was established by the Borough of Fort Lee and construction is almost complete on the 250 seat cinema and film museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. The BFC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and will be operated by the Fort Lee Film Commission.
Although recent world health events have delayed our grand opening of the BFC, we are offering a virtual film festival featuring short films and filmmakers from around the globe. Our Official Selections will be screened online in early 2021 and accessible to the public for viewing free of charge.
We invite all filmmakers to submit your short film for judging and consideration to appear in our virtual film festival. As a thank you to our filmmakers, we will include a one year complementary membership to the BFC, which will begin once we open our film center to the public.
BFC Short Film Festival 2021: Regular Deadline
Did you know that Fort Lee, New Jersey was the birthplace of the American film industry? Film studios such as Universal, FOX and Solax were established in Fort Lee and many movie stars, like the Barrymores lived and worked here. The Barrymore Film Center was established by the Borough of Fort Lee and construction is almost complete on the 250 seat cinema and film museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. The BFC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and will be operated by the Fort Lee Film Commission.
Although recent world health events have delayed our grand opening of the BFC, we are offering a virtual film festival featuring short films and filmmakers from around the globe. Our Official Selections will be screened online in early 2021 and accessible to the public for viewing free of charge.
We invite all filmmakers to submit your short film for judging and consideration to appear in our virtual film festival. As a thank you to our filmmakers, we will include a one year complementary membership to the BFC, which will begin once we open our film center to the public.
BFC Short Film Festival 2021: Earlybird Deadline
Did you know that Fort Lee, New Jersey was the birthplace of the American film industry? Film studios such as Universal, FOX and Solax were established in Fort Lee and many movie stars, like the Barrymores lived and worked here. The Barrymore Film Center was established by the Borough of Fort Lee and construction is almost complete on the 250 seat cinema and film museum, scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. The BFC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and will be operated by the Fort Lee Film Commission.
Although recent world health events have delayed our grand opening of the BFC, we are offering a virtual film festival featuring short films and filmmakers from around the globe. Our Official Selections will be screened online in early 2021 and accessible to the public for viewing free of charge.
We invite all filmmakers to submit your short film for judging and consideration to appear in our virtual film festival. As a thank you to our filmmakers, we will include a one year complementary membership to the BFC, which will begin once we open our film center to the public.
Fort Lee History Walking Tour
Join Barrymore Film Center and Fort Lee Film Commission Executive Director Tom Meyers for a walking tour of the historic sites of the two Riviera Nightclubs and nearby Cliffhanger Point, the site of many movie serials by the legendary Pearl White.
The FREE tour starts at the Fort Lee Museum (1589 Parker Avenue) at noon on Saturday, November 30. The hike is of moderate length, please wear hiking boots.
For further information, please call 201-693-2763 or visit www.barrymorefilmcenter.org.
The Electric Hotel: A Book Reading & Signing ft. Author Dominic Smith
The Electric Hotel: A Book Reading & Signing ft. Author Dominic Smith
A sweeping work of historical fiction from the New York Times - bestselling author Dominic Smith, 'The Electric Hotel' is a spellbinding story of art and love. It is a portrait of a man entranced by the magic of moviemaking, a luminous romance, and a whirlwind trip through early cinema... and Fort Lee, NJ!
Event to be held in the meeting room of the Fort Lee Library (320 Main St.)
Admission is FREE. Books will be available for purchase.
For further info, call (201) 693-2763
See History Fort Lee... by Jitney!
See History Fort Lee... by Jitney!
A FREE Bus Tour of Fort Lee: The First American Film Town & Future Home to the Barrymore Film Center.
Tour Guide: Tom Meyers, Executive Director, Fort Lee Film Commission.
Sunday, October 20th | 11AM-2PM
FREE to the Public.
Seating is Limited. First come, First served.
Sponsored by:
The Fort Lee Historical Society
Historic Preservation Commission
Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs
Fort lee Film Commission,
and the BFC
Ghosts of the Palisades - Cliffhanger Film Festival
This October, the Cliffhanger Film Festival presents the "Ghosts of the Palisades." This four-part film festival, sponsored by the Barrymore Film Center, Fort Lee FIlm Commission and the Fort Lee Public Library, highlights the gothic nature of Fort Lee's cliffs of the Palisades. Our opening program on October 3 features the Fort Lee premiere of Chris Milewski's brand new silent film, "Garden of Souls," which was partially shot on our cliffs.
Thursday, October 3: Edison Studio's "Frankenstein"
Thursday, October 10: "The Uninvited"
Thursday, October 17: "Portrait of Jennie"
Thursday, October 31: "Wuthering Heights"
Films begin at 7pm in the meeting room of the Fort Lee Public Library (320 Main Street). Admission is free. For further info, please call 201-693-2763 or visit www.barrymorefilmcenter.org or www.fortleelibrary.org.
Jacquot de Nantes | Films on the Green
JACQUOT DE NANTES
Directed by Agnès Varda, 1991, PG, 1h58, France, mk2
With Philippe Maron, Edouard Joubeaud, Laurent Monnier,
Once upon a time, an eight-year old boy lived a happy childhood with his parents, Marilou and Raymond, and his little brother, Yvon. It is 1939, in Nantes, and his name is Jacquot. He spends his days in his father’s car garage where everyone likes to sing. On weekends, the family goes to the movies. While Jacquot is raised to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a mechanic, he buys a camera and begins to make short films with puppets and music. An early lesson of family loyalty and artistic passion is presented to Jacquot in this biopic that is based off Jacques Demy’s childhood.
Preceded by MATRIMONY’S SPEED LIMIT
Directed by Alice Guy-Blaché, 1913, 14 min, USA
#FilmsOnTheGreen | Free French films in NYC Parks
Film in French with English subtitles
FREE and open to the public
Presented in partnership with the French Embassy in the US as part of their “Films on the Green” series.
Fort Lee Historic Jitney Tour
The Fort Lee Film Commission will offer its semi-annual free historic film Jitney tour on Sunday, June 30.
The event is free but there is limited seating - first come, first served, and signup for the tours are the day of the event from 9am-11am at the Barrymore Film Center table at the Fort Lee Farmers Market in the plaza of the Community Center (1355 Inwood Terrace).
Tours run on the hour from 11am through 2pm.
For further info call (201) 693-2763.
Movies & Music Under the Stars
Our Movies & Music schedule is out!
All programs are free to the public. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. In case of rain, the programs move to the second floor of the Fort Lee Community Center. Program runs each Saturday evening for 10 straight weeks from June 9th through August 31st.
Also, If you have a business or organization interested in sponsoring one of our music & movie nights, please message us and we can add your logo to our flyer.
Battle of the High School Bands
The Fort Lee Film Festival Commission and the Barrymore Film Center open their call for entries for this event.
All high school-age bands are encouraged to send their CD/web link to the Fort Lee Film Commission at FtLeeFilm@gmail.com AND call us at 201.693.2763 to apply for this festival.
Winner take all prize is $500.
Event location: the indoor stage at the Fort lee Community Center, 1355 Inwood Terrace. Deadline to apply is May 13, 2019.
Celebrate the History of Women in Film in NJ
Reel Jersey Girls Film Festival
Presented by the Barrymore Film Festival and The ShowRoom Cinema
This special program will begin with a screening of Algie the Miner (1912) a short film directed by the first female studio owner Alice Guy Blaché of Solax Studio in Fort Lee, NJ. The historic short will be followed by a feature-length screening of the recently New Jersey-shot film, Lez Bomb.
NJ native Jenna Laurenzo will be on hand to introduce this film and do a Q&A following the screening. The BFC/ Fort Lee Film Commission will present its 2019 Alice Guy Blaché Award to Ms. Laurenzo at this event.
From the executive producer of There's Something About Mary comes a holiday comedy about a woman (writer-director, Jenna Laurenzo) who comes home with life changing news. As it turns out, there is no good time to drop the Lez Bomb. Produced by Bobby Farrelly and starring Cloris Leachman, Bruce Dern, Kevin Pollak, and Jenna Laurenzo.
For tickets, visit theshowroomap.com/coming-soon/reel-jersey-girls-film-festival/
Women's History Month Film Screenings at the Fort Lee Museum
The Barrymore Film Center & Fort Lee Film Commission present: REEL JERSEY GIRLS
The museum is located at 1589 Parker Avenue, Fort Lee with free parking in the museum lot on Palisade Avenue. For further info call (201) 693-2763. Each program will be introduced by members of the Barrymore Film Center/ Fort Lee Film Commission with a film screening and Q&A to follow.
Dates and screenings:
March 6th:
Pearl White, Queen of the Cliffhangers
March 13th:
Mabel Normand, Miss Waitress from Flatbush
March 20th:
Joan & Constance Bennett, Fort Lee & Hollywood Stars
March 27th:
Alice Guy Blache, Movie Pioneer of Solax Studio
John Barrymore's Birthday Celebration
YOU ARE INVITED…
John Barrymore Birthday Celebration - February 15th, 2019
6:30 PM:
Wreath laying ceremony at John Barrymore Way opposite In Napoli Restaurant at 116 Main Street. (Parking in adjacent municipal lot.)
7:00 PM:
Barrymore birthday celebration at the Fort Lee Museum at 1589 Parker Avenue (parking on Palisade Avenue side lot).
Celebration includes a short program on the upcoming Barrymore Film Center and a book reading/ signing by Fort Lee native Tom Austin who will read from his new book ''Another Season" co-written with music legend Charlie Calello.
Seating in museum is limited - doors open at 6:30 pm.
Light refreshments will be served at the museum.
For further info call (201) 693-2763
Black Film Fest
The Fort Lee Film Commission and The Fort Lee Public Library present: Black Film Fest
Admission is free and programs start each night at 7:00 pm and take place in the meeting room of the Fort Lee Public Library at 320 Main Street. For further info contact the Fort Lee Film Commission at (201) 693-2763.
Dates and screenings:
February 7th:
Symbol of the Unconquered (1920). Runtime: 54 minutes.
Produced and directed by pioneer African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, this film was shot in Fort Lee, NJ. Micheaux would go on to shoot many of his silent and sound films in Fort Lee through his last film, The Betrayal
(1948). The Symbol of the Unconquered is a ground-breaking film in that it depicts the Ku Klux Klan as a terrorist organization as opposed to director DW Griffith's portrayal of the KKK as saviors in his 1915 film Birth of a Nation. Micheaux, in shooting this film in 1920, was using the same streets and locations in Fort Lee as Griffith did some 8 years earlier when he was shooting his Biograph shorts on location in Fort Lee.
February 14th:
Killer of Sheep (1978). Runtime 80 minutes.
This film centers on the Black urban community of Los Angeles in the 1970's. Directed and written by Charles Burnett, the film comes alive with the cinematic skills of Burnett who uses these skills to give a realistic, almost documentary-like portrayal of the Black urban experience through the lives of a family.
February 21st:
BlacKKKlansman (2018). Runtime 135 minutes.
This Spike Lee film is set in the 1970s civil rights movement and centers on the first black detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department. The black detective infiltrates the local chapter of the KKK with the help of his Jewish colleague who goes undercover as a white supremacist.
Fort Lee Film Commission: Film History Walk
The Fort Lee Historic Film Commission Executive Director Tom Meyers will lead a film history walk in Fort Lee on Sunday, November 25th at 12 noon.
The tour will start at the Fort Lee Museum with a guided tour of our current exhibit "Coming Soon: The Barrymore Film Center." This exhibit includes drawings and video images of the Barrymore Film Center which is under construction on Main Street and Park Avenue. Following the tour of the museum we will walk up to Main Street and tour significant locations on Main Street associated with film history of the first American film town, Fort Lee, NJ.
This event is free to the public and will be held rain or shine. Meet up at the Fort Lee Museum at 1589 Parker Avenue (parking on other side of building near Palisade Avenue).
For further info visit www.fortleefilm.org or www.barrymorefilmcenter.org or call (201) 693-2763.
See Historic Fort Lee by Jitney
A FREE Bus Tour of Fort Lee: the First American Film Town & Future Home to the Barrymore Film Center.
Tour Sign Up
October 28th, 9am-11am. Fort Lee Film Commission Table at the Farmer's Market (Fort Lee Community Center, 1355 Inwood Terrace). First Come, First Served.
Sponsored by
The Fort Lee Historical Society, Historic Preservation Commission, Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Fort Lee Film Commission, and the Barrymore Film Center
Tour Guide
Tom Meyers, Executive Director, Fort Lee Film Commission
More Info: 201.693.2763 or www.FortLeeNJ.org
200th Anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
The Fort Lee Film Commission and The Fort Lee Public Library present: Books on Film Festival. 200th Anniversary of Frankenstein.
This program celebrates the bicentennial of one of the most important books ever written, Frankenstein by author Mary Shelley. This book, from the time of its original publication through today has, like the monster, taken up a life of its own. These films date back to the first film version of Frankenstein, produced by Thomas Edison in 1910 in his Bronx studio, through the Universal franchise of Frankenstein films that commenced in 1931, to the Hammer films and on to Mel Brooks .. We will discuss these films as well as Shelley's contribution to literature . Prior to each night's screening we will have a panel discuss the films and the book. Panelists will include Fort Lee Film Commission Executive Director Tom Meyers and on our opening night of October 2nd The Record entertainment reporter Jim Beckerman.
Admission is free and programs start each night at 7:00 pm and take place in the meeting room of the Fort Lee Public Library at 320 Main Street. For further info contact the Fort Lee Film Commission at (201) 693-2763 or visit www.fortleefilm.org.
Dates and screenings:
Oct 2 Edison’s Frankenstein (1910)
Oct 9th The Curse of Frankenstein (1974)
October 16 The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
October 30th Frankenstein (1931)
Golden Door Film Festival
The annual Golden Door Film Festival opens this Thursday, September 20th and runs through Sunday, September 23rd at the Landmark Loews Jersey in Journal Square in Jersey City, NJ. This festival showcases the works of present-day filmmakers.
As always, the festival also acknowledges the roots of the American film industry in New Jersey by having the Fort Lee Film Commission present a silent film produced in Fort Lee when Fort Lee was the first American film town and birthplace of the American film industry. The Fort Lee Film Commission has chosen the short dark comedy 'He Did and He Didn’t'. The film features the wonderful Mabel Normand and Roscoe Arbuckle. Arbuckle also directs this film which was produced out of the Triangle Studio on Linwood Avenue in Fort Lee. The Fort Lee Film Commission had the NYC based jazz band Gotham Easy create a new score for this film and Gotham Easy will play that score live to this film at the Loews in Jersey City on Sunday, September 23rd at 6pm.
For ticket info visit goldendoorfilmfestival.org or call the Fort Lee Film Commission at (201) 693-2763