Let’s Go To The Movies!

See the new, the up-and-coming and the never-before-seen at next week’s Teaneck International Film Festival.

Bergen County is home to the country’s first “film city” (that’s Fort Lee, where studios produced the first, pioneering black-and-white movies), so it’s fitting that we host an up-and-coming film festival—and it’s back for 2025.

The Teaneck International Film Festival, which runs from Nov. 6 to 13, attracts movies from all around the world. Documentaries, dramas and histories, many of them screening in New Jersey and a one of them a world premiere, will all come to life on screens at Teaneck Cinema’s, the Puffin Cultural Forum, Temple Emeth and more. Many films also include “talkbacks,” or moderated Q&As, with the director or other professionals.

Something for little ones? This Sunday, Nov. 2, is a special screening of kids’ movies at the Puffin Cultural Forum. There also are five films being screened remotely for those who can’t attend in person (see the festival’s website for more details). If you’re craving a more hands-on experience, you can also check out free “Filmmaker Bootcamp” at Fairleigh Dickinson University scheduled on Nov. 12th for the fundamentals of TV and film production and feedback from industry professionals.

“It is an incredible accomplishment for a grassroots, suburban festival to be celebrating its 20th anniversary,” says Jeremy Lentz, the festival’s executive director. “We look forward to a festival that sparks debate, inspires discussion and drives audiences to become more active and engaged citizens.”

Tickets are available on the festival’s website. Here’s a full schedule of films:

Nov. 6, at Teaneck Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck

• 7:30 p.m., The Disappearance of Miss Scott (87 min). Directed by Nicole London, this documentary brings attention to 20th century Hollywood star Hazel Scott, an early civil rights pioneer and the first Black American to host her own television show. A talkback/Q&A with the director and producer will follow.

Nov. 7, at Teaneck Cinemas

• 7:30 p.m., Beyond the Headlines: The NABJ Journey (40 min). A New Jersey premier, this documentary delves into the birth and evolution of the National Association of Black Journalists from its founding until the present day. A talkback/Q&A with NABJ co-founders Sandra Dawson Long Weaver and Allison Davis (who also produced the film) and journalist Jay Dow of PIX 11 News will follow.

Nov. 8, at Teaneck Cinemas

• Noon, The Librarians (88 min). From director Kim A. Snyder comes a documentary about librarians across the United States as they fighting book bans and defending intellectual freedom.
• 3 p.m., A Place of Our Own (88 min). This Hindi-language drama focuses on a transgender couple looking for a house after being evicted. The movie is subtitled.

Nov. 8, at the Puffin Cultural Forum, 20 Puffin Way, Teaneck

• Noon, Screenagers: Next Chapter (63min). Filmmaker and physician Delaney Ruston turns an expert eye to helping teens navigate emotional and mental wellbeing and stress in a screen-filled world.
• 3 p.m., Trespass (60 min). A world premiere from director Kim Watson, this film tells the story of the homeless and the circumstances that led them to the streets.

Nov. 8 at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck

• 7 p.m., buffet dinner. To celebrate both the festival’s centerpiece film and 20th anniversary with good food, great sips and the company of other artists and film goers.
• 8 p.m., A World Apart (112 min). This centerpiece feature film is an Italian comedy-drama about a teacher fighting to save a small rural school.

Nov. 9, at Teaneck Cinemas

• Noon, Coexistence, My Ass! (95 min). A documentary follows Israeli activist-comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi as she uses standup comedy to challenge her audience to confront difficult truths. A talkback/Q&A with comedian/writer Sharif Hassan and standup comic Freddy G will follow.
• 3 p.m., Saffron Kingdom (84 min). A New Jersey premiere, this drama tells the story of a Kashmiri immigrant family in the United States. A talkback/Q&A with director Arfat Sheikh and Mona Bhan, professor of South Asian studies at Syracuse University will follow.

Nov. 9, at the Puffin Cultural Forum

• 12:30 p.m., Plastic People (84 min). A documentary that deep dives into the effect of microplastics on human health. A talkback/Q&A with Paula Rogovin, a Teaneck activist, Gina Moreno of the state Department of Environmental Protection and Victoria Augustine of Beyond Plastics Queens will follow.
• 3 p.m., Vigilantes Inc. (78 min). Investigative reporter Greg Palast and his team dig into new attacks on voting rights, observed by a documentary camera crew. A talkback/Q&A with Palast will follow.
• 5:30 p.m.: HOME: Two (HU)Men, Silent Force, Your Silence is Loud Cecilia (60 min). A collection of dance-based short films. A talkback/Q&A with director and interdisciplinary artist Sagí Amir Gros will follow.

Sunday, Nov. 9, at Temple Emeth

• 12:20 p.m., Shttl (114 min). A historical drama about a Yiddish Ukrainian village on the border of Poland, 24 hours before the Nazi invasion. A talkback/Q&A with actor Moshe Lobel will follow.
• 3:30 p.m., Among Neighbors (100 min). Part documentary and part hand-drawn animated feature, follow the story of one of the last living Holocaust survivors from a small, rural Jewish-Polish town.
• 7:30 p.m., Lilly (93 min). The festival’s closing film focuses on the true story of an Alabama factory supervisor struggling to lift her family into the middle class. A talkback/Q&A with director Rachel Feldman and Senator Loretta Weinberg will follow.

Nov. 13, at Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, 687 Larch Avenue

• 7 p.m.: Sally! (103 min). A special bonus screening, biographical documentary explores the life and legacy of Sally Gearhart, a trailblazer in both feminist and LGBTQ movements.

Heading to this festival? Make sure to share all your thoughts and pictures with us on Instagram @bergenmagnj!