Monday Oct 22, 2018, 12 -2 pm
Art & Architecture Auditorium
Free and open to all

Films from the 2018 Black Maria Film Festival, which showcases the works of highly accomplished independent film and video makers, will be presented by the festival director, Jane Steuerwald.

Featured selections in the 12 pm Program include “New York City Sketchbook,” by Willy Hartland, Brooklyn, NY; “Insecta,” by Ramey Newell, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and #TAKEMEANYWHERE, by Shia LaBeouf, Nastja Rönkkö and Luke Turner. On May 23rd, 2016, they embarked on a 31-day project to hitchhike through the use of the internet. They tweeted their GPS coordinates, along with the #TAKEMEANYWHERE hashtag, and waited for a ride. Whoever appeared had the opportunity to take them wherever they chose. Their path was entirely in the hands of the public.

Black Maria is an international juried film competition that celebrates short films (animation, experimental, narrative, and documentary).  As a touring festival, they have advanced the work of diverse filmmakers from across the US and around the world since 1981.  The festival’s touring collection addresses topics such as the environment, public health, climate change, substance abuse, gun violence, sustainability, immigration, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ issues.
The Festival’s home is New Jersey City University in Jersey City, NJ and is named after Thomas Edison’s original West Orange film studio dubbed the “Black Maria” because of its resemblance to the black-box police paddy wagons of the same name.