10th Annual Ridgewood Guild

International Film Festival

February 27, 2021 to March 3, 2021

On Feb. 27 – March 3, The Ridgewood Guild held its first Virtual International Film Festival. Due to COVID-19 and our mission to social distance, the Virtual Film Festival fit the bill! Over 85 films made it into the festival this year. Many films were brought to you from around the world. Q and A sessions were held with filmmakers. Documentaries, Short Subjects, Music Videos, Student Films and 2 Feature Films were viewed online. Two talented students were awarded $500.00 scholarships for the Best Student Films.

2020 RGIFF WINNERS

Best HS Student Winner ($500)
ELUDE Directed by Alejandro Santora

Honorable Mention HS Student Winners
AS SIMPLE AS HELLO Directed by Karson Kennedy
RUNAWAY Directed by Michelle Tang

Best Undergrad College Student Winner ($500)
THE START OF A NEW DAY Directed by Emma Russo

Honorable Mention Undergrad College Student Winners
APPETITE Directed by Maddy Freeman
THE PERFECT CUP Directed by Joseph Scelza

Best US Documentary Winner
CHOSEN Directed by Karlee King

Best International Documentary Winner
SURVIVOR STORIES (Canada) Directed by Ivan Verlaan & Julian De Zorzi

Best US Animation Winner
HELPING Directed by Emely Cintron

Honorable Mention US Animation Winner
SHIFTING GEARS Directed by LeAnn Cintron

Best International Animation Winner
MY TAGALONG (Canada) by Jerry Wang

Honorable Mention International Animation Winner
THE ASTRONAUT’S JOURNAL (Germany) Directed by Marina Belikova

Best Web/New Media Winner
COUP! Directed by Matthew Klass Esolda & Brian Goodheart

Honorable Mention Web/New Media Winner
ODDLY POPULAR Directed by Fred Gallo

Best US Music Video Winner
EVERYBODY SAID Directed by Brian Ostering & Amanda Duncan

Best International Music Video Winner
HOW LONG (Canada) Directed by Matt Mahurin

Best US Short Winner
ALINA Directed by Rami Kodeih

Honorable Mention US Short Winners
AMEND Directed by John Patrick Hayden
GOOD NIGHT DEATH Directed by Elsa Levytsky

Best International Short Winner
PAATH – THE LESSON (India) Directed by Karan Singh Rathore

Honorable Mention International Short Winners
THE QUIET PAIN (Japan) Directed by Timothy Amarillo
AMERICAN MARRIAGE (Italy) Directed by Giorgio Arcelli Fontana

Best Foreign Film Winner
PAATH – THE LESSON (India) Directed by Karan Singh Rathore

Audience Award Winner
UNSAFE (Student Film) Directed by Tori Kotsen & Ilya Zorin

For questions contact Film Festival Director Dotti Fucito at RidgewoodGuildFilmFestival@gmail.com.

For further information:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: RidgewoodGuildFilmFest.comSUBMISSIONS: filmfreeway.com/RidgewoodInternationalFilmFestival

Thank you to our Gold Star sponsors.

The festival lineup includes two feature length films:

Dana H. Glazer’s romantic drama A Case of Blue, starring Stephen Schnetzer and Annapurna Sriram, and Michelle Ekizian’s Love Songs Showscape from Gorky’s Dream Garden, a genre-bending hybrid opera. Some other notable entries include: Trent Dawson’s The Six, a crumbling romance shot entirely in an NYC subway; Elsa Levytksy’s Goodnight Death starring Callum Blue of The Tudors, where the Grim Reaper follows a young girl out to stop a serial killer; Dylan Skinner’s documentary about the fashion industry’s effect on body image UNCAGED; Spencer Muhlstock’s beautifully filmed and chillingly presented The Woods; Luz Cabrales’ Sing To Me, which explores the relationship between friendship, grief, and love.

Other films of note include:

Nora Mariana’s heart-poundingly intense story of an escape attempt from a Warsaw Ghetto in Alina; Lioness Studios’ Merrick Carlyle Has a Problem, which pits a teenage sociopath against the power of young love; Emergency Contact’s witty and socially-cognisant web series Coup!; Eddie Shieh’s In Sync, which hilariously asks what to do when both husband and wife bring home a new partner at the same time; Pat Battistini’s Ms. Rossi, a clever and whimsical foreign language short; Spencer Muhlstock’s beautifully filmed and chillingly presented The Woods; Bob Klein’s comical depiction of justice in the MeToo era in The Interrogation, Ethan Wilk’s deep dive into the world of professional hacking in the documentary, Hackers: The Misfit Superheroes and many more, many of which are premieres.

Bonus Content:

The RGIFF has also included exclusive bonus content (“specials”) to watch for free. As Film Festival Director Dotti Fucito states, “We decided to make up for this year’s lack of a red carpet with more Q & A’s, presentations about aspects of the film industry, interviews and some interactive content including a networking meeting. We have a fantastic slate of films this year, and we’re excited about how we’ve adapted to the virtual format.”

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: RidgewoodGuildFilmFest.comSUBMISSIONS: filmfreeway.com/RidgewoodInternationalFilmFestival

8TH Annual International Film Festival

"Something For Everyone"

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Lets take a look back at the Ridgewood Guild 8th International Film Festival. This event created an opportunity for film makers to bring their imagination to life and share it with the town of Ridgewood. As Tony said, “There’s something for everyone,” including short films that revolved around cultural standpoints to animated writing tools recreated as fictional characters. This annual event creates excitement for the film makers, their audience, and The Ridgewood Guild. We hope to see you at our 10th annual International Film Festival!