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IMPORTANT: Our 2024 festival will be hybrid. This means we will offer both in-person (live) screenings and virtual screenings.
Please note: In-person screenings will not be offered virtually and virtual screenings will not be offered in-person.
Virtual TIFF 2024 will be available on demand with a pre-recorded talkback.
A House Is Not A Disco
Documentary - 90 MINUTES
Directed by Brian J. Smith
Description: Documents a year in the life in the world’s most iconic “homo-normative” community: Fire Island Pines. Situated fifty miles from New York City, this storied queer beach town finds itself in the midst of a renaissance as a new generation of Millennial homeowners reimagine The Pines for a new, more inclusive era. A cast of eccentrics, activists, drifters, and first timers reflect on the legacy of The Pines while preparing their beloved village for the biggest challenge it has faced since the AIDS crisis: rising seas caused by climate change.
Sponsored by Teaneck Creek Conservancy
Talkback with Director Brian J. Smith; Wren Logan, community ecologist
Ain’t No Back To a Merry-Go-Round
Documentary - 89 MINUTES
Directed by Ilana Trachtman
Description: When five Black college students sat on a segregated Maryland carousel in 1960, their arrests made headlines. When the Jewish community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the protest, a history-making interracial demonstration was born. The cause and the collaboration provoked counterprotests by the American Nazi Party and brought congressmen and national leaders to the picket line.
Sponsored by Bergen County (NJ) Chapter of the Links, Inc.; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Iota Epsilon Omega Chapter; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Theta Lambda Chapter
Talkback with Director Ilana Trachtman
The Catskills
Documentary - 86 MINUTES
Directed by Lex Gillespie
Description: Documentary on the rise and fall of the Borscht Belt. With a treasure trove of lost-and-found archival footage and a cast of characters endowed with the gift of gab, the film journeys into the storied mountain getaway north of New York City that served as refuge for Jewish immigrants fleeing poverty as well as a lavish playground for affluent Jewish families.
Sponsored by the Jewish Standard
Talkback with Sharon Lee Parker, former director of guest relations at the legendary Concord Hotel
Daughter of Mine
documentary / crime - 36 MINUTES
Directed by Vanessa Martino
Description: In 1973, seven-year-old Joan D’Alessandro asked her mother Rosemarie if she could deliver a box of Girl Scout cookies to a neighbor and that was the last time Rosemarie saw Joan alive. Twenty years later, under the threat of the murderer’s impending release, with the help of her community, Rosemarie fought to keep him in prison. Rosemarie became a symbol of hope for her northern New Jersey community and a rallying point for victims' parents nationwide.
Sponsored by YWCA Northern New Jersey
Talkback with Director Vanessa Martino; Rosemarie D'Alessandro
Freedom Hair
Drama - 99 minutes
Directed & Written by Dianne Houston
Description: When a determined mother decides to start a natural hair braiding business to achieve financial independence, she must overcome unexpected obstacles imposed by a powerful cosmetology cartel and the state of Mississippi. Based on the inspiring, true story of Melony Armstrong.
Sponsored by National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Bergen / Passaic Chapter
Talkback with Melony Armstrong, subject of film; Actor Jeremie Harris; NJ State Senator Angela McKnight, introduced & sought passage of the CROWN ACT; Finele Anderson Tyre, Teaneck entrepreneur
Green Border
Drama (Subtitles - Polish, Arabic, English, French) - 152 MINUTES
Directed by Agnieszka Holland
Description: In the treacherous and swampy forests between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are lured by government propaganda that promises easy passage to the European Union. Unable to cross into Europe and unable to turn back, they soon find themselves trapped in a rapidly escalating geopolitical standoff.
Discussion / Q & A with Barry Lichtenberg, Esq.
Igualada
Documentary - (Subtitles - Spanish) - 81 MINUTES
Directed by Juan Mejia Botero
Description: In Colombia, a nation marred by profound racial and socio-economic disparities, a Black woman from a rural background challenges the status quo by launching a presidential campaign. Reappropriating the term “igualada,” Francia Márquez catapults a movement to the upper echelons of power, by refusing to “know her place.” Fifteen years in the making, this documentary peels back the curtain on how unprecedented change can happen.
Sponsored by League of Women Voters of Teaneck; Martin Luther King Birthday Committee
Talkback with Co-Producer Juan E. Yepes
Join or Die
Documentary - 99 MINUTES
Directed, Written & Produced by Rebecca Davis & Pete Davis
Description: Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it. Follow the half-century story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking "Bowling Alone" research into America's decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis. What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?
Sponsored by Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County; Steven L. Finkelstein, Russo Real Estate; Rotary Club of Teaneck; Center for Food Action
Little Kid Flicks
Children Ages 4 – 8, Free with paying adult - 67 MINUTES
Hosted by Miss Jolie
Description: Let your little ones discover the magic of the big screen with NYICFF Little Kid Flicks. Whether diving down into the ocean for a pufferfish standoff or skating to victory across the ice, these shorts are sure to enchant and delight all audiences (but especially our youngest!)
Sponsored by The Puffin Foundation, Ltd.; Teaneck Public Library; Barbara Ostroth, Coldwell Banker Realty
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
Documentary / music - 92 MINUTES
Directed by John Carluccio (of Teaneck)
Description: Portrait of the charismatic song-and-dance man from his tap-dancing childhood to today. Maurice and friends—Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington and Debbie Allen—tell tales from his seven-decade career, including Broadway shows, a co-starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club and about his loving yet complex relationship with his superstar brother, Gregory Hines. Ever battling the challenges of being a gay, black man in show biz, Maurice shares his story with humor and grace.
Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Bergen County Alumnae Chapter; Teaneck Community Chorus; NJ in Color
Talkback with Director / Writer John Carluccio and Producer / Writer Tracy E. Hopkins
On Golden Years
Comedy / Drama - 85 MINUTES
Directed by Tirlok Malik
Description: Shot at the only Indian retirement community in the United States, Shantiniketan in Florida, the film focuses on the theme of the retirement of the American Dream. It is a romantic comedy that teaches us to live every day like it’s Valentine’s Day.
Sponsored by Nachman, Phulwani, Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C.
Talkback with Director Tirlok Malik
The Picture Taker
Documentary - 80 MINUTES
Directed by Phil Bertelsen
Description: From his Memphis studio, Ernest Withers’ nearly two million images were a treasured record of Black history, but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy—or both? Withers' choices and the records he left behind provide an invaluable map of the roads this country has traveled, and how far it has yet to go
Sponsored by Bergen County (NJ) Chapter of the Links, Inc.
Talkback with Director Phil Bertelsen; Producer Lise Yasui; Digital Imaging Expert (featured in film) Carl Hixson
Politics is a Mother, Raising Hell is Part of the Job
Documentary - 70 MINUTES
Directed & Written by Francine Weinberg Graff (of Teaneck)
Description: Known as the ‘Feisty Grandma’, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg flipped New Jersey on its head when she unearthed the Bridgegate scandal. The debacle caused the fast and hard fall of then Governor Chris Christie. Told through the unique lens of a mother/daughter story, the film reveals how politics is always personal and that an “adorable” grandmother could be one of the most important politicians of our time.
Sponsored by Women of Wisdom (WOW); National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section (NCJW); YWCA Northern New Jersey; League of Women Voters of Teaneck; Reshma Khan; Arbor Terrace of Teaneck
Talkback with Director / Writer Francine Weinberg Graff and Senator Loretta Weinberg; Governor Jon Corzine
Sabbath Queen
Documentary / Biography - 105 minutes
Directed by Sandi Dubowski
Description: Filmed over 21 years, Sabbath Queen follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's journey as the heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis who is torn between accepting his ancestral destiny or becoming a drag queen rebel. In addition to his drag persona, Lau-Lavie is a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul: an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation.
Sponsored by Brian A. Kates (of Teaneck) & Jonathan Cohen
Talkback with Director Sandi Dubowski
Save the Cat
Documentary / short - 24 MINUTES
Directed by Jordan Matthew Horowitz
Description: When a Ukrainian family is forced to flee their home, a group of strangers from around the world band together to help reunite their youngest daughter with her beloved cat, Arsenii.
Strays
Short / Drama - 15 minutes
Directed by Or Schraiber; Written by Jamal Rana (Award-winning Teaneck Actor / Playwright)
Description: Told through the immigrant perspective, a man, thousands of miles from home and living in a foreign city, works non-stop to support his family back home. The film celebrates all those who come here to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones. So often, they might feel invisible, but they are not. The film honors the importance of caring for our fellow individuals.
Sponsored by Edie & Ray Turkin
Talkback with Jamal Rana & Producer Jane Kotlyar
Thelma
Action / Comedy - 98 MINUTES
Directed & Written by Josh Margolin
Description: Thelma Post is a 93-year-old grandmother who loses $10,000 to a con artist on the phone. With help from a friend and his motorized scooter, she soon becomes an unlikely action hero as she embarks on a treacherous journey across Los Angeles to reclaim what was taken from her. Inspired by the real-life experience of the director / writer’s own grandmother. With 94-year-old June Squibb and Richard Roundtree in his last role.
Sponsored by Adeline Wijnen; The Jewish Link; Age-Friendly Teaneck
Discussion / Q & A with Ellen Rand, advisory board member of Age Friendly Teaneck (and former executive director of TIFF); Colleen Diskin, communications coordinator; Janice Dorman, project coordinator of AFT
Union
Documentary - 102 MINUTES
Directed Stephen Maing & Brett Story
Description: A group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City's Staten Island challenges one of the world's largest companies in a unionization battle. Up against a corporate superpower and with legal protections at a drastic low for workers, all odds are against the ALU. Yet this rag-tag ensemble remains unswayed in their beliefs in collective action and the dignity and power of the working-class.
Talkback with Natalie Monarrez, key figure in film; Martin DiCicco, cinematographer
Voy! Voy! Voy!
Comedy / Drama / Sport (Subtitles - Arabic) - 100 minutes
Directed by Omar Hilal
Description: The story of Hassan - a security guard living an impoverished life with his mother in Egypt who dreams of traveling and living abroad. One day he stumbles on the sport of blind soccer and cunningly decides to pose as a visually impaired man to join a team right before the World Cup tournament in Europe. Based on an incredible true story!
Sponsored by Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P. C.
Talkback with Director Omar Hilal
Far East Deep South - VIRTUAL
Documentary - 76 minutes
Directed & Written by Larissa Lam
Description: When a Chinese American family travels from California to Mississippi to visit the grave of their ancestors, they stumble upon surprising revelations. Along the way, they meet a diverse group of local residents and historians, who shed light on the racially complex history of the early Chinese in the segregated South. Their emotional journey also leads them to discover how the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 impacted their family and how deep their roots run in America.
Talkback with Director and Writer Larissa Lam
Ultimate Citizens - VIRTUAL
Documentary - 52 minutes
Directed by Francine Strickwerda
Description: Jamshid is an Iranian who came to study in 1970’s America, and due to the Revolution, never went “home.” As a guidance counselor in Seattle Public Schools, his best work takes place with frisbee in hand on the playing field with “his kids,” the children of refugees and immigrants.
Sponsored by Fairleigh Dickinson University; Teaneck Public Schools
Talkback with Director Francine Strickwerda; Jamshid Khajavi, subject of film
Wildcat - VIRTUAL
Biography / Drama - 103 Minutes
Directed by Ethan Hawke
Description: As director and co-writer, Hawke tells the story of Flannery O’Connor by imagining that her work and her life were inextricably intertwined, with one constantly influencing the other. The mid-century American writer had a flair for the darkly dramatic, exploring humanity’s grotesque and profane elements in ways that seemed shocking and inappropriate for a proper young lady from the South.
Sponsored by Wendy Wineburgh Dessanti, Weichert Realtors
Talkback with Robin Brancato, author & former English teacher at Teaneck High School
