the Rutgers Film Co-op/New
Jersey Media Arts Center, Inc.
“You have a time limitation and
most likely financial limitations
as well. I’m not sure if shorts
allow filmmakers more leeway
with their work, but I can tell you
that I see a lot of feature films
that would be great short films.
Many filmmakers don’t know
how to let go of some of their
images. They fall in love with
too many of them and don’t re-
alize they are bogging down
their work.”
Nigrin says he believes nar-
rative short films should make
a distinct point, but experi-
mental films do not have to
be understood. Sometimes
the two worlds appear to col-
lide as in The Inescapable Ar-
rival of Lazlo Petushki. Werner,
from Glasgow, Scotland, took
one and half years to create his
short, and says many people
have been enthusiastic about
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 42
the film — a project that will
hopefully be a stepping stone in
his career.
“The truth is that I find the
short film format rather chal-
lenging,” Werner admits. “I re-
ally like arriving in a scene and
its atmospheric intensity and
look forward to making feature
films. The ultimate goal with
this film and all of my work is to
hopefully create a worthwhile
experience that leaves people
inspired. I’m also hoping to es-
tablish my filmic handwriting
with this short with the view to
creating a feature next.”
The New Jersey Film Festival
takes place on the Rutgers Uni-
versity campus in New Bruns-
wick from January 26 through
March 2nd. The festival gener-
ally screens both shorts and fea-
ture films and every screening
is a New Jersey or an area pre-
miere. For more on the festival
visit www.njfilmfest.com w
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