New Jersey Documentary Film Festival

Festival Schedule:

12 Noon: Grit & Grace

COME HOME MY CHILD

For over two decades, Mama Yang, a Taiwanese immigrant, has immersed herself in New York's prison system, exchanging letters with inmates. Over ten years, this documentary captures Mama Yang's remarkable odyssey, delving into the lives of those she connects with in their shared realm of isolation. Penning over 10,000 letters, Mama Yang's journey unfolds against a backdrop of profound human connection.
Through a decade-long lens, the film reveals the tender bond between Mama Yang and the inmates, juxtaposed with the tumultuous relationship between Mama Yang and her granddaughter, Ellen.

Interwoven with these diverse stories, the film exposes the harsh realities of life's vicissitudes but also celebrates the redemptive power of love that transcends barriers of race and generation, offering hope and liberation to captive souls.

BRAVE- HOW THE MOUNTAINS SAVED MY LIFE

Maria Granberg lives to conquer the world's highest mountains. It's her way of trying to understand herself better and evolve as a person. It's also a means of coping with the darkness that comes and goes in life.

In September 2022, she is set to climb the 8163-meter high Manaslu in Nepal without oxygen. When the expedition, after several weeks, is on the verge of reaching the summit, the unthinkable happens, and reality leaves her with only one conceivable way out. BRAVE – How The Mountains Saved My Life is a short documentary that is about confronting one's vulnerability to find the courage to truly live.

2:30PM: Bizarre Journeys

ALIEN ABDUCTION- A PHYSICAL CASE

What would you do if you were abducted by aliens? What if your partner was with you, making it impossible for you to deny what happened? What if your abductors made the journey back to do several welfare checks allowing you to compile physical and photographic evidence? What if you believed you were programmed by an advanced alien race with message and purpose of peaceful disclosure and an entire planet was counting on you to succeed? What if no one took you seriously, not even the film maker you hired to tell your story? An award winning, must see, real life drama about a real couple and their efforts to tell their true life story. This film is also concise source of UFO history, facts and research and has been watched hundreds of times as a resource by select members of the Congressional Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, Wisconsin Representative Glen Grothman Chairman, who are currently investigating UAPs and UFOs. Watch “Alien Abduction: A Physical Case” and find out for yourself.

THE UNEMCUMBERED LIFE OF A FRENCH HOUSE FLY

A day in the life of a French house fly.

5:30PM: Unbroken Spirits

DON’T LOOK AWAY

In the span of six years, the film follows Corey to show how his facial difference has impacted his life, friendships, family relations, romantic relationships, and careers, and how these experiences have shaped his personality and perspective. By capturing the daily life of Corey, the film shows the audience the challenges of living with a facial difference: being stared at, bullied, constantly having to explain your facial difference, the struggles of online dating, and the psychological and emotional impact of all of these experiences. Corey’s facial difference is so rare that the doctors simply called it a “craniofacial deformity” when he was born. By age 19, he had at least 50 major reconstructive surgeries–Corey does not count outpatient procedures. Growing up in the boonies of upstate New York for all his life with his loving and physically disabled mother, Corey has never had a regular job and struggles financially, relying on government assistance and family members and friends. Corey is determined to become an actor and writer and wants to get his first book published. He draws from his adversities of living with a facial difference and uses them in his stories and performances to inspire others like him. He is motivated to show the world that people with facial differences are more than meets the eye.

MY FIRST BREATH; THE STORY OF CARL GIBSON

A Journey into the life of Carl Gibson; a man whose early struggles with substance abuse threatened to consume him. From experimenting with 'huffing gas' at age 10 to a harrowing battle with addiction that cost him his family, his support system, and his actual “life” (twice), Carl's story is one of resilience, redemption, and restoration. Today, he shares his lessons and life experience, revealing a man of unwavering faith and a mission to help others overcome addiction and rebuild. Discover the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity in this powerful documentary.

UPON RETURN

ABC Journalist Bob Woodruff shares his experience reporting on the Iraq war in 2006. He speaks on the founding and success of his foundation which aids veterans and explains the difficulties of coming back from war with injuries as they relate to his personal and professional life.

8:00 PM: Justice In Action

AMERICAN POT STORY: OAKSTERDAM

WINNER OF THE AUDIENCE AWARD AT SLAMDANCE 2023, American Pot Story: Oaksterdam is a documentary about how change transpires in America. The account of "a small group of concerned committed citizens" (to quote Margaret Mead) who took a huge risk in order to bring about a massive shift in public perception. It all happened at Oaksterdam University in Oakland , California - a magical place where cannabis history was made, falling right in place with Oakland’s rich history of civil resistance. Today when we see celebrities and corporations get into the cannabis business it’s easy to forget how many millions of people unjustly suffered and still suffer because of the American drug policy. Our documentary is not just an important historical chronicle of a campaign that brought into the mainstream a taboo topic, it’s also an inspiring reminder of how democracy can work when people come together in an effort to fulfill our pledge to liberty and justice for all.

LONE STAR THREE

In 1969 a trio of University of Texas coeds challenged their university, American government policy, and social stigma by starting a campus birth control information center, but their mission turned to helping women obtain safe, illegal abortions in Mexico under the surveillance of the FBI, risking felony charges and their educations, and initiating the lawsuit that became Roe v Wade.

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