New Jersey Film Festival Returns in Hybrid Format

The 44th biannual New Jersey Film Festival is returning for select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between Jan. 23 and Feb. 22, 2026. Next year's festival will be a hybrid event, presented online and in person at Rutgers University.

Forty-five titles will premiere in New Jersey or Middlesex County as part of the New Jersey Film Festival and the Super 8 Film and Video Festival. These events will feature multiple features and short works by various filmmakers.

In-person screenings and filmmaking workshops will take place at Voorhees Hall No. 105, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, with showtimes at 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. on scheduled dates.

Ticket options include general admission at $15 per program, a Festival All Access Pass at $120, in-person-only student tickets at $10 per program, and free filmmaking workshops with limited seating and advance registration.

According to New Jersey Stage, all the works being screened are part of the New Jersey Film Festival and the United States Super 8 Film and Digital Video Festival competitions. A panel of judges selected the works from entries submitted by media professionals, journalists, students, and academics. Judges selected the 45 finalists, which will be publicly screened at the festival. The finalists were chosen from more than 643 works submitted by filmmakers from around the world. 

In addition, the judges will select prize winners in collaboration with the festival director. Prize winners will be announced via social media after the screenings on Feb. 22, 2026.

The New Jersey Film Festival will offer a special screening of Christine Turner's documentary Sun Ra: Do The Impossible on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Sun Ra: Do The Impossible explores the life and work of jazz musician, composer, and poet Sun Ra. 

The festival will also feature in-person special guest appearances by film directors, producers, and actors. These appearances include:

Virtual filmmaker introductions and question-and-answer sessions will be offered for many of the films.