Princeton has its fair share of traditions, and next month, a new one returns. May 15 will mark the second annual Nassau Film Festival, an event spearheaded by local filmmakers Lew Goldstein and Dan Bauer.
Goldstein, who is also assistant superintendent for Princeton Public Schools, got the idea to start the festival after noticing a gap in the Princeton film scene. “I felt there was a void for individuals who focused on short documentaries and short films. These are projects people work really hard on,” he said.
The two filmmakers approached the Princeton Garden Theatre with the idea, and were surprised to find it was enthusiastically welcomed. “When we proposed this to the Garden Theatre, they were intrigued. They were open to it, and they also liked that we wanted to work with students and nonstudents,” said Bauer.
Goldstein and Bauer see the Nassau Film Festival as an opportunity to give local filmmakers, as well as those from across the country, a voice. “It’s all about providing the avenue of opportunity for filmmakers, which a lot of them really don’t have,” said Goldstein. “They’re not going to enter the big film festivals, whether it’s Montreal or Sundance — they need a festival that’s more local.”
Last year, the Nassau Film Festival had approximately 45 submissions, split almost evenly between established filmmakers, students, and those simply looking to try something new. “The response was overwhelmingly positive last year,” Goldstein said. “Hopefully we’ll see a similar turnout this year.”
While called the Nassau Film Festival, its participants are not limited to the Princeton area. Last year’s student filmmaker winner was Luke Lorentzen, a Stanford student, while the nonstudent award went to Vijay Adireddy, who lives in New Brunswick. “We’d like to see more films from not just Princeton, but from the state, as well as the region,” said Goldstein.
Goldstein and Bauer cite the festival’s unique structure as essential to its success. Unlike many other film festivals, the Nassau Film Festival focuses solely on the short films; any genre of short film can enter. Additionally, winners are not chosen by a panel of judges, but by the audience.
“We put it to a vote. After the festival is over, people will submit their votes in a ballot box, the old-fashioned way,” said Goldstein. “We announce the winners later that afternoon.”
Because it focuses on short films, the festival receives a diverse range of submissions, says Bauer. “Short films can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes,” he said. “So that enables people to create films, even if they don’t think they’re filmmakers.”
For many students who submit, the Nassau Film Festival is a unique resource, Bauer said. “This is a great opportunity for individuals to showcase their films, especially for students, who have never dreamed of seeing the film up on the big screen,” he said. “The fact that you have a finished product that you’re proud of and that you can show, that’s amazing in itself.”
Bauer knows this feeling from experience. Having created a short documentary about his family, leben um zu sagen (live to tell), Bauer is happy to help out other filmmakers who are starting out. “I know the hard work that goes into making films. It’s not as easy as it looks,” he said. “You have to have a story, you have to have a budget, and you have to have someone helping you fund it. Even if it’s a short film, there’s a lot to take into consideration.”
“But the reward is great, to know that you created a work of art,” he said.
The Nassau Film Festival is also free to the public, a deliberate decision on Goldstein and Bauer’s part. “We decided we wanted to make a festival to give back to the community,” said Bauer. “The Princeton Public Library is a good example. Everything they show in their community rooms is free of charge, and that was sort of the model we were going for with this.”
Goldstein, who grew up in Bergen County, has been with Princeton Public Schools for about 15 years. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism; he then attended Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, earning his master’s degree in public affairs and organizational development in 1980.
He founded his film production company, Libelula Productions, in 2011 to develop shows for cable, radio, movie, and internet productions. Libelula has developed documentary films and worked with companies to promote their business. In addition, working with local cable and internet stations and regional television channels, Libelula provides local shows for programming. Its show, “Focus On,” which Goldstein hosts, has a wide viewership in central and southern New Jersey and northeast Philadelphia market.
Goldstein believes the festival benefits all Princeton residents, not just those directly involved in the screening process. “The festival brings individuals into town, which means it’s great for merchants,” said Goldstein. “This is an arts town so it’s a natural fit.”
Dan Bauer was the long-time director of public and community relations at McCarter Theatre and served as the director of marketing and public relations for George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. A long-term Princeton resident, Bauer hails from Buffalo, New York.
The festival succeeds in fostering connections between those seeking to create films. “It’s a great way for filmmakers to network and meet other filmmakers, and to see what’s out there, to collaborate, to discuss ideas,” said Goldstein. “You never know who’s out there, and a lot of individuals could get a break by having their film screened.”
With a year behind them, Goldstein and Bauer have new goals for this iteration of the festival. They have expanded its length, adding more hours to the day in order to accommodate what they anticipate will be an increase in submissions. “We’ve extended the festival, so hopefully that means more filmmakers will have an opportunity to have their films shown,” said Bauer.
To spread the word about the festival, they have reached out to film schools across the country, and they have developed a promo for the festival, which will be shown on local television. The Garden Theatre has also agreed to play the promo before movie showings.
While the festival continues to welcome all genres, Goldstein said breaking down the submissions into more categories this year will add a more competitive element. “Given the variety of entries we had last year, we’d like individuals to compete in the same category against one another, and we’re hoping to get more student entries and more filmmakers to enter their films,” he said.
One new category, animation, is also being added this year, after the festival received a clay-mation short film last May.
Submissions to the Nassau film due by April 30th and the festival begins May 15th. Interested in the festival? You can find more information on how to submit at nassaufilmfestival.org.
Some material taken from a May 2015 story by Susan Van Dongen in the U.S. 1 newspaper was used for this story.
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