Photos taken by the Fort Lee Film Commission

Melanie receiving her ‘Best of the Fest’ Prize from James Gandolfini’s sister Johanna Antonacci on Saturday.

Melanie’s film “100 Likes” showing at Festival in Fort Lee.

http://www.jerseyfilmmakersoftomorrow.org/

2014 Jersey Filmmakers of Tomorrow Bergen County High School Student James Gandolfini Best of the Fest Winner: Melanie Juliano of Cliffside Park High School for her film “100 Likes”

On November 8th 2014, the Fort Lee Film Commission sponsored our 10th annual Jersey Filmmakers of Tomorrow Bergen County High School Student Film Festival in the auditorium of Fort Lee High School. This festival is open to all high school students who reside in Bergen County. This year the festival finalists screening & awards ceremony moved back to Fort Lee from Media Mix Studio in Allendale in preparation for the future home of this annual festival at the soon to be built Barrymore Film Center cinema and museum on Main Street in Fort Lee, NJ, the first American film town and birthplace of the American film industry.

This year we had over 120 submissions from around Bergen County and there were 10 finalists. The judges this year include Michael Gandolfini, son of the late great acclaimed New Jersey native and actor James Gandolfini. Our sponsors include Downtown Community Television Center and Sirk Productions, both of Manhattan. We also thank James Gandolfini’s great friend Tom Richardson for his support as well as Mr. Gandolfini’s sisters Johanna Antonacci and Leta Gandolfini. Johanna presented our top prize, the James Gandolfini Best of the Fest Award to our 2014 winner Melanie Juliano.

The James Gandolfini Best of the Fest winner receives $500 and an internship with Downtown Community Television Center. James Gandolfini had a working relationship with DCTV and they make this internship available to us in his memory. Also the winner receives 72 hours of post production tom at Sirk Productions Digital Studio on West 31st Street in New York City. Fort Lee Film Commission member Marc Pérez is one of the co-founders of Sirk.

The Second Place winner is Peter Chamalian of Cresskill High School for his film Found. Our Third Place Winner is Andrew Favorito of Pascack Valley High School for his film Escape From Orcus.

All of the top ten finalists can intern at Sirk Productions and the Fort Lee Film Commission will lead off each of our 2015 Movies & Music Under the Star programs for 10 weeks this coming summer with a screening of one of these films and we will invite the student filmmaker to introduce their film.

Left to right, Fort Lee Film Commission (FLFC) Chair Nelson Page, FLFC Executive Director and Jersey Filmmakers of Tomorrow (JFOT) Festival Director Tom Meyers, James Gandolfini’s sister Johanna Antonucci, 2014 Jersey Filmmakers of Tomorrow James Gandolfini Best of the Fest Award Winner Melanie Juliano of Cliffside Park High School for her film 100 Likes, 2014 JFOT Third Palace winner Andrew Favorito of Pascack Valley High School for his film Escape From Orcus, 2014 JFOT Second Place winner Peter Chamalian of Cresskill High School for his film Found, and filmmakers and Fort Lee Film Commission associate member Nancy O’Mallon.

 

Left to right: Andrew Favorito of Pascack Valley High School for his film Escape From Orcus, Sophia Davis of Mahwah High School for her film Reunited, Tasha Merchant of Fort Lee High School for her film Phantasmagoria, Presenter of the Best of the Fest James Gandolfini Award Johanna Antonucci (James Gandolfini’s sister), Blair Thomas, Jennifer Moutenot, Julia Mack and Erica Liverchia of Mahwah High School for their film The Tool, Peter Chamalian of Cresskill High School for his films Found, The Box and Don’t Let the Sun, Laura Shih and Juan Rebuffo of Fort Lee High School for their film Life Everlasting, Kenny Shim of Tenafly High School for his film The Interrogation, James Gandolfini Best of the Fest Award Winner Melanie Juliano of Cliffside Park High School for her film 100 Likes, and Tom Richardson of DCTV.