You can skip the next Sundance and bid adieu to Cannes.
If you’re looking to be a part of the hottest new festival to hit the filmmaking scene, you now only need to travel to Woodstown for the Salem County Film & Arts Festival, where they’re looking to put South Jersey on the map as the place to be for pure movie magic.
The event, put on by the county’s department of economic development, is being held for the first time on Saturday, April 25, at multiple locations throughout downtown Woodstown.
Sean Sepsey, Salem County’s director of economic development, and the festival’s director, said the support and enthusiasm for this project was felt immediately when the festival was announced.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see when we put this out here the amount of positive feedback we got from the public and the amount of local filmmakers who were like, ‘I’ll volunteer my time for free. I just want to be a part of this,’” Sepsey said.
The event was crafted as a way to celebrate and promote the fact that Salem has recently completed the certification process for the state’s Film Ready New Jersey program, which prepares local communities for opportunities stemming from film productions.
The festival will include a number of events and elements including movie-themed train excursions, offered by Woodstown Central Railroad.
“People can get on the train, then get off at spots and they can actually film with the train driving by,” Sepsey said.
He said the county is hoping the event will return annually, but admitted its creation has taken a lot of effort.
“We’re working seven days a week, nights, holidays, weekends,” Sepsey said..
To help with that work, Sepsey said he enlisted reinforcements in the form of a pair of sisters from Pennsville – Dana Yangello and Tina Pezzotta – who have taken the reins of the event as the festival’s producers.
“They used to tell people they’re helping me with this film festival,” Sepsey said of the sister duo. “Now, they’re taking the lead on it, and now I feel like I’m helping them.”
Yangello said it’s definitely been a team effort.
“We like to call ourselves the three musketeers,” she said. “It’s been a really fun journey so far. When Sean came to us saying the county is looking to do something that brings more film opportunity and awareness to the county, Tina and I were like, ‘we’re in!’”
Both Yangello and Pezzotta have extensive experience in the entertainment and film industries, with both having lived and worked in California for many years. They both recently moved back to Pennsville, but each continues to travel to the West Coast frequently for work.
Pezzotta lived in California for 15 years, and among other jobs, she spent much of her time there as an educator. She said she and her husband still run a camp in L.A., where they return each summer and teach technology, including aspects of filmmaking, to kids
In keeping with that educational theme, entries in the festival will be judged by local film studies educators along with industry professionals.
Pezzotta said that one of the requirements for being a judge is that they provide actual feedback in their assessment of the films.
She said they felt that too often judges in festivals simply vote whether a film wins or loses, with no discussion as to why or what the judge may like or dislike about a project.
“One of the biggest things that we wanted to add to this (festival), that most don’t have, is that connection between the viewer and the filmmaker,” Pezzotta said.
Awards will be given in a number of categories, with prizes offered in the form of resources, like equipment and classes, which could help further the winners’ filmmaking careers.
Yangello lived in L.A. for about eight years, and said she has a theater background and has worked as an actor and producer on film projects.
Like Sepsey, she said that right from the beginning of her involvement with the event, she found there to be a huge outpouring of support for the idea, with local businesses offering to help and collaborate on the festival.
Collaboration is a recurring theme when talking about the festival. Yangello, for instance, said they are partnering with Rowan University’s film department on the project and proceeds from the event will benefit Salem Community College.
She said those facts alone made this festival worth their involvement, and a full-circle moment for them, as the sisters each attended both of those schools before moving west.
Local businesses have gotten in on the partnership opportunities stemming from the festival, with many in the area offering discounts to festival-goers or finding other ways to participate.
The Blue Moon Theatre will play host to not only the screenings for the films, but also to a live variety show on their stage to kick off the festival.
Nearby Farmers & Bankers Brewing will be the location for a networking event with filmmakers following the film screening.
Yangello said that one of the requirements for a film’s inclusion in the festival was that either the filmmaker had to be from South Jersey or the film needed to include at least two scenes shot in Salem County. She said this was done in an effort to showcase local talent and provide opportunities for filmmakers in Salem and South Jersey.
The festival itself, Yangello said, will offer opportunities for everyone, whether they are directly involved in filmmaking or not, as a way to celebrate the arts in South Jersey.
“Even if you aren’t a filmmaker or you aren’t a performer, still come out and check it out,” she said. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
For more information, look for the Salem County Film & Arts Festival on Facebook and Instagram, or visit them online at www.choosesalem.org/film
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