Events

The films that become the centerpiece of the Black Maria Film and Video Festival honor the vision of Thomas Edison, New Jersey inventor and creator of the motion picture. It was his New Jersey studio, the world’s first, which he called the “black maria” (pronounced “mariah”) after which the festival is named. The cutting edge, cross-genre work that makes up the festival’s touring program, has been traveling across the country every year for decades.

Black Maria focuses on diverse short films – narrative, experimental, animation, and documentary – including those which address issues and struggles within contemporary society such as the environment, public health, race and class, family, sustainability, and much more. These exceptional works ranging from comedy to drama to the exploration of pure form in film and video are not sidebars to feature length films, they are the heart and soul of the festival. The program is free and all are welcome. Works which will be screened are unrated; some of the content is sophisticated and might not be suited to younger audiences.

Known worldwide for transcending the limits of tradition, the New York City-based string quartet ETHEL, comprised of Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), Kip Jones (violin) and Tema Watstein (violin), has for the past decade and a half actively, aggressively, joyfully, adapted their epic skill-set to the presentation of rainbow-colored music of every style and description. Guitarist Kaki King, recognized as one of “The New Guitar Gods” by Rolling Stone has, likewise, won an enthusiastic international following as her gutsy, honest, and astonishingly beautiful works seem to defy gravity. Brought together, these celebrated sound worlds intermingle and swarm to create a glorious and inspired collaboration.