“LISTEN UP”: Some of the Trenton musicians whose stories are told in “Listen Up — Trenton Makes Music,” a documentary by Art Varga of Running River Films, are shown in a group photo. The film is one of several documentaries which will be shown at the Trenton Film Festival May 1 and 2.
By Wendy Greenberg
The Trenton Film Festival is a way to celebrate the region and, at the same time, bring to Trenton cinephiles who might not normally visit.
And, on the weekend of May 1 and 2, with carefully selected documentary films showing at Mill Hill Playhouse, it is also about finding friends and engaging with filmmakers and others who have provided a reflective evening.
This year’s festival, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Trenton Film Society, is offering films on skateboarding, the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the limestone of Pennsylvania, bilingual families, the Trenton Educational Dance Institute (TEDI), the music that is part of Trenton’s history, and more.
Screenings are scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, and at 12, 3, and 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, followed by a reception and awards ceremony.
The festival, said filmmaker Dan Preston, is run by volunteers “who love the Trenton community,” and he attributes the longevity of the festival to their dedication. “They are people who love Trenton and the arts in Trenton.”
Preston, who runs the multimedia production company Telequest, is the director behind TEDI, a short film about the Trenton dance program. TEDI, which has been around longer than the film festival, he noted, “is an inspiring program not only about dance but about building confidence and connections, the idea that ‘everyone can do this.’ We’ve been following the program for many years.”
The festival, noted Preston and others, has seen changes over its two decades. “The fact that it keeps going is wonderful,” he said.
The early years, recalled board members, saw larger festivals at multiple venues. Recently, especially after the pandemic, the festivals were scaled back. “Simpler turned out to more long-lasting,” said treasurer Carolann Welsch. “Since that time, we have had all volunteers, and we have always had hard-working members. Keeping it more basic allowed us to last a long time.”
“Our goal is not to make money,” said Welsch. “It’s a nice time for people to get together. Audiences like the Q & A, which we try to have for all films.”
There are awards such as best longform and best shortform documentary, and audience favorite. Welsch and board member Evelyn Tu also noted that advertising for new board members brought “new energy and ideas.”
Tu credited Passage Theatre with offering space and setting up. In general, added Tu, the festival “is a place to mingle with people involved in the Trenton arts scene, which Trenton is known for.”
This year the festival opens with the four-minute Dare to Declare, celebrating the Semiquincentennial with students and community members reading the Declaration of Independence aloud. “It’s a powerful opening to the festival,” said Tu. Directed by Chris Cotter, that film is shown at 6:30 p.m. on May 1.
Following it is Ridge Army, directed by Sean Wixted, a longer film (103 minutes) about how a group of skateboarders transform an abandoned industrial site into a hub of creativity, friendship, and resilience, fighting to protect not just their playground, but each other.
On Saturday, May 2, the films start at 12 p.m. with Key{stone} Lime{stone}, directed by Anne Cieko. The eight-minute film “entwines histories and memories of industry (especially cement manufacturing in the Lehigh Valley, Pa.), domestic labor, immigration, and family through narrative poetry, stop-motion animation, and documentary-style video footage,” states the film’s synopsis.
It is followed by The Dying Business, a 50-minute film directed by Joe Duca, who pays tribute to his Italian American family’s attempts to innovate their third-generation funeral home in Johnstown, Pa.
Also included in that block is Extra Innings: The Story of the Over-the-Hill Gang, directed by Robert Mandelberg, a 27-minute film about a softball league for seniors, which is more about “refusing to fade quietly. It’s about what happens when you keep chasing joy, even when your knees hurt and your batting average isn’t what it used to be,” states a press release.
Preston’s film, The TEDI Story: 35 Years of the Trenton Education Dance Institute is just over three minutes, proving a film doesn’t have to be long to inspire.
And completing that block is Twin Tongues, a 50-minute film directed by Iliana Pagán-Teitelbaum, shot in Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, and Peru, celebrating multilingualism.
The next block of films, beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, includes Brewing Possibilities, directed by David Y. Block, which shows in 18 minutes employees sharing stories of getting jobs at Get Café in Narberth, Pa., where people of all abilities share their sense of accomplishment.
Mercy at the Gates (46 minutes), directed by Dan Tarrant, follows a journey out of drug addiction on the streets of Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood; and Fading Frequencies (50 minutes), directed by Matt Dixon, visits a record store in Wayne.
The last group of films, beginning at 6 p.m. on May 2, features Shontel Horne’s 16-minute Why I Love You: Meet The Ultimates, about the West Philadelphia R&B girl group whose song, “Why I Love” is making a comeback; and Art Varga’s 62-minute Listen Up – Trenton Makes Music, that looks at Trenton’s vibrant music scene in the ’60s and ’70s, and is a tribute to some of the gifted performers who shaped it and continue to celebrate it.
Purchase tickets at trentonfilmsociety.org, or at the door. Tickets are $7 for a single block of movies, $6 for students; and $14 for an all-access pass to four shows, $12 for students. For more information, visit trentonfilmsociety,org.