The Back East Picture Show, a four-day competitive film festival that will take place at the Hudson Street Cinemas in Hoboken, kicks off on Thursday, April 25 at 11 a.m. with a screening of Catching Fire, a 59-minute documentary that chronicles 24 hours in the life of the small Westfield, New Jersey Fire Department. Other screenings that day will include Cigar by Car, an 11-minute short about a narcoleptic cigar shop attendant who chases a young shoplifter through a mystical cow pasture, and This Thing of Ours, a 101-minute mob movie starring Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore.
Founded by Anthony Costanza (the writer, producer and director of the self-financed movie Welcome to the Family) and Maria Perfetto (a former hotel employee who currently lives in Hoboken), The Back East Picture Show is Hoboken’s first official film festival. Along with screening 50 movies, including documentaries, full-length films, animations and shorts, the festival will feature several in-depth seminars as well as an Awards Gala on Saturday, April 27 where veteran actor Frank Vincent – who hails from Jersey City – will be honored.
Costanza, a 35-year-old New Jersey native, came up with the idea for the Back East Picture Show when he had trouble getting Welcome to the Family – the story of a New York mob boss diagnosed with a terminal disease – accepted into an already-established festival.
"After I finished my movie, I started sending it out to different festivals and it became apparent that the whole film festival circuit was pretty politically driven," Costanza said last week. "As far as feature films, there are only so many spots. I sent my film out to a bunch of festivals, 25 or so, and I didn’t get into any. With the difficulty we were having, I thought, why don’t we start our own festival? From there, Maria really took the reigns."
The first thing Perfetto did was approach Nelson Page, the owner of Hudson Street Cinemas.
"He is a film lover," said Costanza. "He actually co-founded the Lake Placid Film Festival. And he is a very nice guy. Right off the bat he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’"
From there, Costanza and Perfetto had to decide the festival’s theme.
"We wanted to show independent films with a focus on films that have been overlooked at other festivals," Costanza explained.
By placing ads in various trade magazines, Costanza and Perfetto received 135 entries from around the world, including movies made in Germany, Canada, Ireland, Israel and England and, of course, Hoboken. With the help of Stuart Ginsberg, a Hoboken resident who acts as the festival’s press officer, Costanza and Perfetto selected 50 films to be in the festival. According to Costanza, the Back East Picture Show’s selection process began with aesthetics.
"Film is a visual medium," he said, "so visually it’s got to be appealing. I don’t care how great the screenplay is or how great the acting is – it’s got to be aesthetically pleasing. That’s my opinion. The next things are the script and the acting. And I’m more forgiving of the acting than the other two things."
Creating a varied program was also important to Costanza.
"I also wanted the festival to be diverse," he said. "There is a good mix. We have some features, some documentaries, and some animations. Some of the films were made around here. We’re also screening movies from Germany, Canada and Ireland. There is a lot of talent in this festival."
On Saturday, April 27 there will be a Filmmakers Award Gala at Liberty House (76 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City). Along with bestowing the 2002 Back East Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran actor Frank Vincent, who has starred in such classics as Goodfellas, Casino and Do the Right Thing, 11 other awards will be presented, including the Barbato Tomorrow Award.
"The Barbato Tomorrow Award was named after Maria’s uncle Bobby," explained Costanza. "It’s a tribute to him. He was a real aficionado of film. And it will go to a fledgling filmmaker. Not to someone who’s had the resources. "
The Barbato Tomorrow Award recipient will receive 5,000 feet of 35 mm Fuji film, and Technicolor will pay for the processing.
"It’s the only monetary award we’re giving," Costanza said. "But it’s a nice kick off for a new filmmaker. Beyond that, we’re giving people who worked on a film for three years, four years, five years, the opportunity to see their film in a theater. Some of the big festivals don’t even show all of the movies in a theater. I know Sundance screens some of the movies in hotel rooms. We’re showing everything in a theater." q
Individual movie tickets can be purchases by visiting the Festival Schedule page on the festival’s web site or by calling the festival’s office Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (201) 239-1101. Tickets for the seminars as well as the Awards Gala are also available on the web site. Tickets can also be purchased at the Hudson Street Cinemas (5 Marine Plaza, Hoboken) one hour prior to screening. Individual tickets for Thursday, Friday and Saturday are $8. On Sunday, tickets are $10. One-day, two-day and all-access passes are also available. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the festival’s web site at www.backeastpictureshow.org.