By Mary Ann Bourbeau
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – At a time when it seems like movie run times are getting longer (Academy Award winner “The Brutalist” clocked in at 3 hours and 35 minutes), the annual FilmOne Fest in Atlantic Highlands is like a breath of fresh air. The short film festival, which takes place this year July 19, challenges filmmakers to keep their stories under two minutes in length.
And if you think a story can’t be told in that amount of time, think again.
For 17 years, FilmOne Fest has brought the best short films from around the world to the scenic Atlantic Highlands Marina. In conjunction with the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council, it has turned into a must-see, family-friendly event, complete with food, vendors and live music before the films begin screening at dusk.
“It’s incredible what can be told in two minutes,” said festival director Corinna Thuss. “It’s a really magical night under the stars, something you can’t get anywhere else.
FilmOne Fest offers filmmakers the opportunity to meet and make industry connections while enjoying a unique outdoor screening event that combines film, art and music. Categories include comedy, drama, sci-fi, horror, experimental, documentary, animation, student, New Jersey and female filmmakers. This year, 64 films were chosen from 1,923 submissions. They come from 26 different countries.
“It’s a very long process,” said Thuss. “We weed out anything with foul language or films over two minutes. We look for quality, creativity and storytelling. We have a large committee led by submissions director Andrew Struse, so we’re doing this from January through May 15.”
This year’s films include “The Postman,” a comedy from England about a young man sitting on a bicycle pretending he’s in a motorcycle race. When the postman arrives to deliver mail, he decides to give it a try himself and hops on the bike.
“You can feel the joy and happiness of this postman,” said Thuss. “It sounds silly, but it’s so well told. It really captures the idea of doing things you don’t always expect to do.”
Another film, called “Rabbit Living,” was created using stop-motion animation with felt figures. As the figure of a rabbit moves about, you can hear an audience laughing. The rabbit is trying to sit still and read a book, but the felt board shakes and the laughter is so loud the rabbit falls off his chair. Then a hand comes at him, and you see a magician pull the rabbit out of a hat.
“People love the comedies and animation,” said Thuss. “The documentaries, female and experimental stories can be a little heavy. The audience likes it light. We keep a few of the edgier submissions for the end.”
Another film, called “Part of Being Human,” is dedicated to Julie Gartenberg, who co-founded the festival with Robert O’Connor. Gartenberg died in 2015.
“It really captures the essence of what Julie was all about,” said Thuss.
The event includes Jury and Judge, Audience Choice and Young Filmmakers awards. This year’s judges are entrepreneur and former media executive Steve Grieder; television writer, director and producer Agi Fodor; entertainment industry executive Amy Samuelson; journalist and film commentator Victor Zak; and former Hollywood film tech Gary Hildebrand.
The inaugural FilmOne Fest drew approximately 500 visitors. Now, about 1,500 to 2,000 people bring their chairs to secure their spot in front of the screen by 10 a.m. Vendors will be selling craft items, including soap, skincare products, wood carvings, home décor, clothing, jewelry, crochet handbags, pens and art. There will be several food trucks along with entertainment by soloist Kiki Infante and the classic rock cover band Wayward Souls.
The event is free and runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 19 with a rain date of July 20. In case of a complete washout, it will be rescheduled to take place at Smodcastle Cinemas sometime in September.
The Atlantic Highlands Arts Council and FilmOne Fest are all-volunteer organizations. FilmOne Fest is supported by Sony Pictures Classics and in part by the Monmouth County Arts Council through funding from the Board of County Commissioners, the County Historical Commission and the NJ State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts. FilmOne Fest supports the Area Association of Community Churches Food Pantry. Donations may be made at aaccfoodpantry.com.
The article originally appeared in the July 17 – 23, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
