Jonathan Kalafer's award-winning documentary film Once In A Lullaby and Olivia Newman's award-winning short film First Match will be screened this coming Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 at the New Jersey Film Festival! Both films are part of the four-part "Best of the 2012 New Jersey International Film Festival Program."

Check out this recent video interview I did with director Jonathan Kalafer on his film Once in a Lullaby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czFWaOdDelg&feature=colike

And see the trailer for Once in a Lullaby here:
http://vimeo.com/39578585

First Match - Olivia Newman
Fourteen-year-old Monique “Mo” Morris is the only girl on what has been an all-boys wrestling team. As she prepares for her first, co-ed high school match, her desire to beat her male opponents on the mat is about more than proving to her skeptical teammates that she has earned her starting position. She is also seeking to connect with her father, a former wrestler himself. 2011;15 min. Winner 2012 New Jersey International Film Festival Best Short Film!

Once in a Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story - Jonathan Kalafer
An exhilarating documentary about a children’s chorus at Public School 22 in New York City and the amazing choir director, Gregg Breinberg, who took these fifth-graders all the way to performances at the White House and the 83^rd Academy Awards. Their shared journey started when Breinberg posted videos of their performances on YouTube which went viral.  As the film follows the students from the hallways and streets of Staten Island to the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, back-stage dramas combine with homesickness as the 10- year-olds navigate the world of the entertainment elite. The drama culminates when Breinberg and the producer of the Oscars clash over creative differences and half the chorus loses their voices the day before the big show.  But the show did go on, and the performance they give that night is heart-stoppingly glorious.  2012; 87 min. Winner 2012 New Jersey International Film Festival Best Documentary Film!

Friday-October 19, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Voorhees Hall #105, Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton St.,
New Brunswick, New Jersey
$10=General Admission; $9=Students+Seniors