Previewing the 2024 Indie Street Film Festival w/ Founder Jay Webb

by Darian Scalamoni

    The Indie Street Film Festival is a NJ-based film festival in Red Bank, NJ which was founded by Jay Webb, an entrepreneur, indie film producer and owner of the Toji Nature Retreat in Costa Rica. With this festival, Indie Street aims to combine its curated film selections with connective community events in order to celebrate human creativity and storytelling. ISFF selects films that voice high impact human stories from across all genres, mediums and locations. The festival has had films that have screened at other festivals such as Sundance, Slamdance and SXSW, as well as won awards at the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards. Darian sat down with Webb to discuss this year's festival as well as some of its amazing lineup as the festival begins TONIGHT and goes until August 25 all over Red Bank.

Darian: 

"Thanks for taking some time to chat with me man! How would you describe the festival for someone who might not be familiar with Indie Street?"

Jay:

"The Indie Street Film Festival is a collection of independent cinema, fine art, experiences, music and connective parties and events that bring storytellers together from all over the world to connect with the Red Bank community. We play films in Basie Center Cinemas, The Vogel and Two River Theater, and have parties and events at Triumph Restaurant and Brewery, Jamians, among others, to really make the week special. It's an important event because we really curate the films to highlight different voices and perspectives from around the world, so our local community gets to see these films before they're even released, and to discuss the story and the origins of the story with the filmmakers themselves."

Darian:

"What makes you more excited this year for the festival than in past years?"

Jay:

"This year we've expanded to seven days, so you know it's going to be bigger and better than ever. We have more filmmakers this year than last year. So that shows that people are starting to, you know, just be comfortable again, going out to the cinema, coming out to these events. As you know, after COVID, there was certainly a little bit of hesitation. This year we expect to be back to full force. We have a film on opening night called Mediha and that stands out. The film itself is very powerful. It's about a young woman who was kidnapped by ISIS. She's actually going to be in attendance for a Q&A, which I think will really be inspiring to anyone who's able to come out to the Vogel for opening night."

Darian:

"Talk to me about the exposure and marketing of this festival and bringing people together in Monmouth County and what that means to you."

Jay:

"I mean, I think that's what the Indie Street Film Festival is all about. It's more than just an event. It's kind of a feeling of community and togetherness that can only come from humans expressing themselves, being vulnerable and sharing stories with each other and these types of arts events, whether it's, you know, a Film Festival or painting a mural. It's just a fully immersive and connective experience that I really don't think people should miss. We couldn't put on this Film Festival without all of the community partners. So even just getting businesses together to help support and make it possible to bring in these storytellers, that's kind of where it all begins. All of the venues that Red Bank has to offer are just beautiful and there's just some amazing restaurants and bars. All of the support that we get from local businesses and the Monmouth Arts Council just, you know, it wouldn't be possible without them. On top of that, year to year its about putting a really well curated group of films together where our community knows that they're gonna come and be inspired. They're gonna laugh, they're gonna cry and go through the gamut of emotions with us through a week of films and beautiful self-expression."

Darian:

"There are a number of names attached to narrative projects this year. You have short films that star Fred Armisen, Victoria Pedretti, Keith David amongst others in the festival this year. A feature that stars Kirby as well. What are some of the projects you’re excited for in terms of the narrative blocks?"

Jay:

"Short programs are always the hardest for our programming team to select because we're more and more impressed every year. And you can even see that by the names that are becoming attached to some of these short films because they're just such amazing stories and just so well produced. Some short filmmakers might not get the credit that they deserve or the fame, but they're starting to get recognized in the industry. It's hard to pick favorite short films or short film programs but getting to at least one of the narrative short film blocks is highly recommended. We also do a New Jersey shorts program which features only New Jersey filmmakers and every year that's super exciting for our state and creatives. If I had to pick, and I'm biased as an NJ native, but I would probably say getting out to the New Jersey short films block, but you really can't go wrong with any of the other three. The world is still kind of finding and discovering how to distribute these short films and how to get people to see these amazing projects. For right now, coming to film festivals like Indie Street is certainly one way to access them."

Darian:

"You always do a great job of selecting timely documentaries for the festival as well. This year you have LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood, artificial intelligence, as well as covering harder topics such as worldwide genocide and ISIS. Talk to me about your selection process for films such as these and the importance of giving a platform to these stories."

Jay:

"Documentaries over the last few years have just been getting better and better. It's been a lot harder to decide. We try to have a nice, broad collection of docs that not only will evoke different emotions but also be timely and poignant to things that people and humans are going through in their lives. This year's selection, an AI film, Eternal You, for instance, everyone has a question of what is gonna happen with AI. No one has the answer. Some people are scared of it, some people are excited, and this film does a really amazing job at being a passive lens while investigating a piece of software that allows people to talk to their deceased relatives. We see some positive reactions; we see some very negative and emotionally frightening reactions to the software. It's something that I think everyone is interested in and it's on our mind. We know it's an important discussion to have and see how it's going to affect all of us across multiple industries. And then, you know, there are some films like, Mediha, which all of our panelists watched, and when we all saw that film, it's just, you know, it's an emotional, personal story."

Darian:

"Part of the Indie Street mission is: Paving the way for storytellers of the future, how do you define that as the founder of this festival and how have you adapted as you enter your 9th festival?"

Jay:

"What we want to do is create a space for open discussion and transparency. When our filmmakers come to Indie Street for the week, we all kind of gather together and it's a knowledge share of what the industry is looking like, what distribution is looking like in the upcoming years, and just to try to help each storyteller to find their own path because success in this artistic industry means something different for each person. It doesn't necessarily need to lead to Hollywood or celebrity or fame. Just every single year there are new platforms and new models that are exciting us and exciting filmmakers. We always just want to make sure that we're having things like panel discussions and discussions about the future of filmmaking. We want to always create a safe space to share and be transparent with each other to help everyone find their own path."

Darian:

"My last question for you: If it were up to you, looking ahead a year, for the 10th anniversary of this awesome festival, how would you want to see it expand and grow as you approach such a great milestone and accomplishment for Indie Street?"

Jay:

"That's a good question. I don't think expansion is exactly the word we're looking for. I think the size of the festival feels right. In this type of world that we live in, it's hard to get our message and even just the announcement of the event happening out there. We want to generate as many eyeballs as possible. I think it would just be my hope by year 10 that everyone in the local community knows about Indie Street Film Festival and understands what it is. It's just about continuing to gain exposure, so that anyone that wants to come be inspired for the week with us, has the opportunity to do so."

Head to Indie Street's website to learn more about the festival, check out their lineup and buy passes for select films or even the whole Indie Street Film Festival experience!