HomeGrown in Jersey: Why Local Storytelling Matters and Where the New Jersey Film Industry Is Headed
- May 25
- 5 min read
Jump into a conversation exploring why local storytelling matters and where the New Jersey film industry is headed with the directors and creative teams behind six films featured in the 2026 Monmouth Film Festival program.
The 2026 Monmouth Film Festival (MFF), globally curated but locally rooted, showcases New Jersey’s emergence as a major hub for authentic storytelling. The state acts as both a backdrop and a creative engine for films reflecting its communities, landscapes, and identities, underscoring the importance of local storytelling in shaping the region’s filmmaking trajectory.
At MFF, the program directly reflects this momentum. This feature examines the creative ecosystem by highlighting filmmakers' voices: why they choose New Jersey, how place shapes their stories, and what it means to see their work screened in the same region where it was created.
To better understand this shift, we spoke with six directors and creative teams featured in the 2026 Monmouth Film Festival program: Klara Schmickler, behind Greetings from Seaside; Michael Sodano, behind BACKSTORY: The Bruce Springsteen Archives; Michael Altino, behind TWAS THE NIGHT; Adam Ansorge, behind Not a Hero by Accident; Sai Lang, behind Change; and Richard Bell, behind WAITING FOR APHRODITE.
Together, these projects offer a snapshot of a broader creative movement across New Jersey, where filmmakers are not only using the state as a filming location but also increasingly building narratives shaped by it.
From production experience to creative identity, this selection helps exemplify what makes New Jersey a uniquely active and evolving space for the film industry right now.
For filmmaker Michael Altino (TWAS THE NIGHT), that evolution is already evident in how productions are beginning to view the state. “New Jersey really is becoming a true hub for film and television production,” he explains. “In the past few years, there’s been a clear rise in production activity all over the state. It doesn’t just feel like a backup location anymore.”
That growing visibility extends far beyond production itself and moves into the spaces hosting these conversations. Altino points to Bell Works, this year’s festival venue, as a symbol of that momentum. “Bell Works has become such an iconic space in New Jersey, and it feels exciting to see it serve as a backdrop for the growing film community here.”
For others, the appeal of New Jersey comes less from infrastructure and more from atmosphere, authenticity, and the people themselves. German filmmaker Klara Schmickler (Greetings from Seaside) never originally planned to shoot in New Jersey at all. “I actually never planned to shoot a film specifically in New Jersey or Seaside Heights. It just kind of happened on its own,” she says. What began as a spontaneous visit slowly evolved into a film shaped by observation and interaction. “At first, I only wanted to take photos. But then eye contact turned into conversations, photos turned into videos, and chaos turned into form.”
Her experience also speaks to something many filmmakers continue to point toward when discussing New Jersey creatively: accessibility and honesty. When asked about what moment in Jersey-based production stood out clearly in her process, she exclaimed, “Definitely the people's honesty and openness were very special and so helpful for making a film!” Schmickler reflects, “In Germany, it would never happen like that.”
That sense of local connection also appears in the work of animator Adam Ansorge (Not a Hero by Accident), whose project emerged directly from everyday experiences within the state. “The idea of my film came from experiences within New Jersey with a town that had a horrible parking authority,” he jokes. Even while acknowledging the uncertainty around what New Jersey’s production future may fully become, Ansorge still recognizes the energy currently building around it. “A lot of good news feels buzzing around NJ,” he says, referencing the ongoing studio development at Fort Monmouth and across the state writ large.
For documentary filmmaker Michael Sodano (BACKSTORY: The Bruce Springsteen Archives), New Jersey’s filmmaking momentum is tied directly to the state’s cultural identity and artistic history. “Film, and digital production of all formats, is returning to where it all began, there’s no doubt,” he says. “Every day it seems a new production facility is being announced, and the excitement is palpable.”
Richard Bell (WAITING FOR APHRODITE) echoed that optimism surrounding the state’s expanding production infrastructure, noting, “Now, with Lionsgate in Newark and Netflix in Monmouth building mega-studios, film and television production in New Jersey is going to continue to grow and grow.” Sodano also points toward something larger than production infrastructure alone: the idea that New Jersey’s growth in film can impact the broader arts community statewide. “A rising tide raises all boats, right?” He says, while discussing the ripple effect, increased production could have across theater, music, art, and youth education programs across the state.
For filmmaker Sai Lang (Change), that momentum is deeply personal as well as political. “Change is a dark comedy about the current state of politics in our country,” she explains. “I set the project in NJ because of our state’s moderate policies.”
“In the film, I wanted to explore how moderate candidates could be seduced by right-wing politics for the promise of power.” Lang also notes that producing locally shaped both the logistics and the storytelling itself, adding, “Filming locally in NJ made for the best decision.”
Reflecting on the state’s evolving film landscape, she points to a clear shift in opportunity and perception: “Prior to this, I lived in New York and Los Angeles for many years, and they were always the hubs for film and TV, but in recent years, many of my friends in entertainment have been working and shooting large projects in NJ. Our state has so many wonderful locations… I think we have a great future for production here.” She adds that premiering the film at Bell Works carries special meaning: “We are thrilled to be able to screen Change at the iconic Bell Works Theatre!”
Through all of these conversations, one thing became increasingly clear: New Jersey’s filmmaking identity is no longer being defined solely by outside productions passing through. More filmmakers are building stories here, creating locally, and screening work for audiences who recognize the locations, communities, and experiences reflected onscreen. MFF Executive Director Nick Marchese weighed in on the shift as well: “What I’m definitely seeing is a lot of filmmakers I’ve known for years who live in New Jersey but never made anything here,” he says. “It used to be, ‘I have to go to Georgia, Florida, California, or even New York.’ Now they’re saying, ‘Wait a second, I can stay and make my movie here’.”
The mark of the movie industry is being left on New Jersey, aside from your sparing pilot and location shoots. As Altino puts it, “There’s a real filmmaking culture developing in New Jersey with filmmakers, crews, artists, and production companies all creating strong work across a wide range of styles and formats.”
There's a clear momentum building around homegrown storytelling and the voices driving it forward. That momentum is also helping reshape long-standing perceptions of the state itself. As Bell explains, “What’s misunderstood about New Jersey is that it has been portrayed in the past as the butt of jokes or somehow undesirable compared to New York." New Jersey communities are quickly witnessing more than just major industry players breaking ground in their backyard; they are watching their home grow into a place where stories are actively being shaped, rooted, and redefined by the people making them.
“There is an outlet for their talent to grow, right here in New Jersey.” — Michael Sodano.
As this ecosystem continues to grow, so does the importance of showing up for it. Come out to the 2026 Monmouth Film Festival, May 29th-31st, to support local filmmakers alongside studio features and internationally acclaimed films.
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