The following is from the South Orange Performing Arts Center:
The SOMA Film Festival — taking place February 12-14, 2016 — is proud to announce that Barnabas Health has signed on as its title sponsor for its inaugural year. Barry H. Ostrowsky, President and CEO of Barnabas Health says, “I greatly appreciate all aspects of the arts, and am a strong advocate for supporting our local communities. This film festival is a great way to highlight unique and innovative films to a broad audience in a spectacular venue, the South Orange Performing Arts Center.”
When Festival founder Matt Smollon worked to secure early sponsorships, he soon realized that the allure of a film festival within the borders of South Orange and Maplewood would prove a valuable asset to many in the business community. The fledgling Festival has enjoyed strong support from many sources in the community.
Along with title sponsor Barnabas Health, SOMA Film Festival has secured partnerships with Christine Coster of State Farm, BCB South Orange, Jeff Lake Camp, New Jersey Beer Company, Maplecrest Ford/Lincoln, Rena Spangler of Weichert Realtors, Seton Hall University, and other local businesses and retailers.
SOMA Film Festival was able to meet its sponsorship goals in year one, and is looking forward to providing a spectacular film experience for its audience and sponsors for years to come.
This sentiment is echoed by Mike Delaney of BCB South Orange, “We are very excited to be part of the SOMA inaugural Film Festival. Cultural projects like the film festival are a great opportunity for a community to grow and prosper. We look forward to participating this year, and in many more SOMA Film Festivals to come.”
Passes are on sale now ($45-$55) and can be purchased at www.SOPACnow.org/soma-film-festival or by calling (973) 313-2787. More information can be found at www.SOMAfilmfestival.com. The Festival is still taking submissions and filmmakers should visit www.filmfreeway.com for further information.
About SOMA Film Festival
The SOMA Film Festival is dedicated to presenting unique, and aspiring filmmaking from around the world.
SOMA is an acronym for South Orange and Maplewood, two towns that are a short train ride from New York City and that pride themselves on artistic expression. It is home to numerous actors, actresses, filmmakers, cinematic and theatrical professionals.
These two unique communities invite filmmakers into an environment where they can show their work to a highly receptive audience who both appreciate their creative endeavors and understand first-hand the immense effort it takes to make a dream come true.
In addition to Matt Smollon, Festival Founder, an advisory committee of actor John Michael Higgins, writer/director Steven Kampmann, President of Grasshopper Films Ryan Krivoshey, documentary filmmaker Ben Niles, actress Christianne Noll and NY Latino Film Festival Director Elizabeth Gardner Potter have helped to shape the Film Festival in its inaugural year.
