The Freedom Film Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the arts and art education through the presentation of alternative films and videos. In addition to the Red Bank International Film Festival, our presentations include small venue screenings and multimedia performances, featuring work by local, national, and international artists.
The organization is run by an entirely volunteer staff, many of whom are local artists. Screenings are held at a variety of Monmouth County venues including the historic Count Basie Theatre, Clearview Cinemas, and Two River Theatre. Our main office is currently located in the Shore Institute for Contemporary Arts in Long Branch, NJ.
The Freedom Film Society was officially incorporated in the fall of 2000, but was in the conceptual stages since 1999. Formed by local filmmakers Matt Aldrich and Michael Lucio Sternbach, the FFS was created in response to the common complaint that Red Bank (dubbed "Dead Bank" back in the 80's and 90's) was culturally dead. "We wanted to do something that would be a shot in the arm of the local arts scene," says Matt Aldrich.
Enlisting the help of friends and emerging volunteers they started with the "Tests", a series of screenings designed to see how the public would respond to the types of films they wanted to screen during a potential film festival. The "Tests" were so successful the FFS decided it would back auxiliary film events throughout the year as well as an annual festival.
For eight years straight, the Freedom Film Society has brought independent films to the greater Red Bank area and it couldn't be done without the hard work of an ever-changing roster of dedicated volunteers.more info
