By STEVEN VIERA
Staff Writer
SOUTH RIVER – Local filmmaker Kather Sei will be debuting his new film, “Flesh,” at the 21st annual New Jersey International Film Festival, sponsored by the Rutgers Film Co-Op/New Jersey Media Arts Center (NJMAC) and the Rutgers University Program in Cinema Studies.
Born in the West African country of Sierra Leona, Sei and his family immigrated to the United States shortly before a civil war broke out. He grew up in Old Bridge and, just after graduating from Old Bridge High School, he moved to South River, which he has called home for about the past nine years.
During his sophomore year at Rutgers University, he took a theater class and discovered his passion for acting and dropped out to pursue that passion.
“I am able to explore the subtle nuances of the human condition in a very imaginative way. It’s spiritual. It’s instinctual. There are no thoughts. It’s that elusive ‘now,'” he said.
Today, that “elusive now” has earned him and “Flesh” a spot in the New Jersey International Film Festival.
“The 21 finalists we are screening this year were selected from over 366 works submitted. All works selected were screened by a panel of judges, which included media professionals, journalists, students and academics,” NJMAC’s Executive Director Al Nigrin said.
Nigrin also pointed out that NJMAC is the state’s “only institution devoted to the rediscovery of cinema” through its film festivals and other events, and its previous guests have included such heavyweights as Martin Scorsese and acclaimed film editor Thelma Schoonmaker-Powell, among many others.
“Flesh,” Sei explained, is similar to his other work and raises a number of philosophical questions that illustrate the dark side of human nature, as the film tells the story of a battered woman who employs deception in order to take revenge.
“The original inspiration for “Flesh” came from a thought of survival, the polarity of the survival instinct, to be exact … the evolution of the survival instinct from procreation to preservation,” he said.
“Flesh” will debut on June 17 in Voorhees Hall on Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus.
For more information about the New Jersey International Film Festival, including scheduling and ticket prices, visit njfilmfest.com.
Contact Steven Viera at sviera@gmnews.com.
