Joe Valenti may not be a household name just yet, but that could soon change if he has anything to say about it. The Brick Township native and current resident of Cliffwood Beach has two films set to premiere at the Reel Jersey Film Festival to be held in Rutherford on Sept. 27, and online buzz indicates these movies could be hits.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE VALENTI Filmmaker Joe Valenti (seated) lines up a shot as he works at a movie location. The Bergen County Film Commission, in association with the Fort Lee Film Commission, will present the Reel Jersey Film Festival: A Celebration of American Film Past, Present and Future Sept. 25-29 at the Williams Center for the Arts, 1 Williams Plaza, Rutherford.
Valenti got into filmmaking during his time as a student at Monmouth University, West Long Branch.
“Monmouth only had a course on television, so I decided to enroll in the NYU film school. After a few classes I realized it wasn’t for me. I took the money that was going to NYU and put it toward making my first feature film.” Valenti explained.
Singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb (above) works with youngsters in a Manhattan classroom. Loeb’s interaction with the children was captured on film by Joe Valenti. At right, Valenti directs young actors in “The Amazing Adventures of Little Batman.” “Lying Beside You” was his first feature, and it was directed, edited and written by Valenti. He made the film for $17,000, and it won an honorable mention award for independent movies at the Wilmington Film Festival.
The two films he is promoting at the Reel Jersey Film Festival are “The AmazingAdventures of Little Batman” and “Lisa Loeb Songwriting” project. Along with the Batman film, festival-goers will be able to check out a real Batmobile (4 p.m. Sept. 27) that was used in the movie.
“Little Batman” is a unique movie for the fact that all of its stars are 5 years old. It has become somewhat of a sensation on the Internet Web site YouTube, and it has screened positively along with “Lisa Loeb” at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
“What caught [‘The Amazing Adventures of Little Batman’] producer’s eye was a spoof film I did called ‘Indiana Joe.’ In it, I played a guy named Indiana Joe, and I let myself be dragged by a car for a long shot during the movie.
“He was so impressed that I was so dedicated in that film that he selected me to direct ‘Little Batman.’ Once I saw that he had an actual Batmobile and all the props, including a batcave and full costumes for all the kids, I knew it would be a really cool movie to make,” Valenti said.
“Lisa Loeb” is a documentary about the popular singer-songwriter teaching the art of songwriting to students in a fourth-grade class in Manhattan. Valenti was there to shoot the film and see firsthand the work that Loeb did with the children.
“We got started with the Lisa Loeb project with someone who we came in contact with at the Manhattan New Music Project. Soon I came down to check it out and it was great to see. She basically taught them the process of how to write songs, and they in turn fed her some brilliant lyrics,” Valenti explained.
Both of those films were shot in New York, but Valenti is a Jersey boy at heart and prefers to make movies in his home state. His next two projects will be filmed in the Garden State. One is a romantic comedy called “Working Out,” and the other is a horror movie called “Fearality,” featuring reality TV stars from shows like “Rock of Love,” “The Mole” and “The Biggest Loser.”
“I just love shooting films in New Jersey. I always try to film here since you have so much control over the location. In New York you have to deal with hassles like parking and unwanted noise. I’ve used Point Pleasant, Brick, and even George Washington’s old house in Morristown as locations for filming,” Valenti said.
He said the best way for a person to get a foot in the door, not just in films but in life, is just to get out there and do it.
“Some people can talk a big game, but the main thing is backing up those claims. In the last two years alone I have just kept going at it and working consistently. Show people that you love what you do and you’ll have a lot to show for it,” Valenti said.
For more information about the Reel Jersey Film Festival, including times and locations of films, visit www.bergencountyfilmcommission. org.