Newton Sussex County Community College will host the Annual Black Maria Film Festival Spring 2007 tour on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 10:50 a.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. A custom-created program of short films will be presented. Some of the nation’s most free spirited, fresh, and visionary independent films will be shown. Both programs will take place in the Sussex Bank Theater at SCCC. The public is cordially invited to attend. Admission is $3. Since 1981, the annual Black Maria Film and Video Festival, an international juried competition and award tour, has been fulfilling its mission to advocate, exhibit and reward cutting edge works from independent film and video makers. The festival is known for its national public exhibition program, which features a variety of bold contemporary works drawn from the annual collection of 50 award winning films and videos. The festival’s roots are in New Jersey, where just over 100 years ago the inventor Thomas Edison developed motion picture technology at his West Orange lab facilities. One of these laboratories was the Black Maria, the world’s first motion picture studio. Today the works exhibited by the festival explore the human condition as well as the creative potential of the medium. The festival exhibits the winning works in various thematic and artistic configurations tailored to diverse audiences. The Black Maria is recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Academy Award qualifying festival for short films (documentary, animation, and live action) and was awarded the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Excellence in 2002 and the New Jersey State Council of the Arts Certificate of Excellence in 2003. For more information about the Festival call either 973-300-2232 or 973-300-2120.