TEANECK, N.J.—Jeremy Lentz is the award winning executive director of the Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF), a project of The Puffin Foundation.
Under Lentz’s leadership, TIFF has been committed to the theme of activism and making change. It is considered one of the most prominent social justice film festivals in the nation.
Earlier this year, Lentz was recipient of the first Community Partner Award presented by The Links of Bergen County. He was also named Teaneck’s Man of the Year by The Teaneck Chamber of Commerce and has received numerous accolades for promoting racial equality and other social justice related causes.
In addition to his leadership position at TIFF, Lentz serves as director of Lentz & Lentz SAT Prep, with college prep classes throughout the northeastern part of the United States. Lentz also serves on the Young Patrons Committee at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and on the Host Committee for The Fire Island Dance Festival.
• • •
Hillary Viders: Amongst all your initiatives, you are also an investor in Broadway shows.
JL: Yes. I am currently involved in “The Tina Turner Musical,” and my previous productions include “Sunset Boulevard” with Glenn Close, and “Dangerous Liaisons” with Liev Schreiber and Janet McTeer. I have also signed on as an investor in an upcoming revival of “American Buffalo” starring Lawrence Fishburne, Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss.
HV: How do you select the shows in which you invest?
JL: For me, it’s more of a passion project. I invest in shows with stories that I feel need to be told and have important relevance in today’s society.
HV: The films and plays in which you are interested involve social and racial justice. What motivated you to embrace these themes?
JL: They are part of my life. Two of my grandparents were Holocaust survivors, so I always had a sense of understanding where I came from and the need to speak out against injustice. In college, I wrote my grandmother’s narrative about the Shoah, and this gave me a strong sense of my religious and cultural identity. I am also gay, so the duality of being Jewish and gay instilled a special sense of empathy in me. I’m always fighting for “the little guy,” and in many instances, I was the “little guy.”
I am fortunate to have an incredibly loving and supportive family, but in many cases I am the exception. There are many gay youth who are not accepted by their families and this can lead to homelessness, drug use and suicide. I feel compelled to address this in my work.
HV: What are you currently working on these days?
JL: I am doing a winter series of documentaries in partnership with PBS and The Puffin Foundation, as part of the Independent Lens Pop Up Series. The first film, “The First Rainbow Coalition” by Ray Santisteban, was shown at the Puffin Cultural Forum (20 Puffin Way in Teaneck) and on PBS in January. This film is about civic engagement and community organizing, multi-ethnic coalition and community building, police and community relations, affordable housing, racism and classism.
On March 28, at 8 p.m., the Puffin Cultural Forum will premiere “Bedlam,” in which filmmaker and practicing psychiatrist, Ken Rosenberg visits ERs, jails, and homeless camps to tell the intimate stories behind our national mental health crisis. Following the film will be a talk-back with the producer and filmmaker Peter Miller. The film can also be seen on PBS on April 13 at 10 p.m.
The third film, “Eating up Easter” by Sergio Mata’u Rapu and Elena Rapu, will debut at the Puffin Cultural Forum on April 18 at 8 p.m., and then it will air on PBS on May 25 at 10 p.m. Set in remote Easter Island, this film depicts the threat of climate change and globalization and it is a wake-up call for the rest of the world.
HV: In light of the dire predictions about climate change, the theme of “Eating up Easter” seems vitally important.
JL: Yes, it is! It stresses environmental sustainability, cultural conservation and the need to reduce, reuse and recycle. It is also about sustainable tourism, globalization and the care and responsibility for our planet.
HV: What films can we look forward to seeing at next year’s TIFF?
JL: Well, you’ll have to tune in! We’re just now starting our screening of close to 100 films from all over the world. From these films, we select 25 to 30 that will be featured at the TIFF.
It is our 15th anniversary, so it’s going to be a banner year!