New Jersey

It’s Oscars night! New Jerseyans up for awards at this year’s event

Published

12 months ago

March 1, 2025

Press Room

It’s Oscars night! New Jerseyans up for awards at this year’s event

2-minute read

New Jersey actors, a director and cinematographer are nominated for awards.
An Oscar-nominated Best Picture film was even filmed in NJ.

A full display of New Jersey talent can be seen at this year’s Oscars.

New Jersey actors, a director and cinematographer are nominated for numerous awards. The Garden State was even used as the backdrop for an Oscar-nominated Best Picture film.

The 2025 Oscars will be held this Sunday March 2 at 7 p.m. eastern time. You can watch the award show live on ABC or stream on Hulu.

Here is how New Jersey played its part in helping shape this year’s list of movies at the Oscars.

‘A Complete Unknown’ filmed in New Jersey

The Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” featuring Timothée Chalamet, was filmed all across New Jersey.

The Oscar-nominated movie filmed near the Jersey Shore at Bahrs Landing in Highlands, Cape May and at White Mana in Jersey City this past spring.

“A Complete Unknown” is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Timothée Chalamet is nominated for best Actor in a Leading Role, Edward Norton is nominated for best Actor in a Supporting Role and Monica Barba is nominated for best Actress in a Supporting Role.

The film was also nominated for best Costume Design, Directing, Sound and Writing in an adapted screenplay.

New Jersey actors nominated at the Oscars

Zoe Saldaña is nominated for best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Rita Mora Castro in the movie Emilia Pérez.

Saldaña was born in Passaic in 1978. She was raised in New York City and spent some time in her childhood in the Dominican Republic.

The Hispanic movie star previously starred in blockbuster films such as “Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Star Trek.”

Sebastian Stan is nominated for best Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscar’s. He played the role of a young Donald Trump in the movie “The Apprentice.”

Stan went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick where he studied theater at the Mason Gross School of Arts. He graduated in 2005.

The actor, who also played the “Winter Soldier” in the Marvel movies, told the Star Ledger: “Rutgers and Mason Gross School of the Arts is a big part of my life. It’s where I really, like truly, got to know acting and the history and everything. I had great teachers there. I had great classmates. I love the program. It’s dear to my heart.”

Stan grew up in Romania before moving to New York as a child.

Jesse Eisenberg, who was raised in East Brunswick, is nominated for best Writing for the movie “A Real Pain.” Eisenburg wrote and starred in the film.

Eisenburg previously starred in many popular films such as “The Social Network,” “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Zombieland.”

New Jersey director and cinematographer nominated

Sean Baker is nominated for four Oscars this year for his directing and writing in the movie “Anora.” He is nominated for best Writing, best Directing, best Film Editing and Best Picture.

Baker was born in Summit and grew up in Short Hills. His family moved to Somerset County, and he attended Gill St. Bernard’s in Glad Stone. Baker also worked as a projectionist at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair before pursuing his dream of becoming a director.

Baker also directed critically acclaimed films such as “The Florida Project” and “Tangerine.”

Edward Lachman is a cinematographer who is nominated for best Cinematography for the movie “Maria” at the 2025 Oscars.

Lachman was born in Morristown. He has also made movies such as “Far From Heaven,” “Carol” and “Ken Park.”

Source link

Click to comment

New Jersey

N.J. group demands review of Trenton immigration arrest operation at auto shop

Published

8 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

N.J. group demands review of Trenton immigration arrest operation at auto shop

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer, said in a statement on Facebook that she has been briefed about the incident and her office is monitoring the situation.

Pazmino said her organization is calling on members of the community to come together.

“Brown and Black immigrant communities and nonimmigrant communities are welcome, and should be uniting against this force,” she said.

She is also calling on local officials to assist relatives of those taken into custody.

“We need to support families affected by these kidnappings, with mutual aid, donations and anything else you think will help each other,” Pazmino said.

A woman identified as Andrea, while holding her 1-year-old daughter, Genesis, tearfully spoke in Spanish about the anguish she feels and her fears about the future without her husband Christian, one of the men taken into custody. A friend, who translated her word into English, said Christian was a good and honest man.

“If he used to see a neighbor carrying something heavy, he would run to help them. If a friend needed a favor, he didn’t ask, he just did it,” she said.

Andrea (left) whose husband, Christian, was taken into custody during a raid on a Trenton auto repair shop, holds her 1-year-old daughter, Genesis, while translator Ashley Batz reads her statement in English. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

She said “his daughter was his whole world. He would wake up to her and give her kisses every morning. He would play with her after a long day at work. He loved us and protected us. He didn’t do anything wrong, so why was he taken?”

The Rev. Erich Kussman, St. Bartholomew’s pastor, said the entire Lutheran Church stands with the family.

“Anything you need, you can come to us. I want you to know that. I will stand with you, and we will do what we can to protect you, because that’s the call of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

“Standing with ICE is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ, hands down,” he added. “Fifty-one times the scriptures tell us to welcome the immigrant and foreigner as one of our own. If you’re not living true to that gospel, the words of Christ himself, you are not a Christian, no matter what you claim to be.”

With immigration enforcement activity on the rise in New Jersey, lawmakers have proposed several bills to expand protections for immigrant communities. One measure called the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act” would allow individuals to file a lawsuit against ICE agents who violate their constitutional rights.

Asma Elhuni speaking at a podium — Asma Elhuni, an organizer with Resistencia En Acción NJ speaks at a press conference at St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church in Trenton, joined by pastor Erich Kussman. The group was responding to the detention of three workers at Agudo’s Repair Shop on Feb. 20, 2026. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Another proposed bill would require any business that operates a private prison or detention facility in the state to pay a tax equal to 50% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts derived from the operation of the facility during the previous year. The bill also stipulates all revenues generated would go to an “immigration protection fund.”

Recently proposed legislation would prohibit ICE agents from ever holding a public job in the Garden State, and New Jersey U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim are proposing legislation to prevent new funding for the Department of Homeland Security from being used to purchase a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey.

Requests for comment from ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service were not immediately returned.

Source link

New Jersey

Spring’s coming; Sunny, warm Saturday and significant warm-up ahead NJ

Published

20 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Spring’s coming; Sunny, warm Saturday and significant warm-up ahead NJ

A brief respite from cold weather is ahead of New Jersey this weekend, before temperatures continue to rise late next week, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday, Feb. 28 will be sunny across the Garden State, and temperatures will be comfortable, reaching the high 40s and low 50s.

Then, a brief artic cold front is expected to move into the region late on Saturday night, bringing temps to low 30’s and some scattered snow showers on Sunday, especially in North Jersey.

During the week, a couple low pressure systems are in the NWS forecast. Little snow if any is expected from these systems, especially in the late week, when a significant warm-up is expected.

Asbury Park and Monmouth County weekend weather forecast

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Sunday: Partly sunny and a chance of snow before 1 p.m. The high should be near 39. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Wildwoods and Atlantic County weather forecast

Saturday: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 56.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Sunday: Partly sunny and a slight chance of rain before 1 p.m. The high should be near 44. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.