Movie buffs will once again be watching films from home during one of the state’s most enduring film festivals.

The New Jersey Film Festival had planned several in-person events to celebrate its 40th year, until the latest COVID-19 surge.

The festival was founded by Al Nigrin when he was a Rutgers University graduate student. He is now a film professor at the university.

“I really wanted to see movies the way they were meant to be seen – on film, with an audience,” Nigrin says.

The festival has evolved over the years to feature many experimental films. One such film is the stop-motion short, “Mise En Abyme,” by Metuchen-based artist Charly Santagado. She says she hopes the film sends a powerful message about personal identity.

“There’s sort of a joke being made about this. Self-obsessed, self-consumed identity-ridden culture that I think we live in and are constantly moving towards,” Santagado says.

Hers is among some 40 films being shown virtually between Jan. 28 and Feb. 20.

Tickets to the virtual festival can be purchased online.