Montclair Film is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that organizes the annual Montclair Film Festival (MFF). The festival is held between mid- to late- October in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

. The festival showcases new works from American and international filmmakers. Films are programmed based on categories including: Fiction, Non-Fiction, World Cinema, Short, and Student Filmmaking. Notable advisory board members include

J.J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced films such as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' Forever ...

Jonathan Alter Jonathan H. Alter (born October 6, 1957) is a liberal American journalist, best-selling author, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and television producer who was a columnist and senior editor for ''Newsweek'' magazine from 1983 until 2011. Al ...

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...

Abigail Disney Abigail Edna Disney (born January 24, 1960) is an American documentary film producer, philanthropist, social activist, and member of the Disney family. She produced the 2008 documentary '' Pray the Devil Back to Hell''. Disney and Kathleen Hugh ...

Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, in some 60 films, and in approximately 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in the ...

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emm ...

Emma Freud Emma Vallencey Freud (born 25 January 1962) is an English broadcaster and cultural commentator. Early life Freud was born in London on 25 January 1962 and is the daughter of politician and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud (1924–2009) and June ...

Laura Linney Laura Leggett Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards and five Tony Awards. ...

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...

Julie Taymor Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of ''The Lion King (musical), The Lion King'' debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Awards, Tony Award nominations, with ...

, and

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty (musical), The Full Mont ...

History

The film festival was founded by

WNET-TV WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educa ...

Vice President and General Counsel Bob Feinberg. Feinberg hired festival programmer Thom Powers and director Raphaela Neihausen, and developed the

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

composed of Montclair residents. The board includes film and media professionals, philanthropists and community leaders.

Editions

MFF 2012: Inaugural festival

The festival's inaugural event attracted 5,000 - 7,500 attendees and programmed over 45 films. Notable attendees included

Oliver Platt Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is an American actor known for his work on stage and screen. He has been nominated for five Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and one Tony Award. Following his acting deb ...

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinctive deep husky voice, she is the recipient of two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards. After debuting ...

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...

and author

Judy Blume Judith Blume (née Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best-known works are '' Are You There God? It's ...

. Film featured included ''

The Oranges The Oranges () are a group of four municipality, municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Orange'' in their name. The four municipalities are Orange, New Jersey, Orange, East Orange, New ...

, Your Sister’s Sister, 2 Days in New York'' and ''Robot and Frank''. The MFF won the award for Favorite Film Festival at the 2012 Discover Jersey Arts People's Choice Awards.

MFF 2013

The second festival was held across several venues in Montclair and attracted more than 14,000 attendees. It programmed over 80 films and events. A favorite film category was established in an effort to provide a platform for established and lesser-known filmmakers from New Jersey. Prominent guests included

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), also known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist. She began singing as a ch ...

Lake Bell Lake Siegel Bell (born March 24, 1979) is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in various television series, including '' Boston Legal'' (2004–2006), ''Surface'' (2005–2006), '' How to Make It in America'' (2010 ...

Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...

Alex Gibney Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time." Gibney's works as director include ''T ...

and New York Times culture columnist David Carr.Films screened included ''20 Feet From Stardom'', ''The Attack'', ''Blackfish'', ''

Frances Ha ''Frances Ha'' is a 2012 American comedy drama film directed by Noah Baumbach. It is written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, who also stars as Frances Halladay, a struggling 27-year-old dancer. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on ...

'', ''

The Act of Killing ''The Act of Killing'' (, ) is a 2012 documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, with Christine Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian co-directing. The film follows individuals who participated in the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66, whe ...

'', ''

The Spectacular Now ''The Spectacular Now'' is a 2013 American coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by James Ponsoldt, from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Tim Tharp. It stars Mile ...

'', ''

Dirty Wars ''Dirty Wars'' is a 2013 American documentary film, which accompanies the book ''Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield'' by Jeremy Scahill. The film is directed by Richard Rowley (film director), Richard Rowley, and written by Scahill and David Ri ...

'', ''In A World...'', ''

The Kings of Summer ''The Kings of Summer'' is a 2013 American independent coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and starring Nick Robinson, Moisés Arias, Gabriel Basso, and Nick Offerman. The film premiered under its original title ''To ...

'', ''Computer Chess'', ''

Still Mine ''Still Mine'' is a 2012 Canadian romantic drama film. The film had a limited release under its original title ''Still'' at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival;Stories We Tell ''Stories We Tell'' is a 2012 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Sarah Polley and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film explores her family's secrets—including one intimately related to Polley's own ident ...

'' and

Valley of Saints The Valley of Saints is located in Khuldabad, a town in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. Several Sufi saints of the Chishti Order chose to reside in Khuldabad in the fourteenth century. The dargah of Muntajib al-Din (Khuldabad), a ...

. Notable guests included

and New York Times culture columnist David Carr.

MFF 2014

The third festival featured the film ''Chef,'' with

Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia Favreau ( ; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...

MFF 2015

The fourth festival's introductory film was ''

Hello, My Name Is Doris ''Hello, My Name Is Doris'' is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. ...

'' with

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has performed in movies, Broadway theater, television, and made records of popular music. Known for her extensive work on screen and stage, she has received many accola ...

. It additionally featured ''Time Out of Mind'' with

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

MFF 2016

The fifth festival opened with

Roger Ross Williams Roger Ross Williams (born September 16, 1962) is an American director, producer and writer and the first African American director to win an Academy Award (Oscar), with his short film '' Music by Prudence''; this film won the Academy Award for B ...

' film ''

Life, Animated ''Life, Animated'' is a 2016 American independent documentary film by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. ''Life, Animated'' is based on journalist Ron Sus ...

''. Following the film, a panel discussion was held with Advisory Board Member Stephen Colbert, members of the Suskind family, film creators, and

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best-known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often-controversial, sense of humor. Hi ...

, who appeared in the film. The festival closed with the film ''

Miss Sharon Jones! ''Miss Sharon Jones!'' is a 2015 documentary film about the singer Sharon Jones. The film depicts Jones' battle with cancer while continuing to perform with her group Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the Dap-Kings. Reception ''Miss Sharon Jones!'' h ...

'', documenting the story of Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings as Jones fought cancer

MFF 2020

The ninth festival's opening film was ''

Nomadland ''Nomadland'' is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book '' Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century'' by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand a ...

.'' MFF additionally featured ''One Night in Miami'', ''

Ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...

'' and

Derek DelGaudio Derek DelGaudio is an American interdisciplinary artist, primarily known as a writer, performer and magician. He created the theater show ''In & Of Itself,'' directed by Frank Oz, and co-founded, along with artist Glenn Kaino, the performan ...

’s ''In & Of Itself''. Lee Isaac Chung's

Minari ''Minari'' (; ) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung's upbringing, its plot follow ...

was selected as the virtual centerpiece film. The festival was postponed and held primarily remotely as a result of the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

MFF 2024

On October 20, 2024, Montclair Film announced the full slate for the 2024 Film Festival, that took place from October 18 to 27, 2024. The festival opened with ''

Conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

'', directed by

Edward Berger Edward Berger (; born 1970) is a Swiss nationality , Swiss and Austrian nationality law, Austrian director and screenwriter. He is known for his work in Germany, where he was born and grew up, such as the German films ''Jack (2014 film), Jack'' ...

and closed with ''

The Piano Lesson ''The Piano Lesson'' is a 1987 play by American playwright August Wilson. It is the fourth play in Wilson's ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. Wilson began writing this play by playing with the various answers regarding the possibility of "acquir nga s ...

'', directed by Malcolm Washington.

Year-Round Programming

Montclair Film additionally holds educational programs and events for the public. These events are programmed throughout the year. Past events include: the Free Summer Series Under the Stars; the Kidz Shortz Filmmaking Competition and Workshop for youths; free African American Heritage Month screenings; the Underdog Festival at

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...

, featuring screenings of Oscar-nominated shorts; the Behind the Screen: Media Career Day for high school and university students; the Festival Poster Competition; networking events for industry insiders and newcomers; a celebrity fundraiser (with Advisory Board Member Stephen Colbert), and an Oscars’ Eve Party.

Past Award Winners

Montclair Film Festival Fiction Feature Award

2019 – ''

Monos Monos is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of the "Bocas Islands", which lie in the '' Bocas del Dragón'' (''Dragons' Mouth'') between Trinidad and Venezuela. It is so named as the island was once home to noisy red h ...

'', directed by

Alejandro Landes Alejandro Landes Echavarría (born in 1980, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Colombian people, Colombian-Ecuadorian people, Ecuadorian film director, producer, screenwriter, and journalist. He is mainly known for directing Spanish-language films such as ...

2018 – ''

First Reformed ''First Reformed'' is a 2017 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Paul Schrader. It stars Ethan Hawke as a minister of a small congregation in upstate New York who grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, wor ...

'', directed by

Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scor ...

Sinofsky Award for Documentary Feature

2019 – ''

Honeyland ''Honeyland'' () is a 2019 North Macedonia, Macedonian documentary film that was directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. It portrays the life of Hatidže Muratova, a lonely beekeeper of wild bees who lives in the remote mountain vil ...

'', directed by

Ljubomir Stefanov Ljubomir Stefanov (; born 1975) is a Macedonian filmmaker best known for co-directing the 2019 documentary ''Honeyland'' with Tamara Kotevska. The documentary received two nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards: Best Documentary Feature and Be ...

and

Tamara Kotevska Tamara Kotevska (; born 9 August 1993) is a Macedonian filmmaker best known for her 2019 documentary ''Honeyland''. Early life Kotevska was born in Prilep, Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia). She earned a scholarship to study abroad in ...

2018 – ''

Hale County This Morning, This Evening ''Hale County This Morning, This Evening'' is a 2018 American documentary film about the lives of African Americans in Hale County, Alabama. It is directed by RaMell Ross and produced by RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Su Kim, and is Ross's first non ...

'', directed by

RaMell Ross RaMell Ross is an American filmmaker, photographer, academic, and writer. His directorial debut, ''Hale County This Morning, This Evening'' (2018), earned him a Peabody Awards, Peabody Award, and nominations for the Academy Award for Best Documen ...

The David Carr Award For Truth In Non-Fiction Filmmaking

2019 – '' Mossville: When Great Trees Fall'', directed by Alexander Glustrom 2018 – ''

Dark Money In politics, particularly the politics of the United States, dark money refers to spending to influence elections, public policy, and political discourse, where the source of the money is not disclosed to the public. In the United States, ...

'', directed by Kimberly Reed

The Inaugural Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking

2019 – '' Mickey and the Bear'', directed by

Annabelle Attanasio Anna Lucia "Annabelle" Attanasio (born May 11, 1993) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for her role as Cable McCory in ''Bull'' (2016–2018). Early life Anna Lucia Attanasio was born in Los Angeles on May 11, 1993, the ...

New Jersey Films Award

* 2024 ** ''Zurawski v Texas'' (Competition) ** New Jersey Shorts – ''The Believers'' * 2019 – '' Life with Layla'', directed by Ken Spooner and Mike Mee * 2018 – ''Crime + Punishment'', directed by Stephen Tiang

Audible Storyteller Award

2019 – '' Mickey and the Bear'', directed by

Junior Jury Award

2019 – '' Mossville: When Great Trees Fall'', directed by Alexander Glustrom 2018 – ''

American Animals ''American Animals'' is a 2018 docudrama heist film written and directed by Bart Layton. Starring Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, and Ann Dowd, it is an account of the Transylvania University book heist which took pl ...

'', directed by

Bart Layton Bartholomew Nicholas Layton (born 1975) is an English documentary filmmaker. He is the writer and director of the films '' The Imposter'' and '' American Animals''. Early life and education Both of his parents were artists, one a sculptor and th ...

Audience Awards

2024 * Fiction Feature – ''

'' * Documentary Feature – ''Zurawski v Texas'' * World Cinema – '' Young Hearts'' * Short Film – '' Anuja''

Short Film Jury Awards

2024 * Fiction Short Film – ''Dissolution'' * Documentary Short Film – '' Death by Numbers''

References

External links

* {{official website, http://montclairfilm.org 2012 establishments in New Jersey Film festivals in New Jersey Montclair, New Jersey Film festivals established in 2012

History

Editions

MFF 2012: Inaugural festival

MFF 2013

MFF 2014

MFF 2015

MFF 2016

MFF 2020

MFF 2024

Year-Round Programming

Past Award Winners

Montclair Film Festival Fiction Feature Award

Sinofsky Award for Documentary Feature

The David Carr Award For Truth In Non-Fiction Filmmaking

The Inaugural Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking

New Jersey Films Award

Audible Storyteller Award

Junior Jury Award

Audience Awards

Short Film Jury Awards

See also

References

External links