Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
Action/Adventure in a Lovely Garden
Van Vleck House and Gardens provided a lovely setting last Friday evening to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark projected on an outdoor screen under the stars. Friends of all ages, families, neighbors, and even some “date-nighters” converged at the delightful Gardens to watch the second film in the Montclair Film Festival’s Free Summer Screenings […]
“Summer Nights” at MFF
by Liz Dircks Movie and musical fans of all ages gathered at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens last Friday to watch Grease, the first screening of the Montclair Film Festival’s Cinema Montclairismo, the Festival’s outdoor film series. Cars lined Upper Mountain Avenue, Highland Avenue, and a few other nearby side streets and despite […]
Seeking a Friend Screening – Recap
It was a warm welcome for Montclair State University alumna Lorene Scafaria. The Writer and Director of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World took questions after a screening (and the East Coast premiere!) at MSU’s Kasser Theater on June 21, 2012. The film premiered around the country the next day and stars […]
6/21: SEEKING A FRIEND w/ dir Q&A!
Missing the festival already? Join us for a special evening on Thurs. June 21 where we screen SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley. The director will join us for a post-film conversation. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Not Just Another Face
By Dan Sorbera As the Montclair Film Festival wrapped up Sunday afternoon, the screening of About Face a documentary focusing on beauty and hardships in the modeling business, director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, producer Chad Thompson and one of the model interviewees, Pat Cleveland, came to discuss the documentary . Timothy Greenfield-Sanders opened up the discussion with […]
Michael Moore Speaks
By: Liz Dircks Festival-goers began lining up well beforehand to see director and documentarian Michael Moore at the Montclair Art Museum on Sunday. Moore, famous for documentaries such as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” entered to a standing ovation from a sold-out audience in Leir Hall. Over the course of the 75-minute conversation, hosted […]
Road to Batman via Newark
Michael E. Uslan the executive producer of the much anticipated The Dark Knight Rises discussed some of the reasons behind why Batman made it to the big screen and talks about some of the scenes that were filmed in Newark, NJ. VIEW PHOTO SET HERE
A Restored Red Shoes
By Merve Fejzula If it were not for Martin Scorsese’s non-profit, the Film Foundation, The Red Shoes may not have made it to a screening at the festival on May 6. Mold had been eating into the emulsion, but a lengthy restoration process at UCLA returned the film to its original Technicolor glory. So narrated […]
What is it? Premieres
By Liz Dircks Rory Albanese and Adam Lowitt took time from their busy schedules producing Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to give Montclair Film Festival attendees their hilarious takes on old, educational film clips. Albanese and Lowitt played to a sold-out crowd in an intimate setting at the Clairidge Cinema, offering their […]
Tiger Eyes Debuts
By Meredith Yannuzzi Judy Blume has sold over 75 million copies of her well known and affecting books. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages, yet she has never made it to the big screen. That is until now. Tiger Eyes is about a young girl named Davey who is transplanted from […]
Prep School Negro Premieres
By Dan Sorbera Audiences lined up outside Claridge Cinemas in Montclair Saturday afternoon to see the sold out world premiere of The Prep School Negro, a documentary about the culture clashes and social alienation of black students from inner city neighborhoods in Philadelphia getting scholorships to all-white prep schools. Attending the screening was the film […]
MFF Today – Sunday
Today’s Films & Events 11:30 AM Last Call at the Oasis Clairidge Cinema 2 Buy Tickets 12:00 PM The Atomic States of America Clairidge Cinema 1 Buy Tickets 12:00 PM Documentary: Inside the StoryMontclair Public Library FREE PANEL 12:30 PM The Road to Batman and Dark Knight Montclair Art Museum Buy Tickets 1:00 PM Red […]
Oversimplification Q & A
By Merve Fejzula Cartoon characters bloom on the screen, stop-motion wooden figures make calculated steps towards each other, suddenly we return to the photographic depiction of a couple, alternate between films as a narrator pauses to inform us of the change – Terence Nance’s debut film “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty” is nothing if not […]
MFF Today – Saturday
Today’s Films 11:30 AM Flat Daddy Clairidge Cinema 2 Buy Tickets 11:30 AM First Position Bellevue Theater Buy Tickets 12:00 PM NJ Shorts 2: Power of Youth Clairidge #1 Buy Tickets 2:00 PM Unraveled Clairidge #2 Buy Tickets 2:00 PM The Perfect Family Bellevue Theater Buy Tickets 2:30 PM The Prep School Negro Clairidge #1 […]
Dukakis Brings Cloudburst to MFF
By Merve Fejzula To describe Cloudburst in brief, it is something like, “Thelma and Louise for the assisted living set.” So joked Mary Alice Williams, as she began the question and answer session with Olympia Dukakis following the screening of her latest film. In actuality the movie is an uproarious telling of an elderly lesbian […]
MFF Today – Thursday
Today’s Films 7:00 PM Sacrifice Clairidge Cinema 2 Buy Tickets 7:00 PM Undefeated MSU Kasser Buy Tickets 8:00 PM Cloudburst Bellevue Theater – SOLD OUT There will not be a rush-line. HIGHLIGHTS FROM YESTERDAY Kathleen Turner talks about her career, why she prefers women directors and “that Voice.” Read more here.
An Evening with Kathleen Turner
By Gene R. Sower As a run-up to her new film, The Perfect Family, Kathleen Turner delighted a Montclair Film Festival audience at the Bellevue Theater with stories and insights from her long and illustrious career. Beginning with her first movie, Body Heat, Turner described working with first-time director Lawrence Kasdan and actor William Hurt, […]
MFF Today – Wednesday
TODAY’S FILMS at a Glance 7:00 PM Unfinished Spaces Clairidge Cinema 2 Buy Tickets 9:00 PM Trishna Bellevue Theater Buy Tickets 9:15 PM American Masters Johnny Carson: King of Late Night Clairidge Cinema 2 Buy Tickets HIGHLIGHTS FROM YESTERDAY The opening night of the MFF saw the community turn out for the sold out […]
MFF Debut a Success
By Gene R. Sower Montclair Film Festival’s founder, Bob Feinberg, welcomed the audience at Montclair State University’s Kasser Theater to “the first night of the first film of the first Montclair Film Festival.” The sold out crowd was there to see The Oranges, a comedy-drama set in Essex County, New Jersey. At the end of […]
60+ Special Guests in Person
Patrick Wilson, Michael Moore, Olympia Dukakis, Judy Blume are only a few of the great guests appearing for MFF films and events. See individual film pages on the web site for who’s appearing in person.
Modern Movie Poster Exhibit
Changing the Face of Modern Movie Posters at the Montclair Art Museum The collection on view at the Montclair Art Museum represents a revival of the craft of film poster art. Today’s film studios for the most part usually just simply copy each other’s successful designs and use photos of a star’s face to sell a film. […]
Montclair Film Fest on Colbert Report
Stephen Colbert signed off his show on April 26 with a ringing endorsement of the Montclair Film Festival and special mention of the film Flat Daddy playing on May 5. Watch the clip here and read more about Flat Daddy here.
Judy Blume is coming to MFF!
Late-breaking news: Judy Blume announced on her Twitter feed @judyblume that she’ll attend the Montclair Film Festival on May 5 for the screening of Tiger Eyes, directed by her son Lawrence Blume. This is the first time one of her novels has been adapted for the big screen. Act fast to get tickets: http://montclairfilm.org/2012-festival/tiger-eyes/.
NY Times Spotlights MFF
The Montclair Film Festival was spotlighted in the New York Times recently, speaking to festival organizers about what’s involved in putting together a festival in a suburban community like Montclair, New Jersey. An already sold out opening-night gala celebration at the Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University will follow a screening of the film […]
Store Window Paintings
MFF is this year’s theme for the May in Montclair Window Painting Project! SATURDAY, APRIL 28TH May in Montclair is pleased to announce the theme for this year’s Store Window Painting contest. The Montclair Film Festival will take center stage in our store window contest this year. The event takes place on Saturday, April 28 […]
At the Jersey Shore
By Gene R. Sower What could be more “Jersey” than spending many summers of my happily misspent youth at such places as Long Branch, Asbury Park, Seaside Heights and Belmar? Nothing, apparently, according to New Jersey native Thomas Bentey, who wrote, directs and stars in his new film, At the Jersey Shore. As an avid […]
Flat Daddy
By Gene R. Sower Being part of a “military family” was nothing I ever thought about until my son joined the US Air Force Academy as a cadet in 2010. Even though he’s still a student and won’t have to begin his Air Force career until he graduates in 2014, paying back his education with […]
Lemon – The Movie
By Merve Fejzula “When do any of us know in our own lives what will happen next…let alone, what might happen in someone else’s life?” asks Beth Levison, the filmmaker behind the inspiring documentary, “Lemon.” This question grips the audience as they follow the journey of Lemon Andersen in Beth Levison’s documentary, “Lemon.” The inspiring […]
Evocateur: Morton Downey Jr.
By Debra Marrazza NBC Today Show co-host, Bryant Gumbel once asked; “Is this a passing fancy or is this in front of the wave?” It is 25 years later and once you see, EVOCATEUR: THE MORTON DOWNEY JR. MOVIE from Ironbound Films on Saturday, May 5th at 7PM, you will walk away with the answer. […]
Unfinished Spaces
The Resurgence of Cuba’s Architectural and Artistic Gem By Joyce Kaffel The documentary film, Unfinished Spaces, traces the path of Cuba’s Revolution by delving into the unfortunate story of the Cuban National Art Schools and the experiences of the three innovative architects commissioned to design the Schools’ buildings. Their work was halted when Cuba’s political […]
Downtown Express to Montclair
By Debra Marrazza Sometimes the wrong track takes you to the right place and the right place is the Clairidge Cinema on Sunday, May 6th at 4:30PM. The Review Page calls Downtown Express, “More New York than Spike Lee and Woody Allen.” So, for all you Montclairians who want to be swept away in music […]
African-American Stories
We’re witnessing a new movement “of young black filmmakers telling stories that complicate assumptions about what ‘black film’ can be,” as Nelson George wrote in the New York Times in December. MFF showcases these voices in films such as An Oversimplification of Her Beauty and The Prep School Negro. African-American stories are also prominent in […]
Comedy
At MFF, we take our laughs seriously. For Opening Night, we feature The Oranges with a tremendous ensemble cast including Oliver Platt appearing in person. We have a whole comedy section that includes 2 Days in New York (starring Chris Rock); Kumaré (pictured above) about a Borat-style stunt involving a fake guru); live-improv featuring comedians […]
New Jersey Spotlight
MFF pays special attention to films with a New Jersey background or focus. Most screenings in the New Jersey Spotlight will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers or other special guests. Music has a heavy presence including the world premiere of David Bromberg Unsung Treasure; and rare theatrical screenings of The Promise: The […]
Family Films
Looking for films suitable for tweens and teens? Check out the weekend family matinees Brooklyn Castle and First Position (pictured above), co-presented with Barista Kids. Beyond those, look for the Oscar-winning Undefeated about an inner city high school football team; Tiger Eyes adapted from a Judy Blume novel; the original King Kong playing under Classics; […]
The MFF Extended Trailer
Courtesy of Ager-Meillier films and music is by the local Montclair band, The Bloomingfields.
An Interview With Bob Feinberg
On what makes a successful film festival and what it means to Montclair Interview by Gene R. Sower MFF: What makes a great film festival in general? BF: You know there are lots of different kinds of film festivals. Some are huge in places like Berlin and Toronto, some are smaller, some are real industry […]
Come Join Us For a Wine Tasting
WHO: 35 French Winemakers WHAT: 150 Wines WHERE: The Vault at Bangz Salon and Spa 23 South Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ WHEN: Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 7:30 pm-9:30 pm, $75 WHY: A benefit for the Montclair Film Festival REPLY: Call 973 509 WINE (9463) $75 per person Thanks to our sponsors: Affinage Cheese Shop & […]
MFF’s 2nd Annual Pre-Oscar Party
On Sat. Feb. 25, Montclair Film Festival held its second annual Pre-Oscar fundraiser last night. More than 320 film aficionados walked down the red carpet at the Bobbi Brown Loft, skirting paparazzi on their way to a sumptuous sampling of local drinks and delicacies. Attendees included Louis Zorich, Patrick Wilson, and Mayorial hopefuls. Guests reviewed […]
Introducing MFF’s 2012 poster
We are proud to announce the winner of the of the MFF Inaugural Poster Contest: Chris Gash! Here is the winning design which will serve as the official 2012 festival poster: MEET THE ARTIST! Since 2000, Chris Gash has been illustrating spots, covers and everything in between for books, magazines and newspapers, both here […]
MFF’s 2nd Annual Pre-Oscar Party
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. FESTIVAL SPONSORS EVENT TASTING SPONSORS Affinage Cheese Shop Ah’ Pizz Amanti Vino Angelbeck’s Brick Lane Curry House Brooklyn Brewery Brookside Thai Comfort Food Kitchen Events by Joni Fin Raw Bar and Kitchen Romarsi Pesto Strassburger Meats Terra at the Isabel Rose The Chocolate Path The Little Daisy Bake Shop […]
Celebrating Kidz Shortz Winners
On Jan. 12 the winners of the first annual Montclair Film Festival Kidz Shortz Film Competition were honored at MFF’s headquarters on Bloomfield Ave. MFF’s Chairman of the Board Bob Feinberg and Award winning actor Roscoe Orman (aka Gordon on Sesame Street for the last 36 years) presented the awards. Kidz Shortz is an educational […]
Behind the Screen: Media Careers
On Sat. Dec. 3, Montclair Film Festival, in partnership with Montclair State University, presented “Behind the Screen – Media Careers 101”. This day-long series of seminars was free to all high-school and college students and included the following topics: Content Creation: Writers and Directors talk about how ideas become scripts. Producing and Directing: Making your […]
A Conversation with Stephen Colbert
On Fri. Dec. 2, Stephen Colbert appeared in conversation with journalist and Montclair resident Jonathan Alter at the historic Wellmont Theatre. The standing-room-only audience of over 1700 people were participating in a fundraiser for the first annual Montclair Film Festival. Read more about the night here. In Steve Adubato’s introductory remarks, he announced MFF’s newly […]
Kidz Shortz Results
CONGRATULATIONS! The Montclair International Film Festival (MIFF) is proud to announce the recipients of the First Annual “Kidz Shortz” filmmaking competition, an educational initiative aimed at showcasing and inspiring the talent of Northern New Jersey students in grades 4 through 12, on the theme, “My Town…The Way I See It.” To ALL students who […]