New Collaboration to Develop World Class Film Initiatives, Learning Opportunities and Professional Development for Montclair Students

December 11, 2014 – Montclair, New Jersey, The Montclair Public Schools (MPS) and the Montclair Film Festival (MFF) announced today the creation of a new broad based partnership that will build a series of community-based professional development and learning initiatives for students of the Montclair Public School system. With over 28,000 people attending last year’s Festival, strong fiscal support, a series of year-round events and the professional commitment of Montclair’s unique community of film and television professionals, MFF has quickly become New Jer-sey’s leading non-profit film organization.

“In just four years Montclair has become the home of one of the most thriving film industry institutions in the country. With the help of key community leaders, advocates like Stephen Colbert, and the support of Montclair’s thriving community of filmmakers and television profession-als, the Montclair Film Festival has become an important artistic anchor for our town,” stated Montclair Public School Superintendent Penny Mac-Cormack. “We are thrilled that the Festival’s dedication to filmmaking and the arts will provide more opportunity for our students and teachers.”

“From our very first free outdoor screening, the first commitment of the Montclair Film Festival has been the Montclair community,” stated Bob Feinberg, Founder and Chairman of the Montclair Film Festival. “In a short period of time, the Festival has grown tremendously, but our mission to Montclair will always be our top priority. We are excited to work in partnership with MPS, providing great educational and networking oppor-tunities to our students, teachers and parents.”

The partnership will build multiple programs for K-12 students, culminat-ing in broad participation for students in the 2015 Montclair Film Festi-val, May 1-10, 2015. The partnership will focus on film-driven education and will include multiple screening, filmmaking, adjudicating, and writing opportunities for participating students. The partnership will feature, but not be limited to, the following programs:

MFF Youth Screenings

With the 2015 Festival expanding to ten days, the Festival will work with various principals within the school district to find appropriate films and target free classroom screenings for students at MFF’s theaters. These screenings will take place during the school day, allowing classes to come and experience the film festival first hand.

Filmmakers In The Classroom

This program brings filmmakers into the Montclair Public Schools, giving students the opportunity to screen films and meet with and learn from working film artists.

Kidz Shortz

This hugely successful annual initiative will look to expand student partici-pation, offering mentorships for students who are interested in participat-ing. , The initiative will culminate with a red carpet event at the 2015 Fes-tival that will celebrate the work of Montclair students.

MFF Junior Jury

Junior Jury is a film screening and critique program with film jury training for high school students. Prior to the festival, the Junior Jury will view se-lect films, and then meet with MFF Jurors to learn more about the process of adjudicating films as well as roles and careers in the film industry. The process culminates with an award presentation at the MFF awards night during the festival.

Live Read Club Partnership

Working with Montclair High School’s Live Read Club, MFF will present a live screenplay reading program during the festival, allowing students to study the art of screenwriting and perform in front of a live audience.

About MFF

The Montclair Film Festival, Inc. (MFF), a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, nurtures and showcases the talents of filmmakers from around the region and world. MFF unites, empowers, educates and celebrates our region’s diverse cultural heritage and robust artistic community by presenting an annual spring festival and a growing assortment of engaging programs and events all year long. The fourth annual spring fes-tival will take place in May 2015. MFF 2014 was made possible through generous support from Signature Sponsor Investors Bank; Presenting Sponsors Audi, Audible and the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; and Leadership Sponsors Chubb, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and HackensackUMC/Mountainside, among others. For information about MFF, visit www.montclairfilm.org.