Montclair Film Festival Media Contact
Kelly Coogan Swanson
(973) 783-6433
kcooganswanson@gmail.com

Montclair Film Festival Celebrates Academy Awards with Pre-Oscar Party

February 29, 2012 – Montclair, NJ – Montclair Film Festival held its second annual Pre-Oscar fundraiser this past Saturday.  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 Mayoral hopefuls.  Guests reviewed the trailers for all of the films nominated for Best Picture, participated in an Oscar contest, and vied for gift baskets filled with prizes donated by local merchants and residents.

The sold-out event raised money for the first annual Montclair Film Festival to be held May 1-6, 2012. The festival provides an opportunity for promising filmmakers to submit their work and invites guests to experience the Montclair community.

Festival directors Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers addressed the crowd and gave a taste of what to expect at the festival in May. “Next year,” said Powers, “when you watch award shows you’ll be able to say ‘I saw it in Montclair first.’ During the Oscars broadcast on Sunday, Powers was publicly thanked by the directors of Undefeated who won the award for Best Documentary.

In addition to the Pre-Oscar Party, the Montclair Film Festival has developed various initiatives to raise awareness for the festival in May. The official 2012 festival poster was recently unveiled following an open call poster contest. Poster winner Chris Gash is a visiting specialist at Montclair State University.  Also, an awards ceremony in January honored winners of Kidz Shortz, a short film competition for aspiring filmmakers from grades 4 through 12. Additional events have included outdoor film screenings, educational seminars and a sold-out performance by Stephen Colbert in Montclair’s Wellmont Theatre.

Montclair Film Festival (MFF):

Montclair Film Festival (MFF) is a non-profit, tax exempt, community-based organization that is producing film-centered events on a year round basis and will hold its inaugural Film Festival on May 1 – 6, 2012 at venues throughout Montclair.  Founded in early 2010, MFF’s mission is to nurture and showcase the talents of filmmakers from around the world, while creating a cultural focal point for the Township of Montclair that unites, empowers, educates and celebrates our diverse heritage and robust artistic community.
www.montclairfilm.org