Archive for the ‘Archive’ Category

Win The Nerdiest Weekend Ever!

In conjunction with our annual fundraiser at NJPAC, we’re thrilled to announce this amazing opportunity to spend the nerdiest weekend of your life with Stephen Colbert and J.J. Abrams! This Omaze experience is NOT an auction, it is a raffle; every donor has a chance to win the grand prize! We are looking for contributions from $10 […]

PRINCESS BRIDE!

Get ready for another great feature in our Summer Series PRINCESS BRIDE Friday, August 14 Church Street Film begins at dusk (approximately 9 PM) Bring chairs and come early to enjoy live music beginning at 8 pm by BIG MAMOU

Mavis!

Mavis Staples joins Stephen Colbert for a Post-Screening Q&A on Friday, May 8th! Directed by Jessica Edwards, MAVIS! is the first feature-length documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, the Staple Singers. From the delta-inflected gospel sound she helped pioneer in the 1950s, to the “message songs” of […]

Inside the Film Jackrabbit

What is the Jackrabbit? And why was it sent to two computer hackers to decipher? Those are only two of the underlying questions that need to be answered in this post-apocalyptic thriller that will grab your attention and hold it for the length of the film. Director Carleton Ranney weaves a gritty emotional story that […]

MFF Recommends…

Looking for recommendations?   Our programming team suggests:    THE ARMOR OF LIGHT  Director Abigail Disney in Person Straight from her World Premiere at the TriBeCa Film Festival, Director Abigail Disney will attend our screening of ARMOR OF LIGHT, a film hailed as “a beautiful portrait of two exceptionally courageous people…” and “the most insightful […]

Ticket Sales and Packages

GENERAL TICKET SALES BEGIN MONDAY, APRIL 13TH   ONLINE BEGINNING AT 10:00 AM AT WWW.MONTCLAIRFILMFEST.ORG IN PERSON BOX OFFICE HOURS: Monday – Friday, 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM Saturdays from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The MFF Box Office is located at 494 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair. TICKET PACKS:  This year we have introduced 10 and 20 packs […]

MFF Conversation Series Announced

The 2015 MFF Conversation Series is Presented by Audible Richard Gere, Jonathan Demme, Barbara Kopple, Stanley Nelson, Michael Ian Black, Bobcat Goldthwait, Abigail Disney, John Battsek, Patrick Wilson, and Jonathan Alter headline the festival’s Conversation schedule             HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS IN MONTCLAIR A Community Conversation Saturday, May 2nd 10:00 AM […]

Opening, Closing, Centerpiece Films

Click here for the full press release OPENING NIGHT FILM HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS Director: Michael Showalter Producers: Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker, Daniel Crown, Michael Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Kevin Mann Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Stephen Root, Jack Antonoff, Natasha Lyonne, Tyne Daly USA/ 95 Min With Michael Showalter in attendance In Michael […]

MFF Kids Art Project

It’s that time of year when kids art featuring their favorite movie starts popping up in store fronts all over town. Join the MFF Kids Art Project on Facebook to learn more.

Sam Green + Yo La Tengo

Tickets are now on sale! Thursday, May 7th at 8 pm The Wellmont Theater 5 Seymour Street, Montclair THE LOVE SONG OF R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER is a “live documentary” by Academy Award-nominated director Sam Green (THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND) featuring a live score by the legendary indie rock band Yo La Tengo. THE LOVE SONG OF R. […]

Save the Dates

Member Tickets Are On Sale Wed. April 8th General Public tickets go on sale April 13th. www.montclairfilm.org

Little White Lie

This special free screening, in celebration of Black History Month, is presented by the Montclair Film Festival in partnership with the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence and the Montclair Public Schools. Saturday, February 28th Glenfield Middle School 25 Maple Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042 Doors open at 4:15 pm Film begins at 5 pm (71 min.) […]

5th Annual Oscars’ Eve Party

This fifth annual celebration of a great year in film promises to be another memorable evening to another sold-out crowd. Don’t miss the fun… Tickets can no longer be purchased online but will be available for purchase at the door.

The “Stevphens” Together Again

Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell delighted a packed house for almost two hours at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark Friday night. This Montclair Film Festival “Conversation” was our fourth annual fundraising event with Stephen Colbert and will benefit next year’s Festival, which will run from May 1-10, 2015. After a heartwarming introduction by Mr. […]

Film Submissions Now Open

Submit Your Film To The 2016 Montclair Film Festival! Celebrating our 5th year, the Montclair Film Festival has established itself as New Jersey’s leading film non-profit, with hundreds of screenings, events, education programs and community partnerships providing a unique opportunity for our diverse audience to connect with filmmakers working in all different genres and forms. […]

Life & Living Features MFF Films

Life & Living with Joanna Gagis airs it’s third Montclair Film Festival episode this Saturday, October 18th at 2 PM on NJTV. Featured on this this program are interviews with filmmakers from MFF 2014 films, The Front Man and Advanced Style.

Behind the Screen 2014!

Back for it’s fourth year, Montclair Film Festival presents Behind the Screen: Media Careers 101.  This popular event will be held on Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 at Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue in Upper Montclair and includes a day of FREE panels on careers in filmmaking and media with renowned industry professionals. Advanced registration is […]

MFF Summer Series Film Friday!

Join us for the final film of the season to welcome in the new school year. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with a special appearance by Big Mamou. Friday, August 22nd Church Street, Montclair Film begins at 9:00 pm Live music by Big Mamou beginning at 8:15 pm In the event of inclement weather, please check back here after 5 […]

2015 Poster Contest

Deadline has been extended to October 30th! Register Now! Entering our 4th year, the Montclair Film Festival is a non-profit organization, existing to nurture and showcase the talents of filmmakers from around the world. Each year, the Festival creates a cultural focal point in the Township of Montclair that unites, empowers, educates and celebrates our […]

MFF Summer Series Film Thursday!

Next up in MFF’s free outdoor  summer series… Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Thursday, August 7th 9 pm Montclair Public Library 50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair Come early with your lawn chairs and picnics for live music by  Thee Volatiles   beginning at 8:15 pm

One on One Features MFF 2014

One-on-One with Steve Adubato has produced four half hour shows with footage and interviews from this year’s festival. Thursday, June 26th: Montclair Film Festival: No No: A Dockumentary  5:30pm on WHYY 7pm on NJTV 12:30am on WNET Tuesday, July 1st: Montclair Film Festival: The Rule 7pm on NJTV 12:30am on WNET Wednesday, July 9th, Montclair Film […]

Summer Series Pics!

Check out these great pics from the outdoor screenings of Hairspray, the Musical, Annie and the Blind Side, part of the MFF’s 5th Annual FREE Summer Series presenting movies under the stars. The next screening will Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Thursday, August 7th at 9 pm, Montclair Public Library, 50 South Fullerton Avenue, […]

MFF Summer Series is Back!

Montclair Film Festival’s 5th Annual Summer Series begins this Friday, May 30th at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, with Hairspray, the musical. Bring a lawn chair and be ready to sing along to lyrics on the big screen! The Bloom Room gift shop will be open prior to the movie. […]

Montclair Raised Actors Come Home

by Kimberly Cecchini Is it surprising that Montclair, which was ripe for a film festival that has already demonstrated success in its toddler years, was also the childhood home of two more rising stars? Actors, Kristen Connolly , known for her role as a Congressional staffer on Netflix’s House of Cards, and Ben Rosenfield, who […]

What Cinema is to Chuck Workman

by Joyce Kaffel “He won an Oscar for his film, Precious Images, and created many of the wonderful montages we see at the Oscars,” said Daniel Battsek, chairman of the Montclair Film Festival artistic committee, when he introduced Chuck Workman, on hand for the screening of his documentary, What is Cinema. In contrast to his […]

President of the Bronx

by Jessica Gonzalez A rather presidential face appeared at the Bellevue Clearview Cinemas on Sunday afternoon. No, it wasn’t Barack Obama—but close. It was Luis Ortiz, the stunningly accurate Obama impersonator and subject of Ryan Murdock’s amazing first documentary, Bronx Obama. This feature-length doc is, in many ways, a tale of the American Dream, although admittedly […]

An American Promise, Yet Unfulfilled

by Jessica Gonzalez American Promise, a new documentary by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, chronicles the journey of two young boys as they navigate the uneasy waters of being black in the predominantly white New York private school system. Shot over the course of 13 years, the film explores the question of unconscious prejudice and […]

Black Photographers, Black History

by Merve Fejzula Ten years in the making, Through A Lens Darkly was clearly worth the wait to the full crowd at the Montclair Film Festival on Saturday evening. Director Thomas Allen Harris attended the screening at the Clairidge Cinema on May 3 for the film’s New Jersey premiere. Shola Lynch, curator at the Schomburg […]

Op-Docs: Shorts that Cover it All

by Bill Battle Op-Docs has become a premier on-line series of short documentaries presented by The New York Times. Currently, there are 111 videos from 85 directors. Since their debut in 2011, Op-Docs’ honors include a Peabody Award, a News and Documentary Emmy nomination and a World Press Photo Award. Returning for the second year to […]

The Front Man: Meaning of Success

by Denise Ford Sawadogo The Front Man is one of those films that make those on the seemingly endless quest to reach their goal question their beliefs and values. Is what you considered to be a measure of success really a true measure of success? On one level The Front Man is about obtaining your […]

Ivory Tower: Learning at What Price

by Merve Fejzula Around the country thousands of high school students and their parents are finalizing decisions about college and Montclair Film Festival’s screening of Ivory Tower at the Montclair Kimberly Academy on Saturday, May 3 could not have come at a better time. The film stitched together many narratives, from the struggles of a poor […]

Whitey: Unbelievably True

by Bob McGee Whitey: The United States vs. James J. Bulger, is a documentary by Joe Berlinger about the life and criminal career of the infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger who was able to allude law enforcement for 17 years. The story of Whitey is a tangled web of a story–like trying to separate tangled wires–some of which […]

Unorthodox: Against the Grain

Unorthodox, closed out the Montclair Film Festival to a sold out crowd. Several movie patrons resorted to the floor to catch the Anna Wexler and Nadja Oertelt documentary. Unorthodox follows three Modern Orthodox Jewish teens spending a gap year in Israel before returning to attend college in the US. A high percentage of teens participating […]

Next Year Jerusalem: Courage for Life

by Caroline Purcell Clark On Sunday May 4th, moviegoers gathered at The Clairidge Theatre to view Montclair’s own David Gaynes’ documentary, Next Year Jerusalem. This unique film details the experience of “eight nursing home residents [that] are given one last great adventure, a trip to Israel.” In all honesty, I had a pre-conceived notion that the […]

Nelson George: His Body of Work

by Karen Backstein From producing the Chris Rock Show to directing such films as Finding the Funk, All Hail the Beat, and Brooklyn Boheme, the multi-talented, Brooklyn-born Nelson George has explored various facets of African-American culture. On Saturday, he came to the Audible Lounge to kick off a series of three panels presented in conjunction […]

E-Team: Activists for Humanity

by Kimberly Cecchini The crisis arm of the Human Rights Watch is a small subset of the organization charged with investigating the most severe war crimes around the world. These fiercely brave individuals insert themselves into precarious situations to conduct painstaking research on potential “crimes against humanity” through multiple interviews and crime scene investigations. Careful […]

MFF Filmmakers Party: Place to Be

by Karen Backstein Montclair met Hollywood as the filmmakers who help make the Montclair Film Festival what it is came out to party and socialize with audiences on Saturday night at MFF’s Filmmakers Party at the new Audible Lounge. Throughout the two-story loft-like space, music played, drinks flowed, plates of food got devoured, and people […]

Exposed: Freedom to be Yourself

by David Polinchock There was quite a mixed audience at hand for the 9:30 screening of Exposed on Saturday night at the Clairmont. I’m honestly not sure who I was expecting to see in the audience, but it almost seemed like a regular Saturday night at the movies. Exposed follows a group of burlesque performers […]

House Party Video!

Check out Montclair Film Festival’s 2014 House Party video featuring highlights from the fab event!

Rodriguez in Concert Tonight, 5/8!

Rodriguez will be performing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Thursday, May 8th at 8:00 PM. Rodriguez was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary, Searching for Sugar Man. The film follows two South Africans who set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock ‘n’ roller, Rodriguez. Click […]

Wilson and Borle: An Easy Rapport

by Steven Seighman “We have an easy rapport,” joked actor Christian Borle about his friendship with Montclair’s Patrick Wilson, who’d just asked him a question in the voice of famed arts interviewer James Lipton during his Patrick Wilson and Friends at the Montclair Film Festival. In a talk on Sunday afternoon at the Montclair Art […]

Jammed

by David Polinchock I was asked to cover Jammed at the last minute and hadn’t really done any research before heading over to theater on Saturday night. When I got into the theater, I found a very enthusiastic crowd waiting for the movie to begin. The lights went down and the audience was definitely ready […]

The Internet’s Own Boy

by David Polinchock I’ve followed the story of Aaron Swartz, so I was interested in seeing The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, to learn more abut what happened and about Aaron as well. He certainly had a great impact on the digital world that we live in today and through his death, his […]

A Bird, A Grouch, The Man

by Jessica Gonzalez Given that Sesame Street has been on the air for 45 years, there are few people in this country whose lives haven’t been touched in some small way by Big Bird and his friends. But what is known of the man behind the bright yellow feathers? And how did he come to develop one […]

Sandy Unites a Shore Community

by Alison Crisp Stockley Making its New Jersey premiere, Landfall: The Eyes of Sandy, chronicles the hours before and months after Superstorm Sandy as it hits the Jersey Shore and devastates the tight-knit community of Long Beach Island (LBI). First-time documentary director A.D. Pearson and producer Corinne Ruff, a long-time resident of LBI, combine stunning […]

A Time for Burning: Transports You

by Nancy Rachmiel The 1960s was a decade full of political and social change. Being born in the early 1960s, most of the documentaries I have seen regarding this era were compilations of news footage with voice-over narration. The perspective was historical just through the passage of time. In A Time for Burning, directed by […]

Dinosaur 13: Fighting for Sue

by Joseph Palestina It was a packed house for the Montclair Film Festival’s last film of the week. The energy inside the theater was as vibrant as ever. Moviegoers of all ages filled the seats to watch Todd Douglas Miller’s first feature docudrama, Dinosaur 13. It wasn’t a surprise that this film was the buzz […]

Supermensch: What a Guy

by Bob McGee Mensch: A Yiddish word, meaning a person of honor and integrity. Director Mike Myers of Saturday Night Live fame and such movies as Wayne’s World and the Austin Powers series, describes Shep Gordon as the “nicest person I ever met”. After seeing Mr. Gordon at the Bellevue Theater on Saturday night, it is easy to see why […]

Masters of Horror & Suspense

by Christopher Dixon Mark Fitzmartin loves horror movies, and on a beautiful Saturday afternoon he decided to let us all in on why we all love them too at Montclair Film Festival’s free panel Masters of Horror and Suspense – Why We Love Scary Movies! At one point or another we have all been frightened […]

Intramural: Finds Humor in Sports

by Christopher Dixon On a cool spring day, the crowds showed up for this highly anticipated film, and there was rampant discussion about the stars (Kate McKinnon and Beck Bennett). The crowd was ‘amped’ for Intramural. Yelp, a special sponsor, made an appearance at the event to get everyone extra excited by handing out complimentary items and […]

NJ Shorts: The Unexpected

Rendering a succinct anecdote is the main attraction of the short form and in particular short films. But if that is not available to the filmmaker, obfuscation will always do. Both tracts were on display tonight at NJ Shorts: The Unexpected at the Bellevue Theatre, part of closing night celebrations for the 2014 Montclair Film […]

No Cameras Allowed: Life Captured

by Caroline Purcell Clark Rarely, does a film come along that so aptly and exquisitely describes a period in one’s life, but after seeing James Marcus Haney’s No Cameras Allowed, I am confident that Haney has successfully struck that perfect note. The film captures moments of youth, passion, and ultimately life. MTV, which has recently […]

Advanced Style: In Living Color

by Kimberly Cecchini Spiky pink hair, fiery orange curls and oversized silver cuffs. No, Advanced Style is not about adolescents experimenting with their identify, it’s about mature women asserting their character through the art of fashion. In a culture that equates aging with fear, each of the women highlighted in this documentary confidently and unabashedly […]

Dangerous Acts…Challenging Times

by Nancy Rachmiel It is not often that I see a film and the content is completely ripped out from the current headlines. Such is the case with Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus, directed by Madeleine Sackler. Ms. Sackler’s film follows members of The Belarus Free Theatre as they draw the ire […]

On the Road Again with Jordan Brady

by Joyce Kaffel  The weather couldn’t have been worse, rain pummeling the streets with a heavy, chilly downpour, still, the die-hards came out to the Bellevue Theater to view comedian Jordan Brady’s film, I Am Road Comic. He made it on the tails of his 2010 documentary, I Am Comic, a compilation of more than […]

A Place to Belong: A Place to Become

by Tanya Manning-Yarde I remember the lessons learned as both member and president of the local youth chapter of the National Council of Negro Women where I grew up. The strengthening of sisterhood through bringing divergent points of view into focus on a common goal. Learning the importance of outreach, of volunteering, to make a […]

Finding Fela: Music is the Weapon

by Tanya Manning-Yarde In the biopic, Finding Fela, the finery and flaws of the iconic Afrobeat composer, multi-instrumentalist and activist are unfolded. Director Alex Gibney creates a mosaic picture from the shards of a complex complicated man. Extracted from almost 1,000 hours of archival footage, interviews of those impacted by his life, and artifacts of […]

Tricked: The Horror of Sex Trade

by Jennifer Fidlon-Bugat Tricked recounts the unvarnished and heart-wrenching tale of America’s sex trade, a thriving multi-billion dollar business that ensnares underage girls and young women from all walks of life. Through the voices of the victims and their families, the pimps, the johns, and the cops, the documentary’s co-directors, Jane Wells and John-Keith Wasson, […]

A Life Outside: A Love for the Surf

by Kevin Walter A Life Outside, director Catherine Brabec’s beautifully lensed doc chronicles the five decades a group of boyhood friends spend dedicating their lives to surfing the Jersey shore. A Life Outside is part buddy pic, part eco-activist warning, and in large part, a history of the sport itself from the sleepy indulgence of […]

Kidz Shortz: Young Filmmakers Shine

by Jessica M. Freeland May 3rd, a perfect spring day for strolling along the town of Montclair and partaking in all the activities it has to offer, like getting a good deal at a thrift sale, or filling-up on free samples of ice cream or olive oil, even catching a trolley! Yes, a trolley! For […]

Titles Sold Out!

The following MFF 2014 events/screenings are sold out. However, there may be a limited number of tickets released to a standby line 15 minutes before the start time at each venue. ADVANCED STYLE ALTHEA AMERICAN PROMISE BELLE BENEATH THE HARVEST SKY OPENING NIGHT: CHEF – only upper balcony available LE CHEF CHINESE PUZZLE DIFRET THE DOUBLE […]

Wilson’s Guest is Christian Borle

Patrick Wilson’s guest on May 4th at noon at the Montclair Art Museum will be Christian Borle who starred in the TV show Smash, won a Tony for his role in Peter and the Starcatcher and was Tony-nominated for Legally Blonde: The Musical. New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley described Borle as “a blend of Groucho Marx, Peter […]

MFF 2014 Family Fun Events!

Please join the Montclair Film Festival at these super fun family events! Free Story Hour at the Audible Lounge (544 Bloomfield  Avenue, Montclair, NJ) – Watchung Booksellers will provide storytelling from movie-themed books on Thurs. May 1st from 2:30 – 3:30 pm. Aimed for kids ages 3 – 7 years old. Milk and cookies will be served!   Free […]

MFF 2014 Opening Night Video!

Check out this absolutely fabulous recap of Montclair Film Festival’s Opening Night Screening and Gala on Monday 28th. It captures the excitement, joy and fun of a truly memorable kick-off to our 3rd Annual Festival!

No, No: A Dockumentary: A Journey

by Bill Battle Today, perhaps professional baseball player Dock Ellis is best remembered as a pitcher who, in 1970, just may have thrown a no-hitter under the influence of LSD. Of course there is so much more to a life and what makes Dock Ellis’ story so compelling, is portrayed in the wonderful film, No, […]

I Am Eleven: A Time of Innocence

by Nancy Rachmiel I Am Eleven, directed by Australian filmmaker Genevieve Bailey allows us to join her on her six year journey around the world interviewing eleven year-olds. In her own words she narrates her reasons for making the film and choosing the age eleven. She explains she was in a very low period in her […]

Art and Craft: The Ether of Perception

by Joyce Korotkin A complex documentary with many subtexts, Art and Craft is a deeply empathic portrayal of schizophrenic master forger Arthur Landis, who for more than 30 years took on the simulated role of philanthropist (which he felt to be his calling and addiction) by donating his own masterfully forged works of art to […]

Shep in Person for Supermensch

Mike Myers (Austin Powers) makes his directorial debut with this star-packed documentary about the fast-lane life of entertainment-industry legend Shep Gordon, who managed the careers of Alice Cooper, Blondie, Luther Vandross, celebrity chefs, and others. Infused with Myers’s sense of humor, the film surpasses the normal showbiz biography to reflect on bigger questions of life’s […]

MFF 2014: PARTIES

Come party with MFF! You won’t want to miss these fun and special events: Opening Night After Film Party After the screening of Chef, Party ticket holders are invited to join us for an Opening Night Reception inside the Wellmont Theater. Enjoy free-flowing drinks, delicious food, and inspired conversation as we celebrate the return of […]

Pollard & Erskine: A Cut Above

by Joseph Palestina Editing is undeniably one of the most crucial elements of the filmmaking process, if not the most important. In front of a focused and eager audience at the Montclair Film Festival, film editors Sam Pollard (Mo Better Blues, Clockers) and Lewis Erksine (Freedom Riders, The Murder of Emmett Till) were able to […]

Fort Tilden: A Biting Satire

by Jennifer Fidlon-Bugat “You need to think about yourself first and other people’s bikes second.” This line, spoken by Harper (played by Bridey Elliott) to her roommate and best friend, Allie (played by Clare McNulty), as they abandon a bicycle borrowed from a neighbor on their way to the beach, perfectly encapsulates the self-centered worldview […]

The Dog Digs Deep

by Kevin Walter “There’s only one star,” John Wojtowicz announces during The Dog, his engrossing bio-doc produced and directed by the team of Allison Berg and Francois Keraudren, which played last night at the Clairidge, “and its me!” He spends the rest of the film trying to convince the audience his case is not without […]

FranSoronprfbs (Try to Pronounce It)

by Merve Fejzula If the title character of Frank would have seen the sold-out crowd gathered at the Montclair Film Festival’s screening Friday evening, he may have been elated. Or perhaps Frank would take a moment to have a breakdown. With Frank or Frank, you can never tell what to expect. The romp of a […]

House Party Gets Its Groove On

by Charmaine Patricia Warren Begun from the idea of celebrating the exceptional roster of black films at the Montclair Film Festival, this year’s House Party—named with a wink to the 1990 hit movie–proved to be another evening of coming together to do just that…and of course, to party. Some of the black films selected this […]

Girl Adopted Gets You in Every Way

by Traci Marqui Girl Adopted made by filmmakers Melanie Judd and Susie Mutamed is plainly a story of love because two Christian chicken farmers from a small town in Arkansas decide to do an extraordinary thing. They adopt a girl from Ethiopia named Weynsht. Is she the token black girl in the town? Yes and no, as […]

Althea: Greater than ‘Love’

by Caroline Purcell Clark The lobby of Montclair’s Clairidge Theatre was abuzz with pre-film chatter as eager moviegoers congregated for the Thursday night viewing of Rex Miller’s Althea. This fantastic, yet bittersweet, documentary on Althea Gibson, the first African American tennis player to win grand slam tournaments in the 1950s *, illuminates the major strides […]

Beneath the Harvest Sky’s Realism

by Alison Crisp Stockley From the award-winning documentary (The Way We Get By) filmmaking team, Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly make a formidable foray into feature films with Beneath the Harvest Sky, a gritty and intense coming-of-age drama set in the small northern farm town of Van Buren, Maine. It’s harvest break, a time when […]

MFF Contest for FREE Film Tickets!

The Montclair Film Festival has been in full swing since Monday’s fabulous opening night party and screening of Chef at the Wellmont Theater. We’ve had informative and insightful free panels, family story hour for the kids and yoga classes, and screened thought-provoking documentaries and exciting shorts and feature films. But wait…there’s more…so much more, with three […]

MFF Banner Bags! Get One Today!

What’s the coolest locally made accessory that also boasts film festival history? Montclair Film Festival’s Banner Bags…of course! The bags are made by local artist Claire Cohen (Montclair Made), who works mostly with vintage textiles and recycled items, or rather, upcycled items. Click here for a fun interview with Claire on Montclair Patch. The MFF Banner […]

“Women Aren’t Funny” Really?

by Joyce Kaffel In the film, Women Aren’t Funny, comedian Bonnie McFarlane is on a quest for her own holy grail which is the answer to the burning question of whether or not women are funny, as judged by male and female comics, and a few regular people. She calls her film a “cocumentary,” a […]

Putting it All On the Line

by Bob McGee Sasha Ruether, director of Brothers on the Line has created a stunning and compelling documentary. Brothers on the Line tells the story of the Reuther brothers, Walter, Vincent and Roy. Sons of a German immigrant who was brought up in Germany under a socialist democracy, the brothers adopted the political ideology of their father. […]

Diversity is the Fodder for Good TV

by Kevin Walter Last night at the Audible Lounge on Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair Film Festival held its free panel discussion on the New Golden Age of Television and panel member Tom Fontana summed up the main takeaway of the evening with this hashtag worthy statement: “Every new venue is a great thing” for television. Fontana, whose writing […]

Free yoga with MFF!

Join the Montclair Film Festival for two free yoga classes at Audible Lounge.

Filmmaking in NJ Panel Enlightens

by Jennifer Fidlon-Bugat What do Boardwalk Empire, Not Fade Away, Hurricane and The Oranges have in common? Their stories are set in New Jersey but the TV series and movies were filmed in New York and Canada, where the tax incentives are much more advantageous for filmmakers. What do Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit and […]

General tickets on sale now!

Public tickets to MFF 2014 are now on sale.  You can view the entire lineup here or the schedule here. The festival kicks off on Mon. April 28th with a screening of the comedy CHEF.  

Opening Night Deliciously Delightful!

by Glenn Schuster Monday night’s screening of Jon Favreau’s Chef at the Wellmont Theater kicked off the 3rd Annual Montclair Film Festival in style! The excitement in the packed theater was palpable as Bob Feinberg, the Festival’s founder and chairman, took the stage to thank the sponsors and Festival staff and speak briefly about how […]

David Chase on Filming in NJ

Check out this great interview with Sopranos director, David Chase on filmmaking in New Jersey! And be sure to attend the Montclair Film Festival 2014 FREE PANEL: FILMMAKING IN NEW JERSEY, Tuesday, April 29th at 7:30 PM at the Audible Lounge, 544 Bloomfield Avenue. The panel will include Sony Pictures Classics Co-President/Co-Founder Tom Bernard, Producer Carol Cuddy […]

MFF 2014 Kicks Off Tonight!

Montclair Film Festival’s Artistic Director Thom Powers’ 5 picks of the day, with guests in person: 1) Our Opening Night Film (please note tickets available for balcony seats only, other tickets sold out), Chef (2014, Jon Favreau) Director Jon Favreau plays a chef who gets fired after clashing with a critic and reinvents himself in a food […]

Leguizamo in Person for Chef

Actor John Leguizamo will appear in person at Montclair Film Festival’s Opening Night screening of Chef on Monday, April 28th. Leguizamo co-stars in Chef along with Jon Favreau and a stellar ensemble cast. Tickets are still available, so don’t delay!

MFF 2014 Line-up Tonight!

Montclair Film Festival’s Artistic Director, Thom Powers, and Executive Director, Raphaela Neihausen, will make their first public presentation of the MFF 2014 line-up at Montclair Art Museum’s Free First Thursday Nights event on April 3rd at 8 PM.             The evening also includes: 5-9 pm: Full-service bar, live music, Draw Along […]

MFF 2014: OPENING NIGHT

The Montclair Film Festival opens on April 28th with Chef, the new comedy directed by and starring Jon Favreau with an esteemed supporting cast that includes John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johansson, being released nationwide in May. One of our special guest for opening night includes John Leguizamo, so you don’t want to miss it! […]

MFF 2014: FAMILY

Our FAMILY category features three presentations, including a 75th anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz, with attendees encouraged to dress as their favorite characters. The Horizon Foundation of New Jersey will also be on hand starting at 10:00 am (either on the grounds or inside if poor weather) with face painting and balloon twisting. […]

MFF 2014: CONVERSATIONS

MFF’s popular live CONVERSATION SERIES presents eclectic guests including: Michael Moore & Dangerous Docs. Moore returns to interview a distinguished group of documentary filmmakers whose work is being shown at the festival. Homegrown: A Conversation with Kristen Connolly and Ben Rosenfield, actors who grew up right here in Montclair. Patrick Wilson & Friends. Patrick will be joined on […]

MFF 2014: DOCUMENTARY

Our DOCUMENTARY category features 13 non-fiction films spanning global topics including two US premieres, I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story about the 80-year-old puppeteer on Sesame Street; and Advanced Style based on the eponymous New York City photography blog focusing on fashionable older women. Among the 11 NJ premieres are Dinosaur 13, about the legal […]

MFF 2014: DRAMA

We have a stellar DRAMA line-up of 14 narrative films celebrated on the festival circuit, 12 of them New Jersey premieres. Titles include the Sundance Audience Award winner for World Cinema, Difret, set in Ethiopia, with producer Mehret Mandefro attending; Mother of George, set inside a community of Nigerian immigrants in New York City with writer, […]