2023 Montclair Film Festival announces full lineup

This year’s Montclair Film Festival has announced its full lineup, with new films from Andrew Haigh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Alice Rohrwacher, and Wim Wenders joining previously announced titles like Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” and Todd Haynes’s “May December.”

Among the films in competition for fiction film are “La Chimera” by Rohrbacher, “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World” (directed by Radu Jude), “Evil Does Not Exist” by Hamaguchi, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” directed by Phạm Thiên Ân, and “Totem” directed by Lila Avilés.

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Among the highlight films, screening throughout the festival, are “All of Us Strangers” by Haigh, “Fingernails” directed by Christos Nikou, “Nyad” directed by Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, and “The Taste of Things” directed by Trân Anh Hùng.

Those films join the previously announced opening night film “Dream Scenario,” the centerpiece film “The Holdovers,” and the closing night film “Eileen.”

The 2023 Montclair Film Festival will also feature some major events, including a tribute to Martin Scorsese hosted by Stephen Colbert and an event for Haynes alongside “May December.”

“We are incredibly honored to be able to share the work of so many incredible artists at the Montclair Film Festival,” said Montclair Film Artistic Director Tom Hall in a statement. “This year’s festival is filled with major new works by some of the world’s greatest living filmmakers along with outstanding films from emerging filmmakers from around the globe. We look forward to seeing our patrons at the festival for what promises to be a great year of filmgoing, conversation, and connection.”

See the full lineup below, pasted from the festival’s press release. 

The 2023 Montclair Film Festival Program

OPENING NIGHT FILM

DREAM SCENARIO, directed by Kristoffer Borgli

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

EILEEN, directed by William Oldroyd

DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE

STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING, directed by Roger Ross Williams

FICTION CENTERPIECE

THE HOLDOVERS, directed by Alexander Payne

FAMILY CENTERPIECE

ROBOT DREAMS, directed by Pablo Berger

DIRECTOR AWARD

Todd Haynes for MAY DECEMBER

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER AWARD

Matthew Heineman for AMERICAN SYMPHONY

BREAKTHROUGH WRITER DIRECTOR

Raven Jackson for ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER

Christian Friedel for THE ZONE OF INTEREST, directed by Jonathan Glazer

DAVID CARR AWARD FOR TRUTH IN FILMMAKING

BREAKING THE NEWS, directed by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez

2023 TRIBUTE

AN EVENING WITH MARTIN SCORSESE + STEPHEN COLBERT

IN CONVERSATION & SPECIAL EVENTS IN CONVERSATION:

What Is The Future of Artificial Intelligence?

The growth of Artificial Intelligence tools has created a sudden and urgent need to grapple with our collective future— can we harness the power of AI to improve our quality of life and expand access to knowledge or will AI create a future driven by disinformation and economic displacement that generates a collective upheaval of the status quo? These questions are front and center not only in the world of generative AI, but at the heart of the future of film and television, as producers, writers,

and actors seek to determine the future of their creative collaborations. Join host Stephen Colbert and a panel of esteemed thinkers as they explore the challenges created and opportunities made available by AI.

Moderated by Stephen Colbert

Sunday, October 22, 12:00 PM, MKA Upper School

Presented with support from the Craig Newmark Foundation

Movie Music: An Event By Montclair’s Own

In SAY ANYTHING, Lloyd Dobler stands outside his crush’s window blasting “In Your Eyes,” linking forever the Peter Gabriel song to Cusack’s boombox serenade. When great music heightens and enhances movie scenes–– from Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” in THE GRADUATE, to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in WAYNE’S WORLD, to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” in DO THE RIGHT THING, to the Pixies “Where is My Mind” in FIGHT CLUB–– the pairing stays with us for life.

Join us to hear Montclair’s own musicians and singers perform live covers of their favorite needle drops and music from iconic movie scenes – and maybe even some new music from this year’s MFF 2023 selections!

Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 8:00 PM, Pineapple Express FREE

Montclair Improv Comedy

Montclair Improv Comedy is Making a Movie… in real time, right before your eyes! MIC will celebrate the Montclair Film Festival by improvising a never-before-seen film, inspired by YOU and your suggestions. Performed by a group of veteran improvisers—and now NJ natives—come see us live on stage at Montclair Film as we create a movie with ravishing special effects, inventive camera angles, real-time direction, and improvised action. Heroic heroes, villainous villains, quirky support characters and a lot of laughs from opening scene to the final frame.

Wednesday, October 25, 8:00 PM, Cinema505

StorySLAM: Plot Twist

Join us at this year’s festival to kick off the popular Montclair Film StorySLAM season. No film or life is complete without an exciting PLOT TWIST. Life is not a straight line and each of our stories are filled with unexpected turns and surprise endings. Join us to celebrate the magic and mystery just like we experience in the cinema. To register as a storyteller, visit montclairfilm.org/storyslam or grab a ticket to enjoy the show!

Thursday, October 26, 7:30 PM, Cinema505

IN CONVERSATION:

The Garden State: Where Filming Began

Join the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the Montclair Film Festival as we explore the benefits of filming in New Jersey (the birthplace

of film) including tax credits, programs for local municipalities to welcome your crew and unparalleled scenic backdrops . We will be discussing our Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program, investment in the film industry and the wide array of options (from beaches to mountains, rural to urban landscapes) the Garden State has to offer!

Saturday, October 28, 11:30 AM, Cinema505 FREE

IN CONVERSATION:

Film Journalism In A Changing Landscape

As the entertainment industry experiments with new strategies that blur the line between theatrical distribution and television, the role of professional critics and journalists continues to evolve in parallel. But what does that mean in a world where digital companies rise and fall and everyone has their hands on the megaphone of social media? Join our esteemed panel of film critics and journalists as they discuss their place in an ever-shifting media landscape.

Panelists include Kase Wickman (Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair), Sam Adams (Senior Editor & Film Critic, Slate), Alison Wilmore (Film Critic, New York Magazine/Vulture), Lisa Wong Macabasco (Research Editor & Senior Digital Line Editor, Vogue)

Saturday, October 28, 3:00 PM, Cinema505 FREE

FEATURE FILMS

ABOUT DRY GRASSES, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan 

AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, directed by Charlie Sadoff 

ALL OF US STRANGERS, directed by Andrew Haigh 

ANSELM (3D), directed by Wim Wenders

AUM: THE CULT AT THE END OF THE WORLD, directed by Ben Braun, Chiaki Yanagimoto

BAD LIKE BROOKLYN DANCEHALL, directed by Ben DiGiacomo, Dutty Vannier

LA CHIMERA, directed by Alice Rohrwacher

CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN, directed by Penny Lane

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE, directed by Nicole Newnham

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, directed by Radu Jude

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

FALLEN LEAVES, directed by Aki Kaurismäki

THE FEATHERWEIGHT, directed by Robert Kolodny

THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED, directed by Joanna Arnow

FINGERNAILS, directed by Christos Nikou

FOUR DAUGHTERS, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania FREE TIME, directed by Ryan Martin Brown

FROM THIS SMALL PLACE, directed by Taimi Arvidson

GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT, directed by Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson

THE GULLSPÅNG MIRACLE, directed by Maria Fredriksson

INSHALLAH A BOY, directed by Amjad Al Rasheed

INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL, directed by Phạm Thiên Ân

JESSZILLA, directed by Emily SheskinLEAD AND COPPER, directed by William Hart

A LITTLE PRAYER, directed by Angus MacLachlan 

LOUSY CARTER, directed by Bob Byington MÚSICA!, directed by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

NYAD, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin 

ON THE ADAMANT, directed by Nicolas Philibert 

PERFECT DAYS, directed by Wim Wenders

PET SHOP DAYS, directed by Olmo Schnabel PLAYLAND, directed by Georden West

THE PROMISED LAND, directed by Nikolaj Arcel

QUEENDOM, directed by Agniia Galdanova

REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM, directed by Alan Dwan

RULE OF TWO WALLS, directed by David Gutnik

SCREAM OF MY BLOOD: A GOGOL BORDELLO STORY, directed by Nate Pommer, Eric Weinrib 

THE SETTLERS, directed by Felipe Gálvez Haberle

SLEEP, directed by Jason Yu

SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING, directed by Rachel Lambert

THE SPACE RACE, directed by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Lisa Cortés

STORY & PICTURES BY, directed by Joanna Rudnick

SUMMER QAMP, directed by Jen Markowitz

THE TASTE OF THINGS, directed by Trân Anh Hùng

THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE, directed by Ilker Çatak

TELL THEM YOU LOVE ME, directed by Nick August-Perna

THEY SHOT THE PIANO PLAYER, directed by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal

TÓTEM, directed by Lila Avilés

WE ARE GUARDIANS, directed by Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, Rob Grobman

WILDING, directed by David Allen

YOU WERE MY FIRST BOYFRIEND, directed by Cecilia Aldarondo, Sarah Enid Hagey

SHORT FILMS

THE ABC’S OF BOOK BANNING, directed by Trish Adlesic, Naz Habtezghi

ACCIDENT, directed by Stephanie Ahn

AFTERMATH, directed by Chessy Prout

AIKĀNE, directed by Daniel Sousa, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson

AMERICAN SANTA, directed by Avi Zev Weider

THE AUCTION, directed by Jordan Hidalgo

THE BALLAD OF FRED FORT, directed by Bruno Mattos Rubeiz

BEAR BRONSON, directed by Everett Ravens

BEAR HUGS, directed by Maggie May Brummer

BEST FRIENDS ON A SUMMER HIKE, directed by Mario Furloni

BLACK GIRLS PLAY: THE STORY OF HAND GAMES, directed by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson

THE BLAKE, directed by Courtney Sposato and Mark Sposato

BOXED OUT, directed by Rachel Cooley

CALLS FROM HOME, directed by Sylvia Ryerson 

CANNED, directed by Steve Melone

THE CARDINAL, directed by Stefanos Tsivopoulos

CHICKEN STORIES, directed by Jonathan Pickett

CLINICAL, directed by Lauren Ciaravalli

CLOISTERED, directed by Catherine Finsness

COLD & SARA, directed by Brenna Power

COUSINS, directed by Karina Dandashi

CROWS, directed by Andrew Saunderson

THE DADS, directed by Luchina Fisher

DARK MOON, directed by Katie Mathews

THE DAY OF, directed by Umar Malik

DEAL OF A LIFETIME, directed by Lev Pakman

DRAWING BORED, directed by Mick Posch

DRESSED, directed by Bethiael Alemayoh

EAT FLOWERS, directed by River Finlay

EGGS, directed by Emma Jacoby Axelrod

FALSIES, directed by Tessa Hope Slovis

FLORES DEL OTRO PATIO, directed by Jorge Cadena

FOR THE RECORD, directed by Heather Courtney

THE FOUNDRY, directed by Robert Machoian

FOUR NIGHTS AND A FIRE, directed by Alex Nystro

 HENRY AT THE GOLDEN HOUR, directed by Maureen Towey

HOW WE GET FREE, directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles

I HAVE NO TEARS, AND I MUST CRY, directed by Luis Fernando Puente

IN YOUR ELEMENT, directed by Arel Gabbay

INDOOR BASEBALL, directed by Christian Cerezo

KOKOMO, directed by Farah Jabir

LET LIV, directed by Erica Rose

THE LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE, directed by Kerri Lynn Miller

MIRRORMIRROR, directed by Björn Rühmann

THE NATIONALS, directed by Hyde Harper 

NINA & IRENA, directed by Daniel Lombroso

OUR BODIES LIKE DAMS, directed by Sarah K. Finn

OUR FARMS, OUR FARMERS, directed by Murphy Birdsall and Keith Reamer

OUR MALES AND FEMALES, directed by Ahmad Alyaseer

OUTSIDER, directed by Ted Haimes

THE PASSING, directed by Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas

PEDACITO DE CARNE, directed by Akilah Walker

THE PEDESTRIAN, directed by Nora Rose DeLigter and Claire Read

PUSHOVER, directed by Brian Lederman

RAD DAD, directed by Zach Weintraub

REJOICE IN THE LAMB, directed by Will Carington, Courtney Bush, and Jake Goicoechea

RICKY, directed by Rashad Frett

SADNESS, directed by Henry Jinings

SAND MAMA, directed by Catherine Loerke

SAVASANA, directed by Jenny Donheiser

SAVI THE CAT, directed by Bryan Tucker and Netsie Tjirongo

SAWO MATANG, directed by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto 

SQUIRREL!?, directed by Katie Ennis

STRONG GRANDMA, directed by Cecilia Brown and Winslow Crane-Murdoch

SUGAR HOUSE YANTRA, directed by Jared Flesher

SULAM (LADDER), directed by Noam Argov

SUNFLOWER FIELD, directed by Polina Buchak

SWIM CAPTAIN, directed by Christa Haley

SWIPE NYC, directed by Sue Zarco Kramer

TEQUILA SUNSET, directed by Jinsui Song

TINY THING, directed by Joshua Giuliano

WAKING UP IN SILENCE, directed by Mila Zhluktenko and Daniel Asadi Faezi

THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL, directed by Leah Brown Holmes

YOU CAN’T SHRINK LOVE, directed by Veena Rao

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