Montclair Film Festival, Backed by Stephen Colbert, Gets Underway With a Bevy of Doc Awards Hopefuls

Addie Morfoot
·4 min read
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The Montclair Film Festival, which became a hub for awards-seeking filmmakers when it moved to the fall from spring during the pandemic, kicks off Oct. 21 with a mix of high-profile narrative films and documentaries in addition to panels and master classes.

Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” Maria Schrader’s “She Said,” Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise,” and Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” are among the Oscar hopefuls that will screen at the 10-day fest based in the affluent, northern New Jersey suburb that is home to entertainment creatives including Stephen Colbert. Netflix’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” serves as MFF’s opening night film and the fest will pay tribute to star Daniel Craig’s career on Oct. 28 in a conversation hosted by Colbert, whose wife Evelyn is president of MFF’s board of trustees. Oscar winner Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” which garnered Venice’s Golden Lion, is among the doc contenders screening at the fest.

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“It has been a very positive shift,” says Tom Hall, artistic director and co-head of MFF, of its 2020 calendar shift to fall. “We are in October in just the right spot – after New York, Toronto, Venice, and the Hampton’s film festivals. So, we don’t have that premiere pressure. We are just trying to bring really great films to town and get a spotlight on films as campaigns kick off.”

All told, the festival’s 11th edition will feature over 130 features and shorts. This year MFF will bring a bevy of docus vying for spots on the Academy’s feature docu shortlist. Beyond “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” hopefuls include Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes,” Sascha Jenkins’ “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blue,” Ryan White’s “Good Night Oppy,” Rory Kennedy’s “The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari,” and Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen’s “In Her Hands.”

Filmed over a two-year period, “In Her Hands” tells the story of Zarifa Ghafari, who, at 26 became one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors and the youngest person ever to hold the position. The film documents her fight for survival against the backdrop of her country’s accelerated unraveling as Western forces announce their retreat and the Taliban’s return to power.

The Netflix doc premiered at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival in September. Director Tamana Ayazi, who is a native of Afghanistan, escaped in 2021 after the Taliban took over.

“Montclair’s audiences are filled with both film lovers and members of the documentary community,” says Ayazi. “This specific festival gives us the opportunity to highlight what is happening in Afghanistan to those very specific groups who love storytelling.”

“In Her Hands” is one of three documentaries based in Afghanistan, screening at MFF. Matthew Heineman’s “Retrograde” recounts the last days of the American occupation of the country through the eyes of Afghanistan witnesses, while David Greenwald’s “Afghan Dreamers” follows a team of young women from Afghanistan who see their passion for robotics and science as an opportunity to transform their own lives.

In addition to feature docus, MFF will spotlight short documentaries, including Sarah McCarthy’s “Anastasia,” Dana Reilly’s “Favorite Daughter,” A.K. Sandhu’s “For Love and Legacy” and Douwe Dijkstra’s “Neighbour Adbi.”

McCarthy’s “Anastasia” about Russian civil rights activist Anastasia Shevchenko, was acquired by MTV Documentary Films and has been qualified for Oscar consideration.

“The Montclair Film Festival provides a wonderful opportunity to experience short films you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see in a theatrical environment,” says McCarthy. “Its placement on the calendar towards the end of October combined with the large number of documentary community members that have settled in Montclair provides the perfect place to screen films for an engaged audience.”

Montclair has become a hotspot in recent years for the nonfiction community who, for whatever reason, no longer want to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Many filmmakers based in the town are members of the Academy.

But Hall adds that the large doc community is just one reason why distributors are keen to screen their films at MFF.

“Montclair is a sophisticated, highly educated, media-business driven community,” says Hall. “There’s a lot of people who work in journalism here and who are involved in the arts and TV and film production. So, distributors want to have access to our audience. They feel like they’re reaching tastemakers.”

In addition to offering audiences a sneak peek at some of the most eagerly awaited titles of the year so far, MFF will host its annual “In Conversation” series, which includes a Q&A with Huma Abedin and Zan Asher.

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