MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2017 PROGRAM
John Turturro, Bill Nye to join Stephen Colbert in the festival’s 2017 Conversation Series, presented by Audible
Zoe Lister-Jones (BAND AID), Michael Angarano & Ari Graynor (AVENUES), Stanley Nelson (TELL THEM WE ARE RISING), Jean Doumanian (UNA), Dolores Huerta (DOLORES), Steve James (ABACUS), Bettye LaVette (AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS), Kenny Anderson (MR. CHIBBS), Azazel Jacobs (THE LOVERS), Oren Moverman (THE DINNER), Brett Haley (THE HERO), and over 150 artists to attend
Special Screening of SACRED to feature live musical performance of selections from the film’s score, post-screening performance by Lee Ranaldo to accompany premiere of HELLO HELLO HELLO : LEE RANALDO : ELECTRIC TRIM
April 3, 2017, MONTCLAIR, NJ – Today, Montclair Film announced the full program for the 6th annual Montclair Film Festival (MFF), taking place April 28 – May 7, 2017 in Montclair, NJ and featuring over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties, with over 150 filmmakers and industry guests attending.
Additionally, the festival will offer two special live music presentations. Thomas Lennon’s SACRED, featuring selections from the film’s score performed live under the direction of composer Edward Bilous in a post-screening presentation at the Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University on Monday, May 1. Legendary guitarist and songwriter Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) will perform following the Friday, May 6th screening of Fred Riedel’s HELLO HELLO HELLO : LEE RANALDO : ELECTRIC TRIM.
Today’s films join the previously announced Opener STEP, Closer BAND AID, Centerpieces PATTI CAKE$ and TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: AMERICA’S BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, and Restorations of George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and Andrei Tarkovsy’s STALKER in the festival program.
“This year, we have been fortunate to find filmmakers who are making work that gives depth and shape to the vital conversations of our time,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “The festival is an opportunity for bringing audiences together with these incredible artists, so that, together, we can enjoy and engage with the images, ideas, and insights that are illuminated in these wonderful films.”
2017 FILM COMPETITIONS AND JURIES
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
The Documentary Feature Competition features cinematic non-fiction films that examine the diverse possibilities of the form. The winning film in this category will be awarded the 3rd Annual Bruce Sinofsky Prize for Non-Fiction Filmmaking.
CASTING JONBENET, directed by Kitty Green
CITY OF GHOSTS, directed by Matthew Heineman
FOR AHKEEM, directed by Jeremy S. Levine, Landon Van Soest
THE REAGAN SHOW, directed by Pacho Velez, Sierra Pettengill
STRONG ISLAND, directed by Yance Ford
2017 Documentary Jury: Joe McGovern (Entertainment Weekly), Dan O’Meara (VP, Special Projects & Documentary, NEON), Rosie Wong (Sundance Film Festival)
FICTION FEATURE COMPETITION
The Fiction Feature Competition highlights the MFF’s most ambitious, auteur-driven fiction films.
AFTERIMAGE, directed by Andrzej Wajda
CLASH, directed by Mohamed Diab
THE COMMUNE, directed by Thomas Vinterberg
GOOK, directed by Justin Chon
LADY MACBETH, directed by William Oldroyd
2017 Fiction Jury: Arianna Bocco (EVP, Acquisitions, IFC Films), Ashley Clark (Critic), Robert Eggers (director, THE WITCH)
FUTURE/NOW COMPETITION
The Future/Now competition celebrates American, low-budget independent filmmaking by first or second time directors who are creating innovative, challenging films.
BEACH RATS, directed by Eliza Hittman
FITS & STARTS, directed by Laura Terruso
MENASHE, directed by Joshua Z. Weinstein
THE STRANGE ONES, directed by Dustin Guy Defa
PERSON TO PERSON, directed by Lauren Wolkstein, Christopher Radcliff
2017 Future Now Jury: Eliza Berman (Deputy Culture Editor, TIME), Holly Herrick (Head of Film & Creative Media, Austin Film Society), Dan Nuxoll (Artistic Director, Rooftop Films).
NEW JERSEY FILMS COMPETITION
The New Jersey Films competition this year focuses on non-fiction films directed, produced by, or featuring New Jersey talent.
ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM, directed by Reuben Atlas, Sam Pollard
ALL WE NEED IS ANOTHER CHANCE, directed by Corbett Jones
HELLO HELLO HELLO: LEE RANALDO: ELECTRIC TRIM, directed by Fred Riedel
SUPERGIRL, directed by Jessie Auritt
SWIM TEAM, directed by Lara Stolman
2017 New Jersey Films Jury: Raphaela Neihausen (Co-founder & Executive Director, DOC NYC, STRANGER THAN FICTION), Charles Poekel (director, CHRISTMAS, AGAIN), Tom Roston (Writer).
The winners, including the 3rd Annual David Carr Award honoree, will be announced on Saturday, May 6th. The festival’s Audience Awards will be announced on Monday, May 8th.
2017 CONVERSATION SERIES, PRESENTED BY AUDIBLE
The MFF’s annual Conversation Series, presented by Audible, the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken word entertainment, features in-depth discussions with leading voices in the cinema and television arts. This year’s line-up features:
John Turturro, star of this year’s critical hit The Night Of, appearing in a Conversation moderated by Stephen Colbert on Sunday, April 30;
Jonathan Alter headlines the festival’s Conversation “True Or False? The Challenge of Reporting In the ‘Fake News’ Era” on Sunday, April 30;
Bill Nye, appearing with his new film BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY, joining Stephen Colbert for an extended post-screening discussion on Saturday, May 6;
2017 Emerging Black Voices Fellows Iyabo Boyd (producer, FOR AHKEEM), Sabaah Folayan (co-director, WHOSE STREETS?), and Yance Ford (director, STRONG ISLAND), discussing their work on Saturday, May 6;
Thom Powers visiting Cinema505 at the Investors Bank Film & media Center for a live recording of his podcast Pure Nonfiction on Sunday, May 7;
The American Black Film Festival, gathering key alumni to discuss career-building for African Americans and the film festival experience on Sunday, May 7.
Additionally, the festival will open Cinema505, located inside the Investors Bank Film & media Center at 505 Bloomfield Ave in downtown Montclair, at 11:00 AM each weekend morning of the festival for complimentary coffee and moderated conversations, sponsored by Java Love Coffee Roasters.
Further Conversations may be announced at a later date.
2017 FILM HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights from this year’s films playing out of competition include
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL with director Steve James attending
AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS, a sneak look at the upcoming PBS series AMERICAN EPIC, with singer Bettye LaVette attending
AVENUES, the directorial debut of star Michael Angarano (World Premiere), with Angarano and co-star Ari Graynor in attendance
BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY, with Bill Nye attending and a post-screening Q&A with Stephen Colbert
THE DINNER, with writer director Oren Moverman attending
THE HERO, with director Brett Haley attending
THE LOVERS, with director Azazel Jacobs attending
MEAGAN LEAVEY, directed by Gabriella Cowperthwaite
PAINT IT BLACK, with writer director Amber Tamblyn in attendance
UNA, with producer Jean Doumanian in attendance for a post screening Q&A with Film4’s Daniel Battsek
WHOSE STREETS? with co-director Sabaah Folayan attending
Tickets for the Montclair Film Festival are available now for Montclair Film members, with public sales beginning Friday, April 7. Tickets and memberships may be purchased online at montclairfilmfest.org or by visiting the festival’s new Box Office, located inside the lobby of the Investors Bank Film & Media Center at 505 Bloomfield Avenue in downtown Montclair.
A select set of images are available for download and use at:
ABOUT MONTCLAIR FILM
Montclair Film, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, nurtures and showcases the talents of filmmakers from around the region and world. Montclair Film unites, empowers, educates, and celebrates our region’s diverse cultural heritage and robust artistic community by presenting engaging programs and events all year long. The sixth annual Montclair Film Festival will take place from April 28 through May 7, 2017. MFF 2017 is made possible through generous support from Investors Bank; Audible; Hackensack Meridian Health; the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; Ashenfelter, Slous, McDonough, Golia & Trevenen, LLP; Chubb; Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; and William H. Connolly & Co., and others. Our programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For information about Montclair Film, visitwww.montclairfilmfest.org
ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 350,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
THE FILMS OF THE 2017 MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL
OPENING NIGHT FILM
STEP
Director: Amanda Lipitz
DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: THE STORY OF BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Director: Stanley Nelson
FICTION CENTERPIECE
PATTI CAKE$
Director: Geremy Jasper
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
BAND AID
Director: Zoe Lister-Jones
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
CASTING JONBENET
Director: Kitty Green
CITY OF GHOSTS
Director: Matthew Heineman
FOR AHKEEM
Director: Jeremy S. Levine, Landon Van Soest
THE REAGAN SHOW
Director: Pacho Velez, Sierra Pettengill
STRONG ISLAND
Director: Yance Ford
FICTION FEATURE COMPETITION
AFTERIMAGE
Director: Andrzej Wajda
CLASH
Director: Mohamed Diab
THE COMMUNE
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
GOOK
Director: Justin Chon
LADY MACBETH
Director: William Oldroyd
FUTURE/ NOW COMPETITION
BEACH RATS
Director: Eliza Hittman
FITS & STARTS
Director: Laura Terruso
MENASHE
Director: Joshua Z. Weinstein
PERSON TO PERSON
Director: Dustin Guy Defa
THE STRANGE ONES
Director: Lauren Wolkstein, Christopher Radcliff
NEW JERSEY FILMS COMPETITION
ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM
Director: Reuben Atlas, Sam Pollard
ALL WE NEED IS ANOTHER CHANCE
Director: Corbett Jones
HELLO HELLO HELLO : LEE RANALDO: ELECTRIC TRIM
Director: Fred Riedel
SUPERGIRL
Director: Jessie Auritt
SWIM TEAM
Director: Lara Stolman
FEATURE FILMS
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
Director: Steve James
AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS
Director: Bernard MacMahon
AMERICAN VETERAN
Director: Julie Cohen
AVENUES
Director: Michael Angarano
BENDING THE ARC
Director: Kief Davidson, Pedro Kos
BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY
Director: David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg
BLAME
Director: Quinn Shephard
BRAVE NEW JERSEY
Director: Jody Lambert
BRIMSTONE & GLORY
Director: Viktor Jakovleski
BURDEN
Director: Timothy Marrinan, Richard Dewey
CHAVELA
Director: Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi
CHUCK
Director: Philippe Falardeau
THE CINEMA TRAVELERS
Director: Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya
THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON
Director: David France
DINA
Director: Antonio Santini, Dan Sickles
THE DINNER
Director: Oren Moverman
DO DONKEYS ACT?
Director: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin
DOLORES
Director: Peter Bratt
ELIÁN
Director: Tim Golden, Ross McDonnell
FOR GRACE
Director: Sebastian Armesto
HERMIA & HELENA
Director: Matías Piñeiro
THE HERO
Director: Brett Haley
INFINITY BABY
Director: Bob Byington
INTO THE WHO KNOWS!
Director: Micah Barber
LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD
Directors: Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl
A LIFE IN WAVES
Director: Brett Whitcomb
LOST IN PARIS
Director: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon
THE LOVERS
Director: Azazel Jacobs
MAUDIE
Director: Aisling Walsh
MEGAN LEAVEY
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
MOTHERLAND
Director: Ramona S. Diaz
MR. CHIBBS
Director: Jill Campbell
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
Director: George A. Romero
NO MAN’S LAND
Director: David Byars
PAINT IT BLACK
Director: Amber Tamblyn
PARADISE
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
PARIS CAN WAIT
Director: Eleanor Coppola
SACRED
Director: Thomas Lennon
SPETACCOLO
Director: Jeff Malmberg, Chris Shellen
STRANGER IN PARADISE
Director: Guido Hendrikx
STALKER (1979)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
THE TEACHER
Director: Jan Hřebejk
THIRST STREET
Director: Nathan Silver
THROUGH THE REPELLENT FENCE: A LAND ART FILM
Director: Sam Wainwright Douglas
TROPHY
Director: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz
THE TRANSFIGURATION
Director: Michael O’Shea
UNA
Director: Benedict Andrews
THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN
Director: Jennifer M. Kroot
WHOSE STREETS?
Director: Sabaah Folayan, Co-Director Damon Davis
SHORT FILMS
SHORTS: DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
116 CAMERAS
Directed: Davina Pardo
DANGEROUS CURVES
Director: Merete Mueller
EDITH+EDDIE
Director: Laura Checkoway
GUT HACK
Director: Mario Furloni, Kate McLean
LOS ANGELES PLAYS NEW YORK
Director: John Wilson
PORT OF ENTRY
Director: Andrea Meller, Marisa Pearl
SHORTS: DREAM SHORTS
BLACKOUT
Director: Jordan Baseman
BUSINESS
Director: Kati Skelton
CLEAN HANDS
Director: Lauren DeFilippo
DEEP BLUE
Director: Joe Nankin
IT’S A DATE
Director: Zachary Zezima
KAIJU BUNRAKU
Director: Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer
KOOKIE
Director: Justin Harding
SHOT
Director: Aemilla Scott
SHORTS: FICTION SHORTS
AMERICAN PARADISE
Director: Joe Talbot
FOX
Director: Jacqueline Lentzou
FRY DAY
Director: Laura Moss
THE SAURUS
Director: Drew Maynard
PLAIN AND SIMPLE
Director: Raphael Ouellet
THEY CHARGE FOR THE SUN
Director: Terence Nance
VALENCIA
Director: Logan George
SHORTS: LUNAFEST SHOWCASE
ANOTHER KIND OF GIRL
Director: Khaldiya Jibawi
FAMILY TALE
Director: Patricia Beckmann-Wells
FREE TO LAUGH
Director: Lara Everly
THE HONEYS AND BEARS
Director: Veena Rao
JOIN THE CLUB
Director: Eva Vives
NANNY
Director: Diane Weipert
NKOSI COIFFURE
Director: Frederike Migom
PARTNERS
Director: Joey Ally
THE THIRD DAD
Director: Theresa Moerman Ib
SHORTS: MONTCLAIR SHORTS
ACE
Director: Morgan Kahn Nichols
THE BAKE SALE
Director: Susan Skoog
LIGHTNINGFACE
Director: Brian Petsos
MOMTRESS
Director: Liz Samuel, Jeremiah Kipp
TWENTYSOMETHING
Director: Avital Siegel
SHORTS: NEW JERSEY SHORTS
CAT KILLER
Director: Wes Jones
COWTOWN
Director: Greg Kohs
DEKALB ELEMENTARY
Director: Reed Van Dyk
I AM YOUR FRIEND
Director: Nicholas Payne Santos
LILY
Director: Mimi Jeffries
MOVE ME
Director: Gabe Crate
UNPRESIDENTED
Director: Jason Giampietro
SHORTS: FOR ALL AGES
THE ALAN DIMENSION
Director: Jac Clinch
AUTO
Director: Conner Griffith
BIRDLIME
Director: Evan DeRushie
FROLIC ‘N MAE
Director: Danny Madden
THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH
Director: Ceylan Carhoglu, Ryan King
I, DESTINI
Director: Destini Riley, Nicholas Pilarski
POST NO BILLS
Director: Robin Hays, Andy Poon
SANCTUARY
Director: Ashley Seering, Cory Byers
SCENT OF GERANIUM
Director: Naghmeh Farzaneh
STUDENT SHORTS
FARES
Director: Thora Lorentzen
HOLD ME (CA CAW CA CAW)
Director: Renee Zhan
ORIGIN
Director: Jordan Nikolic
PRIA
Director: Yudho Aditya
THE SANDMAN
Director: Lauren Knapp
SUBMARINE
Director: Mounia Akl
SHORTS: TRUE OR FALSE? THE LURE OF THE FALSE NARRATIVE
JFK TO PIZZAGATE: SHADOWS OF CONSPIRACY
Director: Retro Report
LIES, LEAKS, AND CONSEQUENCES
Director: Retro Report
LIEBECK V. MCDONALD’S: THE BIG BURN
Director: Retro Report
THE SUPERPREDATOR SCARE
Director: Retro Report
UNRAVELING ZERO TOLERANCE
Director: Retro Report
VACCINES: AN UNHEALTHY SKEPTICISM
Director: Retro Report
SHORTS BEFORE FEATURES
BALLOONFEST
Director: Nathan Truesdell
EVEREADY
Director: Paul Szynol
PARAFFIN
Director: Emily Hubley
RABBIT HUNT
Director: Patrick Bresnan
SPIRAL JETTY
Director: Ricky D’ambrose
