arnewsteam
Here is the press release:
Today, Montclair Film announced the full slate for the 2026 Montclair Film Festival, taking place October 16-25, in Montclair, NJ.
On Saturday, October 17 at 8:00 PM at The Wellmont Theater, the festival will honor director Ben Klein and Producer Rachel Maddow with the 2026 David Carr Award For Truth In Non-Fiction Filmmaking for their film KILL. BURY. PRINT. Each year, the Montclair Film Festival honors the legacy of New York Times reporter and longtime Montclair resident David Carr by presenting an award to an outstanding film that honors Mr. Carr’s passion for the truth and his commitment to great journalism. For KILL. BURY. PRINT., a look at an intensifying standoff between a community newspaper and the sheriff of the Oklahoma county it covers, The Montclair Film Festival awards the 2026 David Carr Award to Ben Klein and Rachel Maddow, both of whom will participate in a post-screening Q&A.
On Sunday, October 18, at 6:30 PM in the Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine, star Stephan James (I PLAY ROCKY) will participate in a conversation about his career and creative process.
On Monday, Monday, October 19 at 7:30 pm at The Bellevue, Director Writer and star Tim Blake Nelson will attend the festival’s presentation of his new film THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF WILSON SHEDD and participate in a Q&A after the screening.
On Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30 pm at The Bellevue, star John Turturro will attend the festival’s screening of THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, and will participate in a post-screening Q&A.
On Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 pm at The Bellevue, Susie Essman will attend the festival’s screening of THE GOOD LIFE and participate in the postscreening Q&A.
On Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 PM, Writer Director and star Edward Burns will attend the festival’s screening of his film BENEATH THE BLUE SUBURBAN SKIES, and will participate in a Q&A following the screening.
On Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 pm at MKA Upper School, Writer, Director and star Jesse Eisenberg will join stars Paul Giamatti and Julianne Moore for a conversation with moderator Stephen Colbert after the festival’s presentation of their new film THE DEBUT.
On Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 pm at The Bellevue, Karina Longworth will give a special extended introduction for a screening of Fred Zinnemann’s 1948 classic THE SEARCH in conjunction with the new season of her award winning podcast YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS. On Sunday, October 25 at 12:00 PM in the Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine, Ms. Longworth will participate in a conversation exploring the new season of the show and the stories behind her work as one of our leading storytellers.
These special events join these previously announced programs:
Martin McDonagh’s WILD HORSE NINE will open the festival on Friday, October 16, at 7:00 PM The Wellmont Theater;
Brad Bird’s RAY GUNN will screen as the festival Animation Centerpiece on Saturday, October 17 at The Wellmont Theater;
Director Beth de Arajúo will attend the festival’s screening of her film JOSEPHINE on Sunday, October 18 at 7:00 PM at The Bellevue and receive the festival’s Breakthrough Director Award after a post-screening Q&A;
Writer Stephen Beresford will attend the screening of ELSINORE, the festival’s Fiction Centerpiece, on Sunday, October 18 at 7:30 PM at MKA Upper School and receive the festival’s Screenwriter Award after a post-screening Q&A;
Star Jack O’Connell will attend the screening of INK on Monday, October 19 at 7:30 PM at MKA Upper School and receive the festival’s Performer Award after a post-screening Q&A;
Director Ava DuVernay will attend the festival’s screening of 14th, the festival’s Documentary Centerpiece, on Friday, October 23 at 7:30 PM at MKA Upper School and receive the festival’s Documentary Filmmaker Award after a post-screening Q&A, moderated by Stephen Colbert;
Director and Writer Tony Gilroy’s BEHEMOTH! Will close the festival on Sunday, October 25 at 5:00 PM at MKA Upper School, and Mr. Gilroy will receive the festival Filmmaker Tribute Award following a post-screening Q&A moderated by Stephen Colbert.
In Competition
This year, the Montclair Film Festival presents juried awards to films in three categories; Documentary, Fiction, and Future/Now, which seeks to support emerging voices in independent filmmaking with The Mark Urman Award, a $5,000 cash prize to help support & encourage future work for the winning filmmaker.
This year’s Documentary Feature Competition films, competing for the 2026 Bruce Sinofsky Award, are CLOSURE directed by Michal Marczak, THE GREAT EXPERIMENT directed Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar, ONE IN A MILLION, directed by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes, REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION, directed by Pegah Ahangarani, and WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS, directed by Dawn Porter.
This year’s Fiction Feature Competition films are ALL OF A SUDDEN directed by Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, FATHERLAND, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, MINOTAUR, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, POSSIBLE LOVE directed by Lee Chang-dong, and ROSE, directed by Markus Schleinzer.
This year’s Future/Now Competition features, competing for the 2026 Mark Urman Award, are BEDFORD PARK, directed by Stephanie Ahn, JACKRABBIT, directed by Jared Hogan, MALLORY’S GHOST directed by Arabella Oz and co-directed by Nick Canellakis, MUDVILLE, directed by Adam Pinney, and TheyDream, directed by William David Caballero.
Each year, the Montclair Film Festival presents awards to short films in three juried categories; Documentary, Fiction, and New Jersey Films.
The 2026 Documentary Shorts Competition features, THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL, directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry, BUCKSKIN, directed by Mars Verrone, DIVISION, directed by James Paul Dallas, THE HOTLINE, directed by Ricki Stern and Jesse Sweet, and ONE LAST ORDER, directed by Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko.
The 2026 Fiction Shorts Competition features ALBATROSS, directed by Amandine Thomas, CALLBACK, directed by Matthew Puccini, I SAW YOU IN THE FLOOD, directed by Kevin Xian Ming Yu, IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, directed by Stacey Torkelson, SCRATCH, directed by Aliya Kamalova, and SWEET BOY, directed by John Kim.
The 2026 New Jersey Shorts Competition features BEAST OF THE SEINE, directed by Jon Portman, GETAR HERO, directed by Teddy Stern, LIKE LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, directed by Matteo Moretti and Freddie Gluck, THE QUIET BETWEEN, directed by Sam Evoy, ST. JOSEPH, directed by Maky Rupert, and US BEING EPIC, directed by Jeannette Louie.
Other program highlights in this year’s festival include:
ACT ONE, directed by Sophia Takal
BEING HEUMANN, directed by Siân Heder
BITTER CHRISTMAS, directed by Pedro Almodóvar
LA BOLA NEGRA, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi
BUNKER, directed by Florian Zeller
CLUB KID, directed by Jordan Fistman
GENTLE MONSTER, directed by Marie Kreutzman
I PLAY ROCKY, directed by Peter Farrelly
THE LORRAINE, directed by Sam Pollard
PAPER TIGER, directed by James Gray
TENDER LOVING CARE, directed by Mike Leigh
The complete list of films in the 2026 program is attached to this release.
“Cinema is thriving and this year’s festival program is a testament to the incredible artistry of the global filmmaking community,” said Montclair Film Artistic Director Tom Hall. “Bringing artists and audiences together in conversation is what makes our festival special, and we are deeply honored to be able to share these outstanding films with our community.”
Tickets for Montclair Film Festival events go on sale on Monday, September 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM for Montclair Film Members and Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM for the public. Tickets will be available at festival.montclairfilm.org.
The 2026 Montclair Film Festival Program
OPENING NIGHT FILM
WILD HORSE NINE by Martin McDonagh
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
BEHEMOTH! By Tony Gilroy
DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
14th by Ava DuVernay
FICTION CENTERPIECE
ELSINORE by Simon Stone
ANIMATION CENTERPIECE
RAY GUNN by Brad Bird
FILMMAKER TRIBUTE
Tony Gilroy, moderated by Stephen Colbert
PERFORMER AWARD
Jack O’Connell, for INK
SCREENWRITER AWARD
Stephen Beresford, for ELSINORE
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER AWARD
Ava DuVernay, for 14th
BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD
Beth De Araújo, for JOSEPHINE
DAVID CARR AWARD FOR TRUTH IN FILMMAKING
Ben Klein and Rachel Maddow, for KILL. BURY. PRINT.
CONVERSATIONS, PANELS, & SPECIAL EVENTS
In Conversation
In Conversation With Stephan James
Sunday, October 18, 6:30 PM, Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
In Conversation with Karina Longworth
Sunday, October 25, 12:00 PM, Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
Panels
INSIDE PUPPET HEAP: FABRICATION IN FILMMAKING
Go behind the scenes with Puppet Heap, the award-winning studio behind dozens of
original films, television productions, and iconic puppet creations. Through screenings of
Puppet Heap’s original short films, narrated by the studio’s larger-than-life mascot, The
Heap, audiences will discover how puppets are designed, built, and brought to life for the
camera. Featuring production puppets, fabrication insights, techniques, and a live Q&A,
this engaging presentation offers a look inside the creative process behind professional
puppet filmmaking. Recommended for ages 10+
Sunday, October 18, 1:00pm, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
WHO GETS TO MAKE MOVIES NOW? NEW PATHS, NEW VOICES
The path to becoming a filmmaker is evolving in disruptive and exciting ways. Today’s emerging talent is coming from an increasingly wide range of backgrounds—not just film schools or traditional industry jobs, but also online communities, independent production, other creative disciplines and entirely unexpected places. Christopher Rosen will lead a panel of creators and entertainment stakeholders exploring
the new routes into filmmaking, the experiences and perspectives fresh voices bring to
the screen, and what these changing pathways mean for how the industry discovers,
develops and champions the next generation of big-screen storytellers.
Christopher Rosen is deputy editor at The Ankler and co-host of the Prestige Junkie podcast.
Presented in partnership with The Ankler
Sunday, October 18, 4:00pm, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
ART CAN SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY: HOW CREATIVITY CAN BE A FORCE FOR GOOD
Law professor, writer and human rights advocate, Alan Jenkins leads a panel of local arts
organization leaders to discuss the vital role the arts play in defending and fighting for
democracy. Be a part of this urgent conversation and discover how artists and cultural
institutions fight injustice, inspire civic engagement, and imagine new possibilities in
our world. Alan will be joined by panelists from Montclair arts organizations including
Montclair Art Museum, Jazz House Kids, Vanguard Theater Group, and Montclair Film to
discuss how big global issues are being addressed in our community.
Monday, October 19, 7:00pm, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
BREAKING INTO THE BUSINESS: YOUR GUIDE TO NEW JERSEY’S FILM & TELEVISION INDUSTRY
Presented by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission, this panel will bring together industry veterans and film commissioners to discuss how to break into New Jersey’s growing film and television industry. The conversation will highlight resources including NJ 411, the Actors Hub, Film Ready New Jersey, and the Take 2 program. Panelists will also share practical guidance for identifying legitimate opportunities, avoiding common pitfalls, and
building meaningful industry connections.
Presented in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the
New Jersey Film Commission
Thursday, October 22 at 6:00pm, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
MEET THE PROGRAMMERS
Meet the Programmers invites filmmakers into the world of festival programming to learn about the process behind selecting films to play at festivals. Hosted by Mallory Martin, Executive Director of Film Festival Alliance, this conversation will feature programmers from Montclair and other visiting festivals, while offering insight, tips, and an open dialogue on the behind the scenes of building a program.
Presented in partnership with Film Festival Alliance
Saturday, October 24 at 10:00am, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
BOX OFFICE, BUZZ, AND THE RACE AHEAD
From blockbusters like PROJECT HAIL MARY and THE ODYSSEY to such indie breakouts as OBSESSION and THE INVITE, this year’s most talked-about movies are bringing big, enthusiastic audiences back to theaters—and reshaping the awards conversation along the way. As box-office momentum, new creator pipelines, and evolving business models collide with critical acclaim, industry buzz, and Oscar® ambition, what does commercial success mean for a film’s awards prospects now?
Join Katey Rich and a panel of film insiders and awards experts for a conversation to unpack the season’s biggest contenders, the performances and filmmakers breaking through, and how a resurgent theatrical marketplace could influence the race all the way to Oscar® night.
Katey Rich is awards editor at The Ankler and hosts the Prestige Junkie podcast.
Presented in partnership with The Ankler
Sunday, October 25 at 4:00pm, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
Special Events
StorySlam – Scary Stories for the Screen
Fan favorite storytellers from past events return for a special Montclair Film Festival StorySlam! These dynamic past performers will entertain us with ‘coming of age’ stories around the theme ‘Feeling Fifteen’. Get ready for an evening of laughter and emotions that you’ll be talking about for some time.
Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30pm, The Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine
Montclair Improv Comedy
Let loose with a hilarious night of laughter brought to you by our friends at Montclair Improv Comedy. Veterans of some of the best improv theaters bring you an original night of comedy.
Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm, Cinema505
Meet Us On Church Street
Free live events and activities throughout the day on October 24th. Together with Montclair’s Complete Streets, join us for a day of family-friendly fun. More information available on the Montclair Film website in early October.
Saturday, October 24, Church Street
FEATURE FILMS
14th, directed by Ava DuVernay
ACT ONE, directed by Sophia Takal
ADAM’S APPLE, directed by Amy Jenkins
ALL OF A SUDDEN, directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
AUNTIE MAME, directed by Morton DaCosta
AVEDON, directed by Ron Howard
BEDFORD PARK, directed by Stephanie Ahn
BEHEMOTH!, directed by Tony Gilroy
BEING HEUMANN, directed by Siân Heder
THE BELOVED, directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen
BENEATH THE BLUE SUBURBAN SKY, directed by Edward Burns
BITTER CHRISTMAS, directed by Pedro Almodóvar
LA BOLA NEGRA, directed by Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi
BUNKER, directed by Florian Zeller
CLARISSA, directed by Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri
CLOSURE, directed by Michal Marczak
CLUB KID, directed by Jordan Firstman
COWARD, directed by Lukas Dhont
THE DEBUT, directed by Jesse Eisenberg
THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID, directed by Radu Jude
THE DREAMED ADVENTURE, directed by Valeska Grisebach
EDWARD SAID: BETWEEN WORLDS, directed by Maiken Baird
ELSINORE, directed by Simon Stone
EVERYTHING ELSE IS NOISE, directed by Nicolás Pereda
EVERYTIME, directed by Sandra Wollner
FATHERLAND, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
FJORD, directed by Cristian Mungiu
GENTLE MONSTER, directed by Marie Kreutzer
THE GOOD LIFE, directed by Mark Mannucci
LA GRADIVA, directed by Marine Atlan
THE GREAT EXPERIMENT, directed by Stephen Maing, Eric Daniel Metzgar
I PLAY ROCKY, directed by Peter Farrelly
INK, directed by Danny Boyle
IN WAVES, directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen
IRON BOY, directed by Louis Clichy
JACKRABBIT, directed by Ballard C. Boyd
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, directed by Quinn Whitney Wilson, Viridiana Lieberman
JOSEPHINE, directed by Beth de Araújo
KILL. BURY. PRINT., directed by Ben Klein
THE LAST CRITIC, directed by Matty Wishnow
THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF WILSON SHEDD, directed by Tim Blake Nelson
LOOK BACK, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
THE LORRAINE, directed by Sam Pollard
MALLORY’S GHOST, directed by Arabella Oz, Nick Canellakis
MINOTAUR, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
MOUSE, directed by Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson
MUDVILLE, directed by Adam Pinney
MUSK, directed by Alex Gibney
MY NDA, directed by Miriam Shor, Juliane Dressner
NOGA, directed by Jono Bergmann, Benji Bergmann
NUISANCE BEAR, directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM, directed by William Greaves, David Greaves
ONE IN A MILLION, directed by Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes
THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, directed by Noah Segan
PAPER TIGER, directed by James Gray
POSSIBLE LOVE, directed by Lee Chang-dong
RAY GUNN, directed by Brad Bird
RE/PAIR, directed by Lacey Schwartz Delgado
THE RED HANGAR, directed by Juan Pablo Sallato
REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION, directed by Pegah Ahangarani
ROSE, directed by Markus Schleinzer
SAPIRO V FORD: THE JEW WHO SUED HENRY FORD, directed by Gaylen Ross
SOUL PATROL, directed by J.M. Harper
A TALENT FOR MURDER, directed by Anton Corbijn
TANGLES, directed by Leah Nelson
TENDER LOVING CARE, directed by Mike Leigh
THEYDREAM, directed by William D. Caballero
threeASFOUR: FULL CIRCLE, directed by Sean Ono Lennon, co-directed by Brian Gonzalez
TIME WARP, directed by Allison Berg
WE ARE THE SHAGGS, directed by Ken Kwapis
WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS, directed by Dawn Porter
THE WHOLE WORLD IS A LIE, directed by Charlie Birns
WILD HORSE NINE, directed by Martin McDonagh
SHORT FILMS
ABOUT THAT PICASSO…, directed by John Block
ALBATROSS, directed by Amandine Thomas
THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL, directed by Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry
BEAST OF THE SEINE, directed by Jon Portman
BEFORE DAWN, directed by Julia Galeta
BOOK U CAN ASK ???S, directed by Casimir Nozkowski
BUCKETS, directed by Drew van Steenbergen
BUCKSKIN, directed by Mars Verrone
CALLBACK, directed by Matthew Puccini
CHARLIE AND THE ROCKET MAN, directed by Lori Grinker
CHIKABOOM!, directed by c. Craig Patterson
CHURCH HAT, directed by Miceál Og O’Donnell
COPY, SAVE, directed by Alyssa Loh
THE CORNER, directed by John Ridley, Jeanmarie Condon
CRISIS ACTOR, directed by Lily Platt
A DERAILMENT, directed by Nathan Truesdell
DIVISION, directed by James Paul Dallas
DR. FRIED AND THE PEPTIDES, directed by David Beckman-Gaynes
ESCALATION, directed by AJ Schnack
EVERGREEN, directed by Luke McCormick Gardiner
A FLASH AND HOW IT LASTS, directed by Zhihao Hu
FREE JOAN LITTLE, directed by Yoruba Richen
GETAR HERO, directed by Teddy Stern
HALCYON DAYS, directed by Grace Hanna
HIGH VOLTAGE, directed by Hannah Whisenant
HOMEBODIES, directed by Rachel Olson
HOMEBODY, directed by Shruti Parekh
THE HOTLINE, directed by Ricki Stern, Jesse Sweet
I SAW YOU IN THE FLOOD, directed by Kevin Xian Ming Yu
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, directed by Stacey Torkelson
IN MY BLOOD, directed by Alex Bendo
IN THE TRENCH, directed by Morgan Miller
JASON, directed by Gabriella Canal
JIMMY’S CORNER: ONE MORE ROUND, directed by Olivier Bernier
LIKE FATHER, directed by Jared Callahan
LIKE LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, directed by Matteo Moretti, Freddie Gluck
MATCHED, directed by Elvira Ibragimova
MATCHES, directed by Jake Delaney
MAURICE AND MARVIN, directed by David Friend
THE MONKS WHO KNOW BALL, directed by Nathaniel Swyer
THE MOON AND THE STAR, directed by Jonah Shallman
MR JESUS, directed by Emily Best
A NEW INFERNO, directed by Nita Blum-Reddick, Jonathan Pickett
NOT VALID FOR TRAVEL, directed by Jiaying Lin
ONE LAST ORDER, directed by Lauren DeFilippo, Sam Soko
ORACLE OF DELPHI, OHIO, directed by Carter Stewart
PETTICOATS, directed by Gaëlle Graton
PISMO BEACH, directed by Christian Tucci
PROPOSAL, directed by Nikhil Venkatesa
THE QUIET BETWEEN, directed by Sam Evoy
ROMANTASWIPE, directed by Rose Hannah Frankel
ROOM FOR ERROR, directed by E.J. McLeavey-Fisher
ROOM OF THE ABSOLUTE, directed by Natalie Shirinian, Elizabeth Baudouin
SCENES FROM THE DIVIDE, directed by Alison Klayman
SCOUT’S HONOR, directed by Isabel Pask
SCRATCH, directed by Aliya Kamalova
A SHORT DOCUMENTARY ABOUT A GIANT PENCIL, directed by Daniel Straub
SLICK, directed by Jenna Rossman
ST. JOSEPH, directed by Maky Rupert
SUNSPARK, directed by Danny Bourque
SWEET BOY, directed by John Kim
TAMPONS & TAXES: OR HOW TO PLAY THE OLE BOYS CLUB AND WIN, directed by Emily Harrold
TESTING TESTING SANDI BACHOM, directed by David France, Paul McGuire
TODAY & TMRW, directed by Mariales Diaz Batista
TOO ROMANTIC, directed by Talia Light Rake
AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE, directed by Steven Leckart
US BEING EPIC, directed by Jeannette Louie
VERSE, directed by Noam Argov
THE WADDLES, directed by Max Jenkins
WATER COOLER, directed by Emma V.F.
WE WERE HERE, directed by Pranav Bhasin
WELCOME TO SNUGVILLE, directed by Caroline Dean
WILD EAST, directed by Maia Wikler
Comments
Loading…