Montclair Film Festival announced the program lineup for the 10th edition of the festival running October 21-30, 2021, along with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut The Lost Daughter. Maggie Gyllenhaal will receive the festival’s Breakthrough Director & Writer Award for her work on the film and join Stephen Colbert in Conversation as part of the festival’s Storyteller Series.
This year’s Fiction Feature Competition is GREAT FREEDOM, directed by Sebastian Meise, A HERO, directed by Asghar Farhadi, MEMORIA, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, THE SOUVENIR PART II, directed by Joanna Hogg, and THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, directed by Joachim Trier. The festival’s fiction film highlights include Kenneth Branagh’s BELFAST, Mike Mills’ C’MON C’MON, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gaby Hoffmann, THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN, directed by Will Sharpe and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy, Céline Sciamma’s PETITE MAMAN, Rebecca Hall’s PASSING, starring Ruth Negga, Tessa Thompson an André Holland, Pablo Larrain’s SPENCER, starring Kristen Stewart, among many others.
The festival’s Documentary Film Competition is comprised of BERNSTEIN’S WALL, directed by Douglas Tirola, A COP MOVIE, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, THE FIRST WAVE, directed by Matthew Heineman, FLEE, directed by Jonas Roher Rasmussen, and PRESIDENT, directed by Camilla Nielsson. The festival’s documentary feature highlights this year include CARTERLAND, directed by The Pattiz Brothers, COW, directed by Andrea Arnold, LISTENING TO KENNY G, directed by Penny Lane, PAPER & GLUE, a JR Project, and RIVER, directed by Jennifer Peedom and Joseph Nizeti, among many others.
As previously announced, the festival will open on Thursday, October 21, with a screening of Wes Anderson’s THE FRENCH DISPATCH. On Sunday, October 30, Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG will screen as the festival’s Closing Film. Jeymes Samuel’s THE HARDER THEY FALL will serve as the Fiction Centerpiece on Friday, October 22, and the Documentary Centerpiece will be DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER on Saturday, October 23, with director Dave Wooley and the legendary Dionne Warwick attending for a Q&A. The festival will present its Family Centerpiece screening on THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES on Friday, October 22, and will present a Special Screening of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with a live floor show by The Ordinary Kids on Saturday, October 30.
2021 MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL FILM COMPETITIONS
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
BERNSTEIN’S WALL, directed by Douglas Tirola
A COP MOVIE, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
THE FIRST WAVE, directed by Matthew Heineman
FLEE, directed by Jonas Roher Rasmussen
PRESIDENT, directed by Camilla Nielsson
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
THE FIELD TRIP, directed by Meghan O’Hara, Mike Attie, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
HAPPINESS IS A JOURNEY, directed by Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan
THE ISOLATED, directed by Jason Giampietro
LARRY & ME, directed by Lisa Melmed
R.I.P. T-SHIRTS, directed by David Heilbroner, Kate Davis
TEN LEAVES DILATED, directed by Kate Hinsha
FICTION FEATURE COMPETITION
GREAT FREEDOM, directed by Sebastian Meise
A HERO, directed by Asghar Farhadi
MEMORIA, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
THE SOUVENIR PART II, directed by Joanna Hogg
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, directed by Joachim Trier
FICTION SHORT COMPETITION
CHECKS AND BALANCE, directed by Brian Smail III
I’M LISTENING, directed by Mickey Sumner
LILI ALONE, directed by Zou Jing
NO LONGER SUITABLE FOR USE, directed by Julian Joslin
SOME STILL SEARCH, directed by Nesaru Tchaas
FUTURE/NOW COMPETITION
CLARA SOLA, directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesen
THE INNOCENTS, directed by Eskil Vogt
POPPY FIELD, directed by Eugen Jebeleanu
WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR, directed by Jane Schoenbrun
WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY?, directed by Aleksandre Koberidze
NEW JERSEY FILMS COMPETITION
AMERICAN RIVER, directed by Scott Morris
KILI BIG, directed by Ida Joglar
LIFE OF CRIME 1984-2020, directed by Jon Alpert
MAYOR MOHAMED, directed by Jeffrey M. Togman
ONE PINT AT A TIME, directed by Aaron Hosé
NEW JERSEY SHORTS COMPETITION
COUSINS, directed by Mandy Marcus
DON’T GO TELLIN’ YOUR MOMMA, directed by Topaz Jones, rubberband.
SAFE, directed by Ian Barling
SUPERSTAR, directed by Jordan Hidalgo