Montclair Film Festival 2020
Held virtually with drive-ins.
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86 titles
- DirectorChloé ZhaoStarsFrances McDormandDavid StrathairnLinda MayA woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
- DirectorKim A. SnyderStarsJaclyn CorinSamantha FuentesX GonzálezStudents at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida speak out against the national gun-violence epidemic after a mass shooting at their school kills 17 people.
- DirectorFrancis LeeStarsKate WinsletSaoirse RonanGemma Jones1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
- DirectorWerner HerzogClive OppenheimerStarsWerner HerzogClive OppenheimerSimon SchafferA documentary from Werner Herzog about meteors and comets and their influence on ancient religions and other cultural and physical impacts they've had on Earth.
- DirectorDaniel GordonStarsAdam GoodesStan GrantNova Peris"The Australian Dream" is a theatrical feature documentary that uses the remarkable and inspirational story of AFL legend Adam Goodes as the prism through which to tell a deeper, more powerful story about race, identity, and belonging.
- DirectorJoe MarcantonioStarsTamara LawranceEdward HolcroftJack LowdenPlagued by mysterious hallucinations, a pregnant woman suspects that the family of her deceased boyfriend has intentions for her unborn child.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsVincent PriceHazel CourtJane AsherA European prince terrorizes the local peasantry while using his castle as a refuge against the "Red Death" plague that stalks the land.
- DirectorK.D. DavisonStarsGeorge TakeiJon StewartRonald ReaganPresent-day, fraught political reality by exploring historical challenges of the past.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsLinda ManzDennis HopperSharon FarrellA young girl whose father is an ex-convict and whose mother is a junkie finds it difficult to conform and tries to find comfort in a quirky combination of Elvis and the punk scene.
- DirectorEdward HallStarsDan StevensIsla FisherAimee-Ffion EdwardsA spiritualist medium holds a seance for a writer suffering from writer's block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years.
- DirectorVictor KossakovskyStarsGundaDocumentary looks at the daily life of a pig and its farm animal companions: two cows and a one-legged chicken.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsDerek DelGaudioHal SchulmanJason EnglandStoryteller and Conceptual Magician Derek DelGaudio attempts to understand the illusory nature of identity and answer the deceptively simple question 'Who am I?'
- DirectorJake MahaffyStarsJulia OrmondEmma DraperCohen HollowayA pregnant woman returns to her recently-deceased grandparents' old family home to spend time with her estranged mother. What begins as a tenuous reunion slowly turns terrifying.
- DirectorRegina KingStarsKingsley Ben-AdirEli GoreeAldis HodgeA fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.
- DirectorLee Isaac ChungStarsSteven YeunHan YeriAlan KimA Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
- DirectorNathan GrossmanStarsGreta ThunbergSvante ThunbergNiclas SvenningsenThe documentary follows Greta Thunberg, a teenage climate activist from Sweden, on her international crusade to get people to listen to scientists about the world's environmental problems.
- DirectorTara MieleStarsSienna MillerDiego LunaBeth GrantNew parents Adrienne and Matteo are forced to reckon with trauma amidst their troubled relationship. They must revisit the memories of their past and unravel haunting truths in order to face their uncertain future.
- DirectorRobert BroadhurstStarsCurtiss Cook Jr.Vika DoveA man arrives at an unknown home with an unknown agenda.
- DirectorRachel Harrison GordonStarsBill AikenChad L. ColemanMel HouseBirdie is a biracial girl raised by her mom in a NJ suburb. She spends a visitation day with her father, and debates inviting him back into her life as she prepares for her Bat Mitzvah and adulthood.
- DirectorPat HeywoodJamil McGinnisStarsShaq BynesKaron TraceyJihad MarshallShaq, a young man grappling with depression, returns to his New Jersey hometown, where his exploration of grief and brotherhood transforms into the imagining of an inner life.
- DirectorZach IngrasciChris TempleLizbeth Mateo is an attorney who swore to uphold the Constitution. She's also undocumented. When a client takes sanctuary in a church, Lizbeth's own experience guides their fight for justice.
- DirectorAndre Robert LeeEvery year about 300,000 kids are confined in youth detention in the US, limiting their potential to succeed in life. 70-80% will be re-arrested within 2 or 3 years of being released and nearly 2/3 will never complete high school. Richmond, Virginia's families, police, judges, artists, and activists have united to change this in their own community. Virtually Free is a documentary about unlikely allies who partner to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration. Produced by the non-profit media company Shine Global, Virtually Free is directed by André Robert Lee In the film, we meet Sid, Taee, and AR, three teens currently being held in a Richmond, VA detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power. Participating in a local arts organizations' program, Performing Statistics, they are taught by different artists to deliver their powerful, authentic messages to the public, law enforcement, and government officials using their art, including a virtual reality jail cell they've helped create.
- DirectorKatrine PhilpStarsPeterMikaylaCoreyAt Good Grief groups, children meet to understand the passing of a parent or a sibling through play, giving in to rage in 'the volcano room' and saying goodbye to a dying teddy bear patient in 'the hospital room'. Over the course of a year, we follow the weekly meetings and get close to Kimmy, Nicky, Peter, Nora, Nolan and Mikayla and their close companion: grief. It is sometimes heartbreaking, but also humorous, to experience the questions about life and death through their open and curious minds. Grief is high and heavy as a mountain, but it helps you understand what has happened, and that death is irreversible.
- DirectorHal RifkenWhen Mao's Cultural Revolution ended, China's door cracked open. Four young, classical musicians seized the opportunity to flee to the West as Classical music was banned. The Quartet began a lifetime adventure - studying with great masters, attending Juilliard, and performing at major music festivals and best classical music venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center. When the Quartet's cellist decided to leave, they invited a young American grad student from New York City's Spanish Harlem. He was a highly praised cellist but also had a New York City "attitude" that the three Chinese musicians had never encountered. In addition to full-time teaching positions, the Quartet now performs throughout the world with a stressful 180-day travel schedule. That schedule, however, has impacted home life. Two of the Quartet's wives are classically trained performance musicians who have had to put their professional careers on the "back burner" to care for the kids and keep the home fires going. Behind the Strings showcases their lives, how they got to the top and the price they pay. And, why China keeps inviting them back to perform their once forbidden music.
- DirectorLawrence Michael LevineStarsAubrey PlazaChristopher AbbottSarah GadonA filmmaker at a creative impasse seeks solace from her tumultuous past at a rural retreat, only to find that the woods summon her inner demons in intense and surprising ways.
- A modern, multifaceted look at the city of Chicago.
- DirectorAlexander NanauStarsDan Alexandru CondreaLiviu IoluRazvan LutacDirector Alexander Nanau follows a crack team of investigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast health-care fraud that enriched moguls and politicians and led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsDorothy Otnow LewisCatherine YeagerRichard BurrAn examination of the research by forensic psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis who investigated the psychology of murderers.
- DirectorLasse LinderStarsChristian AmannKatjuschaMarmeladeNo mere viral cat video can compare with the feline-centric poignancy of Lasse Linder's astonishingly intimate study of one man's ardent longing to expand his multi-species household.
- DirectorKate NovackStarsBrian KellyTommy VinesSigmund Freud's sole case study of a female patient is re-examined from a modern feminist perspective.
- DirectorJulia JanschStarsAlatha GalelaStoan Move GalelaAlatha's father calls himself a Mover. Using African dance moves, he helps kids in Khayelitsha township to transcend their hardship (drugs, poverty and abuse) and "find their superpowers." The Mover is also a single father. And while he has helped many kids, he still has difficulty getting his own daughter to find her own powers. But in a tender moment together, this is all about to change.
- DirectorJared CallahanAndrew NorbeckA father processes his beliefs on gun ownership by creating an unorthodox sculpture.
- DirectorUrsula LiangStarsLesley SteeleOn a fall day in 2014, Peter Liang, a Chinese American police officer, shot and killed an innocent, unarmed black man named Akai Gurley. Unfolding in the dark stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project, the shooting inflamed the residents of New York City and thrust two marginalized communities together into the uneven criminal justice system. Gurley's death sparked cries of police brutality and a raging, anguished debate about racial bias in criminal prosecution of law enforcement officers.
- DirectorDan MacDougallA glimpse into the lives of three Greenlanders: a hunter, a ship's captain and a fisherman, individuals whose very existence and heritage is intertwined with the Arctic Ocean. Like many who live in the polar north, their fortunes straddle the extremes of summer and winter. Faced with a drastically changing environment, these seafarers reflect on their past, their present and uncertain future with a complex mix of emotions.
- DirectorOtto BellStarsKeiichi AndoMitsuyoshi AndoTsutai EndoThe Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 triggered a tsunami, nuclear meltdown and mass evacuations in Fukushima Prefecture. Today, as part of a Government push to encourage resettlement, local hunters have been enlisted to dispose of radiated Wild Boars that now roam the abandoned streets and buildings. This short film follows a lone hunter into an isolated and changed landscape. Along the way, other citizens who still live near the reactor share their perspectives on the aftermath. "The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima" was inspired by the photographs of co-producers Toru Hanai and Yuki Iwanami. The original score was written and performed by renowned ambient artist Midori Takada.
- DirectorEkwa MsangiStarsNtare Guma Mbaho MwineZainab JahJayme LawsonReunited after 17 years, an Angolan immigrant is joined in the U.S. by his wife and daughter. Now strangers sharing a one-bedroom apartment, they discover a shared love of dance that may help them overcome the distance between them.
- DirectorDekel BerensonStarsSvetlana Alekseevna BarandichAnastasia VyazovskayaAlina ChornogubLiving in war-torn Eastern Ukraine Anna is an aging single mother who is desperate for a change. Lured by a radio advertisement, she goes to party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love.
- DirectorTeemu NiukkanenStarsPirjo LonkaMatvei GermanTommi KorpelaAn overprotective mother's assumptions about her son's needs and desires lead to a cascading series of calamities.
- DirectorJennifer LafleurStarsJennifer LafleurJason RitterRuby SiegelRebecca and David meet one last time to finalize their divorce but are unable to avoid the minefield of grief that hangs between them.
- DirectorEmily Ann HoffmanStarsRobin BrennerRobin BrennerDoug GoldringA woman copes with bad therapy, heartbreak, and blackheads.
- DirectorElegance BrattonJovan JamesStarsMalik ShakurBiko Eisen-MartinGabe PeytonCaught in the throes of a depressive fugue, young Lynn resorts to debauchery to find joy - only to discover that happiness is a much more complicated proposition.
- DirectorMatthew PucciniStarsManny DunnMorgan SullivanSean Patrick HigginsMarco cuts class to spend the afternoon with his boyfriend, Graham. Things do not go as planned.
- DirectorSonia K. HadadStarsElaheh AfshariSadaf AsgariMasih KazemiA teenage girl involves in the process of delivering a pack of cocaine to its client, and she got stuck in a weird cycle of occurrences.
- DirectorMario FurloniKate McLeanStarsLily GladstoneKrisha FairchildFrank MosleyAn aging pot farmer finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest.
- DirectorGeeta GandbhirA look at the growing concern of students at US universities who are unable to afford to eat.
- DirectorEnnio RuschettiStarsJürg BünzliJürg PlüssUrs-Peter WoltersOnly a formal handshake separates two politicians from a sealed contract. But as both stubbornly try to gain the upper hand within the gesture, their grim intransigence takes on a monstrous life of its own.
- DirectorRyan McGladeStarsPat CartwrightFred CisternaKelly DeCaro
- DirectorEric OgdenStarsMeredith AdelaideDanielle BurgessWhen her distressed younger sister isolates herself in a secluded motel, Caitlin takes it upon herself to do an intervention. But as day turns to night and her sister's paranoia takes hold, the world she describes to Caitlin begins to seem almost plausible.
- DirectorRichard C. JonesStarsGideon JonesRichard C. JonesA dark comedy about the perils of parenting.
- DirectorAlexandra SerioStarsKareem RahmaAlexandra SerioA young ASMR vlogger finds out just how dangerous the internet can be for women.
- DirectorMary DautermanStarsJenny DonheiserMeagan KensilArielle SiegelA male stripper unknowingly finds himself stripping for the ghosts of powerful 80s business women trapped in a purgatorial loop, celebrating their last night on earth before closing a major deal. He still wants to get paid, but he'd rather not get dismembered.
- DirectorCaroline LindyStarsKaylanee Erica DavisTommy DeweyScott Michael FosterNothing is going right for Laura. Sick and brokenhearted, she moves back home and finds that the terrifying monster who inhabited her closet as a kid is still alive and well -- and wants to talk about life.
- DirectorDaniel FerrerStarsJack DiFalcoMichael J. BurgJennifer TaherEx Disposer follows Andy, the destructively neurotic former drummer for New Jersey hardcore outfit Disposer, who discovers his old band is returning home after a cross-country tour. Nostalgic for his days behind the kit, Andy attempts to reunite with his bandmates, but first, he must confront the bad blood that was shed during his split from the group.
- DirectorKarl Ryan EriksonStarsMerritt ReidMike JacobsonJose Angel DiazTravis is in a slump - He's not cutout for his current job but his college degree is useless, he's in love with his ex who can't stand him, life is unfair, and the universe is out to get him and none of this is his fault. On the job he runs into, Pepper, an enigmatic hitchhiker who impresses Travis with his tidbits of wisdom. Knowing he must get back to work, against his better judgment Travis gives Pepper a lift into town. On this little journey, Pepper inadvertently breaks down anything positive Travis thought he had going on for himself. Dismayed but grateful, Travis drops his guard and really opens up to Pepper about his struggles with the world. As minuscule as the problems may seem, Pepper can identify with them, and he has a plan to set the universe right. One last stop, a local pet shop, where Pepper's true colors are revealed. He's a small-time crook with small-time cons that only sink the men into deeper troubles. His simple scam turns into a full-blown robbery filled with guns shots, emotional breakdowns, and epiphanies. When all is said and done, the two men are faced with the harsh reality of their actions and they must now decide if their futures include each other.
- DirectorAdam DerengowskiStarsAnthony LeDonneAnna Kyra HootonAnthony NotarileDerek loses his record high score after 15 years and has to win it back from a mysterious opponent.
- DirectorTessa Hope SlovisStarsMargot BinghamJen PontonLindsay MushettPizza Party is based on real events that occurred the night before the Larry Nassar trials began - At an anemic pizza party where innocence and the harsh realities of sexual abuse slam together, a group of survivors gain the courage to confront their assailant.
- DirectorKevin MeadStarsDon FanelliMary HollandJon GabrusAfter the recent death of their parents, a passionate Italian-American family reunites to enjoy their customary Sunday dinner. But one of them has a major confession that threatens to unravel their beloved tradition.
- DirectorSteven OrittStarsZuzanna SurowyKonrad CichonPawel KrólikowskiSara is a a 13 year-old Polish Jew who finds refuge and is taken in by a farmer and his wife. She soon discovers the dark secrets of her employers' marriage, compounding the greatest secret she must strive to protect, her true identity.
- DirectorOeke HoogendijkStarsEijk De Mol van OtterlooJan SixRose-Marie De Mol van OtterlooThis is set in the world of the Old Masters and offers a mosaic of gripping stories in which unrestrained passion for Rembrandt's paintings leads to dramatic developments and unexpected plot turns.
- DirectorMatthieu SilbersteinStarsMartin SheenTo fulfill his destiny, a young star travels the Solar System to help a little boy cope with a childhood tragedy.
- DirectorFlore BurbanLogan CameronNicolas DiazFacing the gate of a fancy property under surveillance, a lonely dog falls in love for a female dog sitting on her balcony at the very end of the garden.
- DirectorDean HamerJoe WilsonHinaleimoana Wong-KaluStarsHinaleimoana Wong-KaluLong ago, four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts to Hawaii and imbued their powers in four giant boulders. The stones still stand on Waikiki Beach, but their true story has been hidden - until now.
- DirectorOmer Ben-ShacharStarsOhad BittonEva DuRielle EscaleraAfter he's been cast (again!) as a background tree in his annual middle school play, an ambitious and imaginative Israeli immigrant boy leads a revolution on stage that his intolerant drama teacher will never forget.
- DirectorBridget MoloneyStarsClaire CoffeeMark WebberPhoebe SinclairAn existential comedy about the mother of two young children who begins to spontaneously vomit toy blocks.
- DirectorFrancesca de FuscoStarsRoberta ColindrezVictoria CroninAfter getting dumped, Maia seeks solace by crashing with her best ex Alex.
- DirectorHaley Elizabeth AndersonStarsKadence KingJanice DiasNicoye BanksWhen Amber sees a boy she likes before church, she decided to sneak out of Sunday school to get her first kiss.
- DirectorLynn LaorStarsLior GallnerNissim LagroEmily MaduelTwo 10-year-old girls are trying to relieve the boredom of Shabbat in the religious town they live in.
- DirectorAneil KariaStarsBen WhishawRyan McKenVictor OlamideSet over 24 hours in London, a man goes on a bold and reckless journey of self-liberation.
- DirectorShatara Michelle FordStarsBrittany S. HallWill BrillGail BeanTest Pattern follows an interracial couple whose relationship is put to the test after a Black woman is sexually assaulted and her White boyfriend drives her from hospital to hospital in search of a rape kit.
- DirectorKahane CoopermanJohn HoffmanMade in response to the times we are living in, THE ANTIDOTE is a feature documentary that weaves together stories of kindness, decency, and the power of community in America. It's about everyday people who make the intentional choice to lift others up, despite the fundamentally unkind ways of our society, which are at once facts of life in America and yet deeply antithetical to our founding ideals. Directed by Academy Award-nominee, Kahane Cooperman, and six-time Emmy winner, John Hoffman, THE ANTIDOTE aims to drive a national conversation about the roles that kindness, decency, compassion and respect play in a civilized, democratic society. While it's easy to court despair in the face of monumental, structural problems, THE ANTIDOTE tells stories of compassionate people intentionally leveraging the resources within themselves and their communities to give others a chance at a better life. THE ANTIDOTE isn't about an idea or a policy; it is about how we treat each other. It is about who we are.
- DirectorCasimir NozkowskiStarsBrian Tyree HenrySonequa Martin-GreenSunita ManiAn introverted editor living a vertical life in his 2nd-floor apartment, locks himself out of his building and is forced to go horizontal and confront the world he's been avoiding in search of a way back inside.
- DirectorJulie WinokurStarsMaria Lopez-NunezIf you travel down a one-mile stretch of Doremus Avenue in Newark, NJ, you pass a natural gas plant next to a sewage treatment facility next to an animal fat rendering plant next to a series of ominous looking chemical storage containers behind acres of fencing. Airplanes pass overhead every two minutes, their engines rattling windows, while a putrid smell wafts from the open pools at the sewage treatment plant. This stretch is known as Chemical Corridor, and it's located just down the road from schools and apartment buildings. It borders the Ironbound neighborhood, where Portuguese, Brazilian, Central American and African American residents are separated from toxic substances by little more than a railroad track. The Ironbound district of Newark, New Jersey, is one of the most toxic neighborhoods in the country. Maria Lopez, a Honduran-American resident there, is waging a war for environmental justice. The Sacrifice Zone follows Maria as she leads a group of warriors who are fighting to break the cycle of poor communities of color serving as dumping grounds, so the rest of us can live in comfortable ignorance.
- DirectorZeshawn AliThe story of Hanif, a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer in Newark who take two young men-Naz and Furquan-under his wing to teach them how to live better lives.
- DirectorFilippo MeneghettiStarsBarbara SukowaMartine ChevallierLéa DruckerPensioners Nina and Madeleine have hidden their deep and passionate love for many decades, but their bond is put to the test when they are suddenly unable to move freely between each other's apartments.
- DirectorAshley O'ShayStarsJanaé BonsuSet during the height of the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago, 'Unapologetic' captures a community of millennial organizers confronting an administration complicit in state violence against its Black residents.
- DirectorChristian PetzoldStarsPaula BeerFranz RogowskiMaryam ZareeUndine works as a historian lecturing on Berlin's urban development. But when the man she loves leaves her, the ancient myth catches up with her. Undine has to kill the man who betrays her and return to the water.
- DirectorLemohang Jeremiah MoseseStarsMary TwalaJerry MofokengMakhaola NdebeleWhen her village is threatened with forced resettlement due to reservoir construction, an 80-year-old widow finds a new will to live and ignites the spirit of resilience within her community.
- DirectorYonah LewisCalvin ThomasStarsKacey RohlAmber AndersonMartin DonovanA popular undergrad faking cancer struggles to maintain her secret.
- DirectorAlex WinterStarsFrank ZappaLonnie LardnerPatrice ZappaAn in-depth look into the life and work of musician Frank Zappa.
- DirectorRamona S. DiazStarsAmal ClooneyRonaldo 'Bato' Dela RosaRodrigo DuterteA look at how Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte uses social media to spread disinformation.
- DirectorJessie Auritt
- DirectorMackenzie RobertsonStarsSamuel GladdenIn 1992, 16-year-old Samuel Gladden was involved in a drug deal gone wrong. Despite having not pulled the trigger, he was arrested for murder, and faced life in prison without the possibility of parole. "Life Without Parole: The Sammy Gladden Story" explores how crime policies in the United States led to the aggressive sentencing of youth in the early 90s.
- DirectorMarcus SwansonStarsChuck HaydenThe story of 92-year-old Chuck Hayden and the relationships he's built at NJ's Great Notch Inn.
- DirectorJason GiampietroStarsDanny JulianoGillian JulianoJeremy JulianoSurprises are in store for a movie-obsessed man who hosts an annual Oscars party at a firehouse in Fairview, NJ.