Montclair Film Festival, Backed by Stephen Colbert, Opens With Edward Berger’s ‘Conclave’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Edward Berger‘s “Conclave” will open the 13th edition of the Montclair Film Festival on Oct. 18.

The film, which made its world premiere earlier this month at the Telluride Film Festival, follows the unexpected death of the Pope and the efforts to select a new one. Adapted from Robert Harris’s novel and starring Stanley Tucci, Ralph Fiennes, and Isabella Rossellini, the Focus Features film is a strong awards-season contender. Berger, whose previous film “All Quiet on the Western Front” won four Academy Awards in 2023, will participate in a Q&A following the opening night screening at Montclair’s Wellmont Theater.

Based in an affluent, northern New Jersey suburb that is home to many entertainment creatives including longtime fest supporter Stephen Colbert, MFF will feature a mix of high-profile narrative films and documentaries. The fest will also include panel discussions. As part of MFF’s Storyteller Series, Colbert will lead a conversation with “Barefoot Contessa” star Ina Garten on Oct. 20. Event ticketholders will receive a copy of Garten’s new memoir “Be Ready When the Luck Happens.”

Related Stories

VIP+

Netflix vs. YouTube: The Post-Streaming Wars Era’s Archrivalry

Entertainment Business Experts Discuss Doing More With Less in Trying Times: 'The Best Way to Do That is to Leverage Your Technology'

In addition to “Conclave,” Gints Zilbalodis’s animated “Flow,” Steve McQueen’s World War II epic “Blitz,” Jacques Audiard’s redemption thriller “Emilia Perez,” and Sean Baker’s “Anora” are among the Oscar hopefuls that will screen at MFF.

This year MFF will bring a bevy of highly anticipated docus including Asif Kapadia’s “2073,” R.J. Cutler’s “Martha,” Petra Costa’s “Apocoplypse in the Tropics” and the world premiere of Nanfu Wang’s “Night is Not Eternal.”

“We are incredibly grateful to these filmmakers for bringing their work to us,” says Tom Hall, Montclair Film artistic director and co-head. “This year’s program shows a profound engagement with the world, and presents an opportunity for our audiences to explore a wide array of ideas. We look forward to bringing these filmmakers and audiences together to create an unforgettable festival experience.”

Juried awards will be distributed across four categories including: documentary, fiction, New Jersey Films, which focuses on non-fiction filmmaking from New Jersey artists, 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 and encourage future work for the winning filmmaker.

In addition to Costa’s “Apocoplypse in the Tropics” and Wang’s “Night is Not Eternal,” this year’s MFF doc film competition includes Mati Diop’s “Dahomey,” Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s “A New King of Wilderness” and Johan Grimonpez’s “Soundtrak to a Coup D’Etat.”

This year’s fiction film competition features Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light,  Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here,” Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” and Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language.”

As previously announced, WIlliam Goldenberg’s “Unstoppable” and Kapadia’s “2073” will serve as MFF’s fiction and documentary Centerpiece films respectively. Zilbalodis’s “Flow” will screen as the fest’s “Family Centerpiece” pic.

Malcolm Washington’s “The Piano Lesson” will close MFF on Oct. 27.

This year’s MFF lineup:

FEATURE FILMS
2073, directed by Asif Kapadia
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, directed by Payal Kapadia
AND SO IT BEGINS, directed by Ramona Diaz
ANORA, directed by Sean Baker
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS, directed by Petra Costa
ARMAND, directed by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
BETWEEN THE MOUNTAIN AND THE SKY, directed by Jeremy Power Regimbal
BEYOND THE GAZE: JULE CAMPBELL’S SWIMSUIT ISSUE, directed by Jill Campbell
BIRD, directed by Andrea Arnold
BLITZ, directed by Steve McQueen
CAUGHT BY THE TIDES, directed by Jia Zhang-ke
CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT, directed by Tyler Taormina
LA COCINA, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
CONCLAVE, directed by Edward Berger
DAHOMEY, directed by Mati Diop
EEPHUS, directed by Carson Lund
EMILIA PÉREZ, directed by Jacques Audiard
THE END, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND, directed by Raul Peck
EVERY LITTLE THING, directed by Sally Aitken
EXTREMELY UNIQUE DYNAMIC, directed by Ivan Leung, Harrison Xu, Katherine Dudas
FLOW, directed by Gints Zilbalodis
GAZER, directed by Ryan J. Sloan
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE, directed by Magnus von Horn
GRAND TOUR, directed by Miguel Gomes
HARD TRUTHS, directed by Mike Leigh
HOMEGROWN, directed by Michael Premo
I WILL BUILD THIS WORLD FROM LOVE, directed by John Block
I’M STILL HERE, directed by Walter Salles
MARTHA, directed by R.J. Cutler
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL, directed by Adam Elliot
MEN OF WAR, directed by Billy Corbern and Jen Gatien
MICRO BUDGET, directed by Morgan Evans
MISERICORDIA, directed by Alain Guiraudie
A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS, directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
NIGHT IS NOT ETERNAL, directed by Nanfu Wang (World Premiere)
NIGHTBITCH, directed by Marielle Heller
ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL, directed by Rungano Nyoni
THE ORDER, directed by Justin Kurzel
PAINT ME A ROAD OUT OF HERE, directed by Catherine Gund
PAVEMENTS, directed by Alex Ross Perry
THE PIANO LESSON, directed by Malcolm Washington
POLITICS IS A MOTHER, RAISING HELL IS PART OF THE JOB, directed by Francine Weinberg Groff
RATIFIED, directed by Sabaah Folayan and Deborah Riley Draper
THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN, directed by Benjamin Ree
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, directed by Pedro Almodóvar
SABBATH QUEEN, directed by Sandi Simcha Dubowski
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
THE SHEPHERD AND THE BEAR, directed by Max Keegan
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE, directed by Tim Mielants
SONGS FROM THE HOLE, directed by Contessa Gayles
SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT, directed by Johan Grimonpez
SPACE COWBOY, directed by Bryce Leavitt and Marah Strauch
SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED, directed by Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson, co-directed by David McMurry
TWO STRANGERS TRYING NOT TO KILL EACH OTHER, directed by Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, directed by Matthew Rankin
UNSTOPPABLE, directed by WIlliam Goldenberg
VERMIGLIO, directed by Maura Delpero
WITCHES, directed by Elizabeth Sankey
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS, directed by Alexis Manya Spraic
YOUNG HEARTS, directed by Anthony Schatteman
ZURAWSKI V TEXAS, directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault

SHORT FILMS

’98 HONDA, directed by Christian Banda
51ST STATE, directed by Hannah Rosenzweig
ALL THINGS METAL, directed by Motoki Otsuka
AN ALMOST CHRISTMAS STORY, directed by David Lowery
ALOK, directed by Alex Hedison
AMERICAN GRAIL: A QUEST FOR THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER, directed by Andy Sarjahani
ANUJA, directed by Adam Graves
THE BELIEVERS, directed by Evan Newman
BREAK/FIX, directed by Amanda Pinto
THE BROWN DOG, directed by Jame-James Medina and Nadia Hallgren
CHRISTMAS, EVERY DAY, directed by Faye Tsakas
DEATH BY NUMBERS, directed by Kim A. Snyder
DEEP IN MY HEART IS A SONG, directed by Jonathan PIckett
DEEP TISH, directed by Dave Paige
DENIAL, directed by Paul Moakley and Daniel Lombroso
DISSOLUTION, directed by Anthony Saxe
DIVINERS, directed by Brian Watkins
DON’T CRY FOR ME ALL YOU DRAG QUEENS, directed by Kristal Sotomayor
DREAM CAR WASH, directed by Edoardo Brighenti
DUSK, directed by Emilio Monarrez
ECHOES OF POMEGRANATE, directed by Alex Bijan Zandi
FACING THE FALLS, directed by Celia Aniskovich
FEMALE CAPTIVE, directed by Brit Crawshaw and Josh Hayward
THE FOREST (A FLORESTA), directed by Brooks Dierdorff
FREERIDE IN C, directed by Edmunds Jansons
GOOD GUY WITH A PUN, directed by Dmitry Milkin
GRACE, directed by Natalie Jasmine Harris
HENRIETTA FINDS A NEST, directed by Hannah McNally
I CAN’T BE SORRY, directed by Robert Machoian
ILY, BYE, directed by Taylor James
INCOMING CALL, directed by Lisa Molinaro
JEDO’S DEAD, directed by Sara Nimeh
KASBI, directed by Farah Jabir
LITTLE BIRD, directed by Kirsty O’Donnell
LIVESTREAMS WITH GRANDMAPUZZLES, directed by Emily Sheskin
LOFT AND FOUND, directed by Pete O’Hare and Phillip Kibbe
LYRICAL, directed by Carter M. Stewart
MEAN ENDS, directed by Émile Lavoie
MEEK, directed by Hannah Sperling
ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (MEET ME AT THE CREEK), directed by Loren Waters
THE MEETING SPOT, directed by Lauren Sick
A MOVE, directed by Elahe Esmaili
MY BACK PAGES, directed by Nick Canfield and Paul Lovelace
MY BEST FRIEND, directed by Elina Street
MY DEAD DAD, directed by Abby Ellis and Erik Osterholm
OUT OF THE DARK: CAL CALAMIA, directed by Tom Mason and Sarah Klein
PENN F—ING STATION, directed by Claire Read
PENTATARMEX RABITULAR, directed by Casey Friedman
THE PERFECT TOMATO, directed by Cristobal Abugaber
PERSONAL MYTHOLOGIES, directed by Susan O’Brien
PUNTER, directed by Jason Adam Maselle
RAT!, directed by Neal Suresh Mulani
REALLY GOOD DRIVER, directed by Alex Song-Xia
RELATIONSHIP TO PATIENT, directed by Caroline Creaghead
REPLAY, directed by Phil Mazo
THE SACRIFICE, directed by Christopher Werner
SANGRE VIOLENTA / SANGRE VIOLETA, directed by Edna Diaz and Arturo Jiménez
SHINER, directed by Nora Marris
SHIT ON YOUR LIP, directed by Elvira Ibragimova
SLEEPING ALONE, directed by Kelsea Bauman-Murphy
SOMETHING BLUE, directed by Jinsui Song
STATUES ALSO DIE , directed by Alain Resnais, Chris Marker and Ghislain Cloquet
STAY HERE, directed by Marley Rankin
STEADY, directed by Joey Rogoff and Brian Yuran
STRANGE CREATURES, directed by Nicholas Payne Santos
TESSA, directed by Megan Dahl
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE…, directed by Britney Fan
TR(OL)L, directed by Yourgo Artsitas
TRAGEDY BABES, directed by Christa Haley
VELO LOVE, directed by Carlos Cruz and Sam Méndez
WHAT WE DISCOVER ALONG THE WAY, directed by Rose Vincelli Gustine
WORKERS’ COMP, directed by Philip Steiger
WORKING SUMMER, directed by LIly Weisberg
YELLOW DAISY BUTTERFLY, directed by Diek Grobler

CONVERSATIONS, PANELS, & SPECIAL EVENTS

The Storyteller Series, presented by Audible
Ina Garten, Hosted by Stephen Colbert
Ina Garten is a New York Times bestselling author of thirteen cookbooks and the James Beard Award-winning host of the Emmy Award Winning television shows BAREFOOT CONTESSA and BE MY GUEST, on Food Network and Discovery+.  She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Jeffrey. Her memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, is included with a ticket to this conversation.
Sunday, October 20, 12:00 pm, The Wellmont

In Conversation
Hollywood Awards Season: Who WIns And Why It Matters
The annual ritual of Hollywood’s film awards season, kicking off with the flurry of fall festivals and picking up steam through the Oscar® telecast, creates endless fodder for pundits and an exciting horse race for movie fans. But for industry insiders, there’s much more at stake than statuettes: The awards campaign cycle drives big dollars at the box office and in TV advertising, fuels a robust ecosystem of red-carpet events from L.A. to London, and has the power to make or break artistic and executive careers. Join Katey Rich and a panel of awards-season insiders for a lively discussion of this year’s race, the buzziest contenders, and their impact on the business and culture of Hollywood. Rich is the awards editor at The Ankler, where she writes the biweekly Prestige Junkie newsletter and hosts the Prestige Junkie podcast.
Sunday, October 20, 4 pm, Cinema 505
FREE (tickets required)

Montclair’s Own Series

ABOUT THOSE MISCARRIAGES AND OTHER MESSES I’VE MADE
Bethany Hall’s one-uterus comedy show is a hilariously savage glimpse into the realities of motherhood and miscarriages. Raising kids, and building a family, is so complicated and invigorating that it makes you want to shout and cheer and cry all at the same time.  About Those Miscarriages and Other Messes I’ve Made rejects the isolation, shame and guilt surrounding miscarriages and parenting. With great humor, it thoughtfully combines pain and grief with the thrilling, breathtaking (and exhausting) joy that is parenthood.
Written & Performed by: Bethany Hall
Directed by: Maureen Towey
Music by: Anne Eisendrath
Tuesday, October 22, 7:00 PM, Cinema505

Montclair’s Own Series

StorySLAM: BEHIND THE SCENES
Join us for an evening of real, raw, and riveting stories that show life from a whole new perspective. “Behind The Scenes” explores stories that stray from the bigger picture, showing that things aren’t always as they may seem. Share your behind-the-scenes experiences and let the audience in on what may have happened when no one was looking.
Wednesday, October 23, 7:30 PM, Cinema505

Montclair’s Own Series

Montclair Improv Comedy: THE MOVIE!
Montclair Improv Comedy will celebrate “A Night of Movie-Themed Improv Comedy.” From short forms to never-seen-before movie trailers to a fully improvised movie, the entire night will be created completely in real-time, right before your eyes, and inspired by YOU and your suggestions. Join us during the Montclair Film Festival by celebrating a night of movie-themed comedy with Montclair Improv!
Thursday, October 24, 7:30 PM, Cinema505

In Conversation
Annual Report: State Of The Film Industry
Film has the unique power to shift culture, change hearts and occasionally blow minds. But after several years of disruption to the cinema pipeline — pandemic shutdowns, a broad industry pivot to streaming, plus the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that put a full stop to nearly all production — Hollywood is retrenching and exploring new strategies to get movies to the screen and to audiences.
Sean McNulty will lead a discussion with film insiders about production, distribution, exhibition, and everything else it takes to make movie magic happen in a changing industry landscape. McNulty is the author of The Wakeup, the Hollywood and media newsletter from The Ankler, and the host of The Ankler podcast.
Saturday, October 26, 1 pm, Cinema 505
FREE (tickets required)

In Conversation

Artists, Audiences & Artificial Intelligence
Since ChatGPT’s debut in 2022, Hollywood and other creative industries have been racing to understand, capitalize on, and defend against the emergence of artificial intelligence tools. AI has the capacity to drive immense creativity in storytelling, but many industry stakeholders remain wary of its impact on the art and craft of cinema. As the tech itself continues its rapid evolution, companies and creators must adjust to how AI will remake the execution and distribution of filmed entertainment.
Join Ashley Cullins and a panel of top media executives and AI innovators for a discussion of how AI has disrupted filmmaking and where the tech is going next. Cullins, who writes the Dealmakers newsletter for The Ankler, will moderate this important conversation of the future of AI and Hollywood.
Saturday, October 26, 3:30pm, Cinema 505
FREE (tickets required)

Special Screening
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Director: Jim Sharman
Producer: Michael White
Cast: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien
UK/USA/100 mm
Saturday, October 26, 9:30pm, Clairidge 2