The Lost Daughter directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Lost Daughter: Olivia Colman as Leda. | credit: Yannis Drakoulidis/NETFLIX © 2021.

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

Share ...

Subscribe for Blog Updates

Sign up for our latest updates.

Please follow us to get updates online.