Montclair Film Festival 2021
All films of the 2021 Montclair Film Festival.
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90 titles
- DirectorAlonso RuizpalaciosStarsMónica Del CarmenRaúl BrionesMaría Teresa Hernández CañasTwo professional actors undergo an immersive process to find out what it takes to be a cop in Mexico City.
- DirectorScott MorrisStarsCarl AldersonMary BrunoMary Bruno spent her childhood along one of the most polluted waterways in America. Decades later, she returns to kayak the river of her youth and tell its story. AMERICAN RIVER is a new documentary film that follows Ms. Bruno and guide Carl Alderson on a 4-day, 80 mile adventure down the Passaic River, from its pristine source in a wildlife refuge to its toxic mouth in Newark Bay. The river's amazing history, geology and ecology are revealed as the kayakers navigate challenges, travel through urban landscapes and head towards the industrial disaster that has poisoned the Passaic for the past 60 years. Along the way, the filmmakers engage residents, historians and advocates in candid conversations that bring insight, urgency and a sense of wonder to the story. How did the Passaic become one of the most contaminated rivers in America? Can it be saved? The Passaic is an archetype for thousands of rivers across America facing similar reckonings.
- DirectorCaytha JentisStarsBill SageLorraine FarrisA man and a woman meet on a park bench under unusual circumstances.
- DirectorTraci CurryStanley NelsonStarsArthur HarrisonCarlos RocheTyrone LarkinsThis unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising from Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
- DirectorRuth PaxtonStarsSienna GuilloryJessica AlexanderRuby StokesA widowed mother is radically tested when her teenage daughter insists a supernatural experience has left her body in service to a higher power.
- DirectorConstance TsangStarsBart AckermanChase Sui WondersAmelia WorkmanBeau, an emerging artist is about to unveil her latest installation. Her lover Paloma, is a devoted supporter. Her final breakthrough hinges on the success of this piece and soon this pressure causes a rife in the two women's relationship.
- DirectorBrielle CruzStarsKeaton McLachlanEvan TaylorCharles BemisA girl consumed by her own teen angst finds comfort in pretending she's the main character of an '80s brat pack movie.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsJude HillLewis McAskieCaitríona BalfeA young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.
- DirectorDouglas TirolaStarsLeonard BernsteinJohn F. KennedyFelicia MontealegreA complex look at one of the greatest figures in 20th century classical music, Leonard Bernstein, whose passion and creativity guided him well beyond the concert hall.
- DirectorJake KoltonStarsRicardo DávilaChristopher SearsA couple's fragile relationship is put to the test after a sudden car accident.
- DirectorMike MillsStarsJoaquin PhoenixGaby HoffmannWoody NormanWhen his sister asks him to look after her son, a radio journalist embarks on a cross-country trip with his energetic nephew to show him life away from Los Angeles.
- DirectorJim PattizWill PattizStarsJimmy CarterWalter MondaleAndrew YoungIn the mid 1970's, a visionary leader decades ahead of his time is locked in a struggle for the future of America. His name is Jimmy Carter.
- DirectorBrian Smail IIIStarsRynier GaffneyLindsay VitaleMichael J. BevanA group of seniors at a pressure cooker, private high school run a mafia-esque scheme out of a garage. They steal test answers, sell them for money, and handle any unruly students who get in their way.
- DirectorJonas CarpignanoStarsSwamy RotoloPio AmatoCarmelo CaccamoFollows the story of 15-year-old Chiara whose close-knit family falls apart after her father abandons them in Calabria.
- DirectorNathalie Álvarez MesénStarsWendy Chinchilla ArayaAna Julia Porras EspinozaDaniel Castañeda RincónIn a remote village in Costa Rica, Clara, a withdrawn 40-year-old woman, experiences a sexual and mystical awakening as she begins a journey to free herself from the repressive religious and social conventions which have dominated her life.
- DirectorMandy MarcusStarsVictoria N. AlcalaMickalia Forrester EwenShafi UddinA Brooklyn teenager is reunited with her Guyanese cousin for the funeral of a relative. On the last day of the wake, the girls venture out into the city alone.
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsLin GallagherA close-up portrait of the daily lives of two cows.
- DirectorChris SuchorskyStarsJayce BartokRodrigo LoprestiMonica GiordanoA man wakes from a nightmare, only to be haunted by the sounds that inhabit his dreams.
- DirectorZoey MartinsonStarsToryn Isabella CooteLangston DarbyScarlett London DivineyThree kids worry that their beloved school bus driver will be lonely this summer without them. They set out to find her a partner and imagine the perfect matches.
- DirectorSara LindseyJohn WeselcouchStarsSara LindseyAmanda PaytonJohn WeselcouchAs her former identity slips away into the sleepless abyss of new motherhood, Gwen is pushed to the brink of insanity after her husband misses date night.
- DirectorDavid HeilbronerDave WooleyStarsBurt BacharachJerry BlavatSnoop DoggSet against a music world profoundly divided between black and white, DON'T MAKE ME OVER tells the dramatic story of Dionne Warwick's meteoric rise from New Jersey gospel choirs to international cross-over super stardom.
- DirectorSimon DavisTopaz JonesRubberbandStarsRodney JacksonEmma Janice JonesTopaz JonesIn 1970, Black educators in Chicago developed an alphabet flashcard set to provide Blackcentered teaching materials to the vastly white educational landscape and the Black ABCs were born.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsHidetoshi NishijimaTôko MiuraReika KirishimaA renowned stage actor and director learns to cope with a big personal loss when he receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima.
- DirectorWill SharpeStarsBenedict CumberbatchClaire FoyAndrea RiseboroughEnglish artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
- DirectorJessica Michael DavisStarsJessica Michael DavisCollin Kelly-SordeletLacey CarolineEscaping Ohio follows JJ and Sam, two 18 year-olds facing adulthood. While Sam longs for new adventures in California, JJ dreams of building his life right in their small town. When it becomes clear Sam intends to leave, JJ dares her to give him 24 hours to prove why Ohio - and JJ and Sam's future together - is worth sticking around for.
- DirectorAlex TomeoStarsSean PatrickJane WestBret BaileyIn 1969, a NASA darkroom photographer is assigned to develop photos from the Apollo 11 mission. As he begins his work, he notices a flaw in a distinct photo that causes him to investigate the Manned Spacecraft Center.
- DirectorMike AttieMeghan O'HaraRodrigo Ojeda-BeckA group of fifth graders learns what it takes to get ahead in the modern American workplace.
- DirectorMatthew HeinemanStarsNathalie DougeA documentary following nurses, doctors, and administrators in a New York City hospital as they respond to the victims from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBenicio Del ToroAdrien BrodyTilda SwintonA love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch Magazine".
- DirectorGareth SmitStarsFanny Maria EsparzaBeatriz PerezBija RomanAn intimate look at the community fridge movement in New York City during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- DirectorSebastian MeiseStarsFranz RogowskiGeorg FriedrichAnton von LuckeIn post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Over the decades, he develops an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor.
- DirectorPatrick BresnanIvete LucasStarsBear LopezOn the night before Christmas, a warehouse of workers in Austin TX rush to process newspapers for delivery before driving out to trace the desolate streets delivering to their few and far between customers.
- DirectorJeymes SamuelStarsJonathan MajorsZazie BeetzRJ CylerWhen an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsAmir JadidiMohsen TanabandehSahar GoldoostRahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned.
- DirectorGriffin DunneJonathan CakeBill CampStarsGina GershonCarla GuginoAdrianne PalickiA man and a woman navigate the aftermath of a one night stand.Short "I'm Listening"
- DirectorJerry HarneyStarsZack BishopJerry HarneyKurt SlaterTim is a budding professional who is trying to work his way up the corporate ladder, and in the process leaving his inner child behind. This all changes when the night before his big pitch meeting, he's reunited with his favorite children's television character.
- DirectorEskil VogtStarsRakel Lenora Petersen FløttumAlva Brynsmo RamstadSam AshrafDuring the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking. In this original and gripping supernatural thriller, playtime takes a dangerous turn.
- DirectorClint BentleyStarsClifton Collins Jr.Moises AriasMolly ParkerAn aging jockey aims for a final championship, when a rookie rider arrives claiming to be his son.
- DirectorIda JoglarA group of plus-sized women from around the world attempt to climb the tallest peak in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro.
- DirectorLisa MelmedStarsHerb CohenLarry KingCelebrity talk show host Larry King's lifelong best friend, Herb Cohen, a renowned negotiator and best-selling author, shares memories of their 75-year friendship. An ode to enduring male friendship, this film slyly celebrates growing up in a bygone era, getting older and what it means to lose a best friend.
- DirectorJon AlpertStarsDelirisFreddyRobertA relentless ride through the streets and prisons of Newark, New Jersey's largest city, and desperate fight to survive the deadliest enemy ever to attack America.
- DirectorJing ZhouStarsLing HuLili HuangShixue YuFollows Lili, a lonely and poor young mother who has to head for the city to earn enough money to save her dying father.
- DirectorPenny LaneStarsClive DavisCraig FergusonKenny GAn examination of the most popular instrumentalist of all time, Kenny G, and why he is polarizing to so many.
- DirectorMatt BernsStarsWill RoppKathleen KennyCaleb FooteGym locker rooms can be uncomfortable. Sometimes it's worse than that - You better cover up.
- DirectorMaggie GyllenhaalStarsOlivia ColmanJessie BuckleyDakota JohnsonA woman's beach vacation takes a dark turn when she begins to confront the troubles of her past.
- DirectorJohn CarluccioStarsDebbie AllenShaun BakerMercedes EllingtonAn intimate portrait of a trailblazing entertainer who navigates the highs and lows of his lengthy showbiz career, and a complex relationship with his superstar brother, tap dance legend Gregory Hines.
- DirectorJeffrey M. TogmanStarsMohamed KhairullahIn this quintessential film about the Muslim-American immigrant experience, Mayor Mohamed Khairullah risks his life to bring humanitarian relief into Syria, while simultaneously fighting the forces of Islamophobia in the United States. When a local politician in his small town runs a Trumpian campaign to unseat him as mayor, his own political survival, and a particular view of what it means to be American, is on the line.
- DirectorEmily L. HarroldIn the wake of the 2015 Charleston Massacre, a battle erupts in Orangeburg, South Carolina between the Sons of Confederate Veterans and an ice cream shop owner forced to fly the Confederate flag in his parking lot. The film explores the broader role of Confederate symbolism in the 21st century and the lingering racial oppression which symbols such as this help maintain.
- DirectorApichatpong WeerasethakulStarsTilda SwintonAgnes BrekkeDaniel Giménez CachoA woman from Scotland, while traveling in Colombia, begins to notice strange sounds. Soon she begins to think about their appearance.
- DirectorMichael RiandaJeff RoweStarsAbbi JacobsonDanny McBrideMaya RudolphA quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.
- DirectorSteven ChowStarsXana TangDaniel LeePak Wing LeungMunkie follows a vengeful daughter whose violent plan of revenge against her domineering "tiger parents" spins out of control.
- DirectorJulian JoslinStarsMichael GodereCraig muMs GrantIvan MartinA Syrian FBI informant and single father, faces an impossible choice when he gets one final chance to avoid deportation by setting up a target in a terrorism sting.
- DirectorAngelo Madsen MinaxStarsAngelo Madsen MinaxFilmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his home town after the mysterious death of his two-year-old niece and the arrest of his brother-in-law as the culprit.
- DirectorDave BaramThree elderly New Jersey men search for the world's greatest Hot Texas Weiner, but along the way, discover the tragedy that has happened to their hometown, Paterson, New Jersey.
- DirectorAaron HoseStarsEd BaileyAlisa Bowens-MercadoDay BraceyCraft beer generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the US economy. Despite beer's Egyptian and African heritage, these traditions have been mostly forgotten and are rarely found in American brewing culture. Today, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the nearly 9,000 breweries in operation. Eager to shift the historical perception of who makes and drinks beer, Black brewers, brand owners and influencers across the country are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of America's favorite adult beverage.
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsLucie ZhangMakita SambaNoémie MerlantÉmilie meets Camille who is attracted to Nora, who crosses paths with Amber. Three girls and a boy - they're friends, sometimes lovers and often both.
- DirectorLydia CornettAt the early voting line in Ohio's most populous county, civic duty is a public performance.
- DirectorRebecca HallStarsTessa ThompsonRuth NeggaAndré Holland"Passing" follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsJoséphine SanzGabrielle SanzNina MeurisseNelly has just lost her grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods. One day she meets a girl her age building a tree-house.
- DirectorEugen JebeleanuStarsConrad MericofferAlexandru PotoceanRadouan LeflahiA young police officer, Cristi, tries to find the balance between two opposing parts of his identity: that of a man working in a macho hierarchical environment and that of a closeted gay person who tries to keep his personal life a secret.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsBenedict CumberbatchKirsten DunstJesse PlemonsCharismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
- DirectorTatiana HuezoStarsGuillermo VillegasMayra BatallaTeresa SánchezLife in a town at war seen through the eyes of three young girls on the path to adolescence.
- DirectorCamilla NielssonStarsNelson ChamisaA young and charismatic leader takes on the corrupt ruling party in Zimbabwe's 2018 presidential election.
- DirectorRobert GreeneStarsJoe EldredMike ForemanEd GavaganA group of survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests battle for justice.
- DirectorNatalie Jasmine HarrisStarsMikayla Lashae BartholomewJacob Daniel SmithJosca MooreOn the eve of her cotillion ball, Celeste, a 17-year-old closeted poet, experiences an unexpected new love that shifts her role in the traditional rite of passage ceremony.
- DirectorKate DavisDavid HeilbronerA small custom T-shirt shop in Washington, DC, sees a generation of Black youth experience gun violence.
- DirectorStefanie Kay SparksStarsLouis ArcellaBridget BurnsMichael CanfieldA young woman struggling to survive becomes addicted to lucrative high-risk drug trials.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsSimon RexBree ElrodSuzanna SonMikey Saber is a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown, not that anyone really wants him back.
- DirectorJennifer PeedomJoseph NizetiStarsWillem DafoeA stunning exploration of the timeless relationship between human civilization and Earth's rivers, in all their majesty and fragility.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.
- DirectorIan BarlingStarsWill PattonEmily MeissnerBrett DiggsOn a winter night in Atlantic City, the manager of a defunct casino must reckon with his parental failures when his unruly son needs help out of an illicit bind.
- DirectorMegan MylanA meditation on the elemental bonds of family told through portraits of four Syrian families in the aftermath of war.
- DirectorNesaru TchaasStarsJasper BurgerSonnei GarcesWilmer PuertoAn immigrant family is torn apart by an ICE raid.
- DirectorJon LevensonStarsReed BirneyLucy OwenFrank De JulioSOMEONE WILL ASSIST YOU SHORTLY explores a hospice nurse's panic and isolation as he cares for his abusive and cognitively impaired father.
- DirectorJoanna HoggStarsTilda SwintonHonor Swinton ByrneJames Spencer AshworthIn the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship, Julie begins to untangle her fraught love for him in making her graduation film, sorting fact from his elaborately constructed fiction.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsKristen StewartTimothy SpallSally HawkinsDiana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles.
- DirectorJordan HidalgoStarsJamad MaysTalia DovalGiuliana CarrA young man's resolve is put to the test in the city he calls home.
- DirectorEmma Francis-SnyderStarsAlexandra AcostaAlain Becerra CalderonJuan GonzalezIn 1970, a group of young Puerto Rican activists took over a decrepit hospital in New York City, launching a battle for their lives, their community, and health care for all.
- DirectorAlexander RosalesStarsHarold Nieves FischChristopher AlvarengaAnne FrancesWhile attending an out of town family gathering in South Texas, an awkward Mexican-American is forced to tag along with his cousin to a local bar after butchering his Spanish pronunciation at dinner.
- DirectorEbony BlandingKate E. HinshawThe make-believe world crafted by Cabbage Patch Kids examines discourses surrounding childbirth in the American South.
- DirectorJason GiampietroA lonely New Yorker pines for connections both human and digital during the city's COVID-19 shutdown.
- DirectorAndrea MeyersonStarsJessica M. BairAshlynne BairChristian BairIn the quest to find herself, Jessica Bair had to be prepared to lose her family, her faith, her job-and nearly her life.
- DirectorJane SchoenbrunStarsAnna CobbMichael J RogersTheo AnthonyAlone in her attic bedroom, teenager Casey becomes immersed in an online role-playing horror game, wherein she begins to document the changes that may or may not be happening to her.
- DirectorAleksandre KoberidzeStarsAni KarseladzeGiorgi BochorishviliOliko BarbakadzeA chance encounter on a street corner has Lisa and Giorgi fall in love at first sight, but an evil spell is cast on them. Will they ever meet again?
- DirectorEmily SchumanStarsMichael ApuzzoMichael CusumanoWhen Michael's ballet career did not turn out as planned, he finds refuge and liberation by assuming an alter ego: a sparkly turban-wearing, Russian ballet instructor named Madame Olga. By slipping into this mysterious character, Michael discovers a way to both embrace himself as an artist and reconcile with the pain from his past. Olga challenges authority and breaks the stereotype of a strict ballet teacher, taking on a life of her own, and generating a following for her unconventional ballet classes. Through Olga, Michael is able to give aspiring dancers a place to flourish and can be the kind of mentor he never had for himself. When I'm Her follows the life of Michael as he inhabits Madame Olga who serves as a portal to help her students. But in the process, she discovers the person she needs to help the most.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsRenate ReinsveAnders Danielsen LieHerbert NordrumThe chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.