Programming Welcome Dear Friends, On behalf of the staff of the 10th Annual Montclair Film Festival, we are thrilled to welcome you back to the movies! The past year and a half have been an extremely challenging time, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a shift in the film industry that has brought movies into our homes faster than ever before, with cinemas and film festivals required to re-imagine their events to include virtual, drive-in, and outdoor offerings to survive. In 2020, we were proud to launch our Virtual Cinema, and we want to thank everyone who took the time to explore our year-round virtual screenings at home; your support and interest in our programming meant the world to us as we worked to bring the best new films to you each week. This past summer, we announced that Montclair Film would be taking over the operation of The Clairidge, and we are proud to say that our team will be selecting films for this beloved six-screen cinema on a year-round basis. We have been hard at work this summer, readying The Clairidge for launch, and we are so excited to open our doors during the 2021 Montclair Film Festival, followed by year-round exhibition of the high quality, independent, non-fiction, and international films for which The Clairidge is known, beginning on Friday, November 5, 2021. If you’re planning to come back to the movies, we encourage you to become a Montclair Film Member, as we will be offering discounted tickets to films all year long, as well as special member perks like advanced tickets for the annual film festival, fundraiser, and more. And with our Education Center and Cinema505 severely damaged by flooding during the recent Tropical Storm Ida, your Membership and attendance at our festival, films, and classes provides our organization with crucial year-round support at a time when we need it most. This year’s festival features a wonderful array of films from around the world, and we hope you will take the time to explore the program and find the films that interest you. If the program looks a little different this year, that’s because we have taken extra precautions to space the screenings out a little more, in the hopes of reducing lines, in-person waiting, and to give more time between films for cleaning of our theaters. All of our theaters feature new COVID compliant air filtering systems, and we ask that all attendees be vaccinated and masked for all screenings as we, together, prioritize the health and safety of all of our patrons, volunteers, staff, and guests. Have a great festival and thank you for your enduring support! We look forward to seeing you in the cinemas, talking about the movies, calling on you for Q&As, and having a great event together again. THANK YOU for being a part of the 10th Annual Montclair Film Festival!
Tom Hall Executive Director Montclair Film
Larisa Apan Senior Programmer Montclair Film
Rebecca Sokol Programmer Montclair Film
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