Welcome Letter

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Montclair Film, we are pleased to welcome you to the 2025 Montclair Film Festival! Our team is dedicated to fulfilling our mission of transforming lives and communities through the power of film and filmmaking by presenting a wide range of highly anticipated films, conversations, panels, and experiences during our 10-day festival.

We are deeply gratified to recognize Montclair Film Festival’s inaugural Honorary Chairs, Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy. The Murphys’ leadership in restoring the film and television production tax credits has led to an expansive investment in New Jersey’s film industry. We thank them for their vision and advocacy, as well as their enduring support for film and media education, and their belief in our work at Montclair Film in bringing the best and brightest film artists to our statewide audience.

Montclair Film offers year-round and diverse programs based on our four pillars: Festival, Education, Cinemas, and Community. Our education programs—including Montclair Film Academy, Impact Series, Emerging Filmmaker and Screenwriting Competitions, and 505 Films + Friends—enrich our community and make a significant impact on the lives of the participants. Montclair Film is launching a new workforce development program designed to help train young adults to work in the film industry. Our staff works with the greater Montclair community along with other non-profits and sponsors to offer engaging, enjoyable, and thought-provoking conversations, films, and free events.

In addition to operating The Clairidge, Montclair Film is excited to reopen The Bellevue Theatre and add it to our portfolio of cinemas! The Bellevue has been closed since 2017, and we can’t wait to bring the magic of film back to Upper Montclair. We will be showcasing films at The Bellevue during the festival, and then officially opening on October 31. We hope you are as excited as we are and will frequent the movies at The Bellevue often. Please consider supporting our efforts by participating in our Campaign to Reopen The Bellevue Theatre.

It has been an exciting year for Montclair Film! This year’s Festival program brings together stories, ideas, conversations, films, and experiences that reflect the industry and our world. We hope you enjoy participating in it as much as we enjoyed curating it for you. We are so appreciative of you—you make everythingwe do possible.

See you at the movies!

Evelyn McGee Colbert
Board President, Montclair Film

Mary Anne Vaughn
Board Vice President, Montclair Film

View the Full Festival Guide