montclair film
P
erhaps most impres-
sive, Montclair Film
is no longer just a
once-a-year festival,
but a thriving year-
round celebration and
exploration of cinema, with film
showings five days a week at its
in-house theater, Cinema 505. A
slate of film classes and workshops
for kids and adults covers every
aspect of filmmaking, including
makeup, special effects, editing,
screenwriting and cinematography.
There are story slams and improv
comedies and an outdoor summer
film series.
“We’ve transformed from a
festival with some education pro-
grams to a year-round arts and
film organization,” says Evelyn
Colbert, president of the board
of Montclair Film. That shift is
reflected in the 2017 name change
from Montclair Film Festival to
simply Montclair Film.
It’s also reflected in the building
itself, says Bob Feinberg, founder
and chairman of the board. The
basement’s Education Concourse,
he says, is occupied day and night
throughout the year with a host of
classes, sometimes two at a time,
thanks to a divider that can sec-
tion off the space. In one corner,
there’s a storytelling studio where
podcasting is taught and teens tape
a live show. Adults are students,
too, taking their own classes in
improv and storytelling.
The education programs focus
on helping kids find their voices,
both literally and figuratively,
Colbert says. “Like all the arts,
film should encourage self-expres-
sion, but also empathy — under-
standing the person standing next
to you, who may be completely
different.”
“Slam My Story!”, where high
school students submit stories
based on a theme and tell them
before a live audience, is the
newest program to capture kids’
imaginations. The sessions are
taped and available as podcasts.
PAMM MALVEAUX
LIVES IN: Newark
CONNECTIONS TO MONTCLAIR/NEW
JERSEY: “My son Jonathan’s dad, Steve Kelly,
is Whitney Houston’s former guitarist, and
lives in Montclair,” she says.
AS A MONTCLAIR FILM INSTRUCTOR:
She teaches Middle School Filmmaking
I and the Middle School Friday Film Club.
“I focus on the directing styles of Wes
Anderson, Yasujiro Ozu and Jean-Pierre
Jeunet,” she says.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS: Last
summer, her class shot on location at
Raymond’s and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
in the rain. And “[Recently], I put a frozen
sock covered in fake blood in the staff
fridge and forgot to tell the staff,” she says.
“A client doing a site scout for a party
opened the fridge and freaked out. Lol!!!”
DAVID GAYNES
LIVES IN: Montclair
CONNECTIONS TO MONTCLAIR/NEW JERSEY:
“My wife and I were looking for a great place to
raise our family, and five years ago, we moved to
Montclair,” he says. “I had recently finished my third
documentary feature (Next Year Jerusalem), and it
was a warm welcome having it screened so success-
fully in the 2014 festival.”
AS A MONTCLAIR FILM INSTRUCTOR: Teaches
intermediate high school filmmaking and intro to
documentary filmmaking for adults, both at the
Summer Academy.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS: “Teaching student
filmmakers of all ages helps me rediscover the simple
joys of finding a way to tell a story through the medi-
um of film,” he says. “Probably the most memorable
experience was the first day of shooting a romantic
comedy, and one of our leads called out sick. The
least likely person volunteered to sub for him, and an
entirely new, infinitely weirder and uniquely beautiful
new film was made.”
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE MAY 2019
29