“Our storytelling groups have
morphed into a very creative experi-
ence for kids, where a lot of them get
up and say things that maybe they’ve
never felt comfortable talking about,”
says Colbert. “You’ve got a camera on
your phone and you’ve got stories in
you and it’s not hard. You can stand
up in front of people and tell a story.”
Another popular new program
called 505 Films and Friends uses
film to promote inclusivity, a vital
part of the Montclair Film mission.
Two Sundays a month, teens of all
abilities meet at Cinema 505 to watch
a movie and talk about it afterward,
with a film teacher and psychologist
moderating.
“It’s a really wonderful program,”
says Colbert. “The kids have become
friends, which is exactly what you
want, and they have a place where
they feel comfortable and happy.
There are not a lot of opportunities
like that.”
For younger kids, Montclair Film
holds Sensory Friendly Screenings,
with lowered sound and more light,
showing films that chronicle the lives
of individuals living with special
needs.
Montclair Film’s mission of inclu-
sivity extends to tuition assistance
and scholarships for those of dif-
ferent means, Colbert says, and a
long-term goal of bringing programs
into schools where arts activities may
not be feasible because of size or
financing. The nonprofit is piloting a
program at Immaculate Conception
High School, and hopes to use it as a
model for expanding into schools in
disadvantaged areas.
“Our real goal is to have much
more of an outreach and presence in
Newark,” says Colbert. “It’s a long
process and takes a lot of resources.”
Another education program she is
proud of is Reel World Filmmaking,
where students work with a profes-
sional filmmaker to create a short
film for a local nonprofit, such as the
Montclair Animal Shelter and the
Community Farm Coalition, which
the groups can then use to promote
their causes. “It’s a nice symbiotic
30
MAY 2019 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
CLAUDINE OHAYON
LIVES IN: Montclair
CONNECTIONS TO MONTCLAIR/
NEW JERSEY: “I’ve been lucky enough to
live and work here for more than
20 years,” she says.
AS A MONTCLAIR FILM INSTRUCTOR:
Teaches “voiceover, which is really
voice acting.”
BEST PART OF THE JOB: “I love the enthu-
siasm of the students – their willingness
to take risks and stretch outside of their
comfort zone, and the appreciation they
have for all that MFF does,” she says.
GARY RUDOREN
LIVES IN:
Montclair
CONNECTIONS
TO
MONTCLAIR/
NEW JERSEY:
He teaches
comedy writing
at Montclair
State University;
his original con-
nection to New Jersey, he says, “is through
my devotion to Bruce Springsteen.”
AS A MONTCLAIR FILM INSTRUCTOR: He
taught Montclair Film’s inaugural improv
classes for both teens and adults. At the
Summer Academy, he teaches improv and
sketch comedy writing for teens; the rest
of the year, he teaches improv to adults.
BEST PART OF THE JOB: So many people
are willing to get out of their comfort
zone and have fun, he says. “A lot of cre-
ative people are showing up for classes.”
relationship, and one of the few times
we can take students from soup to
nuts, from the beginning to the end
of a film, in one class,” she says.
Last summer, the Reel World
Filmmaking class partnered with
Jazz House Kids, and were filming
director Melissa Walker the day of
the jazz festival during a torrential
rainstorm. “They just happened to
be in Melissa’s office when she was
deciding whether or not to cancel the
festival,” says Colbert. “They were in
the place any journalist would like
to be, and they captured what is so
challenging about running an outdoor
jazz festival in August. It’s a great
video.”
For upper-level students com-
mitted to a career in film, there are
many opportunities, including the
Emerging Voices Competition and
Showcase; Junior Jury, in which teens
help screen films for the festival;
Summer Academy, and opportuni-
ties for exclusive screenings of their
work and to serve as interns. A free
day-long program called Behind
the Screen, in conjunction with the
School of Communication & Media at
Montclair State University, presents
leading industry professionals who
speak about building a career in film
and television.
Feinberg says that Montclair Film
education programs rival what can be
found in New York. When his adult
son was in high school, he says, he
“was busy taking the bus in to NYU
film school. Now you are able to do
all that stuff right here.”
Feinberg and Colbert give due
credit to their “amazing, amazing”
roster of teachers. Case in point is
documentary filmmaker Reuben
Atlas, a teacher with Montclair Film
whose film about fraudulent wine,
Sour Grapes, is on Netflix; he is now
working on a documentary for the
ACLU’s 10th anniversary. Atlas grew
up in Montclair and recently returned
here with his young family to live.
“I ran into him at Bluestone (Cafe)
and found out he was teaching at
Montclair Film,” Feinberg laughs.
“I had no idea.”
RUDOREN:
montclair film