Journalism and Jersey at the Montclair Film Festival

The second annual Montclair Film Festival gets underway Monday, April 29 featuring more than 80 films and special events throughout the city. Almost doubling the number of entries, this year’s festival presents an eclectic mix of cinematic styles and genres in addition to new categories including “Music on Film” and “Culinary Cinema.”

Here are a few notable picks with an emphasis on Journalism and New Jersey to cap off the week:

• “Docs-in-Progress,” a trilogy of documentaries yet to be released by acclaimed New Jersey filmmakers Dawn Porter (Spies in Mississippi); Julie Winokur (Bring It to the Table); and NJSPJ members Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno and Jerome Bongiorno (The Rule).  Moderated by Nancy Abraham of HBO Documentary Films, the panel is at the Montclair Public Library on Saturday, May 4, 4:00 p.m.. (Free)

• Jared Flesher, chairman of NJSPJ Documentary Committee will present his film titled Sourlands. The documentary addresses the hardships faced by farmers in the Sourland Forest of central New Jersey.  The screening is at the Belleview Theater 2 on Saturday, May 4, 4:30 p.m. ($12.50)

• “New York Times’s Op-Docs,” features a special presentation of recent short opinion documentaries with Series Producer Jason Spingarn-Koff and Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal.  The event is at the Bellevue Theater 1 Saturday, May 4, 4:45 p.m. ($12.50)

• Photo-Journal-Isms, is a short film (“New Jersey Shorts” category) about veteran photographer Ed Kashi whose assignments have placed him in remote and often dangerous parts. Kashi depicts an ever-shifting sense of “home” via lush images and intimate journal entries dedicated to his wife (documentary filmmaker Julie Winokur). The screening is at the Clairidge Cinema 1 on Saturday, May 4, 9:15 p.m. ($12.50)

• “In Conversation,” pairs New York Times columnist and author David Carr (Night of the Gun) and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, and The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer). They’ll discuss investigative reporting and the guts to getting the story.  Both are residents of New Jersey.  The event is at the Montclair Art Museum on Sunday, May 5, 2:00 p.m. ($12.50)

The Montclair Film Festival runs Monday, April 29 through Sunday, May 5.  For a complete list of events and to purchase tickets, go to montclairfilmfest.org.

Steve Lubetkin