(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Montclair Film has announced the December 2017 film lineup for Cinema505, the organization’s screening space located in the Investors Bank Film & Media Center at 505 Bloomfield in Montclair, NJ. December sees the continuation of The Mastery of Miyazaki series, which features the Japanese animation legend’s Academy Award™ winning masterpiece SPIRITED AWAY, presented in English for the enjoyment of younger children.

December will also Montclair premieres for the critically acclaimed indie comedy MR. ROOSEVELT, directed by Noël Wells, the Sundance hit documentary 500 YEARS, directed by Pamela Yates, the beloved documentary BIG SONIA, directed by Todd Soliday & Leah Warshawski, and MAYA ANGELOU: REFLECTIONS OF A BLESSED SOUL, directed by Hafiz Farid, which marks the return of our Filmmakers Local 505 program, featuring the work of local filmmakers.

The Films
December 1-3 MR. ROOSEVELT, directed by Noël Wells
December 2-4, SPIRITED AWAY, directed by Hayao Miyazaki
December 6-10, BIG SONIA, directed by Todd Soliday & Leah Warshawski
December 13-14, MAYA ANGELOU: REFLECTIONS OF A BLESSED SOUL, directed by Hafiz Farid
December 15-17, 500 YEARS, directed by Pamela Yates

Classics
The Mastery Of Miyazaki continues with the beloved family classic
SPIRITED AWAY (2001), directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Japan/ 125 min
Dubbed In English for young viewers
Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award®-winning masterpiece SPIRITED AWAY was the biggest box office hit of all time in Japan. Wandering through an abandoned carnival site, ten-year-old Chichiro is separated from her parents and stumbles into a dream-like spirit world where she is put to work in a bathhouse for the gods, a place where all kinds of nonhuman beings come to refresh, relax and recharge. Here she encounters a vast menagerie of impossibly inventive characters — shape-shifting phantoms and spirits, some friendly, some less so — and must find the inner strength to outsmart her captors and return to her family.
Saturday, December 2, 1:00 PM
Saturday, December 2, 4:00 P?M?

Sunday, December 3, 11:00 AM
Sunday, December 3, 5:00 PM

First Run
First-run theatrical films receiving their Montclair theatrical release at Cinema505
MR. ROOSEVELT, directed by Noël Wells
USA/ 90 Min
Cast: Noël Wells, Nick Thune, Britt Lower
After a loved one falls ill, struggling comedian Emily Martin (Noël Wells) returns to her college town of Austin, Texas and must come to terms with her past while staying with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.
Friday, December 1, 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 2, 6:30 PM
Sunday, December 3, 7:30 PM

BIG SONIA, directed by Todd Soliday & Leah Warshawski
USA/ 93 Min
In the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty years. But when she's served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide. A poignant story of generational trauma and healing, BIG SONIA also offers a laugh-out-loud-funny portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry, and the power of truth-telling to heal us all.
Wednesday, December 6, 7:30 PM
Thursday, December 7, 7:30 PM?Saturday, December 9, 5:00 PM
Saturday, December 9, 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 10, 6:00 PM

500 YEARS, directed by Pamela Yates
USA/ Guatemala/ 105 Min
In Spanish and English with English subtitles
From a historic genocide trial to the overthrow of a President, 500 YEARS tells a sweeping story of mounting resistance played out in Guatemala's recent history through the actions and perspectives of the majority indigenous Mayan population, who now stand poised to reimagine their society. 
Friday, December 15, 7:30 PM?Saturday, December 16, 5:00 PM
Saturday, December 16, 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 17, 3:30 PM
Sunday, December 17, 6:00 PM
 

Filmmakers Local 505
The Filmmakers Local 505 initiative offers local filmmakers the opportunity to not only share new films with local audiences, but also offers a revenue sharing opportunity, with a percentage of all ticket revenue given to the filmmakers. This program is open for submissions on an ongoing basis by contacting programming@montclairfilm.org with inquiries.

MAYA ANGELOU: REFLECTIONS OF A BLESSED SOUL, directed by Hafiz Farid
USA/ 41 Min?Q&A following each screening
MAYA ANGELOU: REFLECTIONS OF A BLESSED SOUL is a documentary film based on an exclusive interview with Maya Angelou in her home in Winston Salem, North Carolina by the multi-award-winning filmmakers Hafiz Farid, Shelley Grodner Seidenstein, and Richard Woods. The film offers an intimate portrait of one of the greatest Artists/Poets/Activists/Teachers/Philosophers and Humanitarians of our time. With a razor-sharp memory of events that occurred many decades ago, Dr. Angelou reflects on her unforgettable experiences, and her deep insight into the most controversial and pressing issues of the day.
Wednesday, December 13, 7:30 PM
Thursday, December 14, 7:30 PM

The complete lineup, including show times and ticketing information, is now available at montclairfilm.org
 

ABOUT MONTCLAIR FILM
Montclair Film, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, nurtures and showcases the talents of filmmakers from around the region and world. Montclair Film unites, empowers, educates, and celebrates our region’s diverse cultural heritage and robust artistic community by presenting engaging programs and events all year long. The seventh annual Montclair Film Festival will take place from April 27 through May 6, 2018. Montclair Film’s year-round and festival programming is made possible through generous support from Investors Bank; Audible; Hackensack Meridian Health; the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; Ashenfelter, Slous, McDonough, Golia & Trevenen, LLP; Chubb; Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; and William H. Connolly & Co., and others.  Our programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. For information about Montclair Film, visit www.montclairfilm.org