(MONTCLAIR, NJ) – Montclair Film has announced the full list of participants and films for the 2018 Montclair Film Festival’s Emerging Filmmaker Competition and Junior Jury programs. The Competition, co-presented by Partners for Health Foundation and Gelotti, celebrates the work of filmmakers from our region in two filmmaking sections, Storytellers (Grades 6-8) and Visionaries (Grades 9-12).
These films represent a wide range of styles and voices that showcase the diverse talents of young people who are using cinema to tell their stories. Categories include narrative, comedy, documentary, and experimental films. Awards will be given in each of these categories, as well as for films that make a social impact, and a new Partners for Health Foundation “Speak Out!” Award. The screening of the winning films takes place on Saturday, April 28 at MKA Upper School at 2:45 pm and tickets are on sale to the public, with all ages are welcome to celebrate these outstanding films. At the screening, Gelotti will provide EFC ticket holders with a coupon for one free junior size scoop of ice cream or Italian Ice.
This year’s judges are Evan Baily, Margaret Bodde, Evan Cutler, Amy Friedman, Mark Fitzmartin, JoAnn McCullough, and Nina Sloan. The full list of participating films and filmmakers is attached to this release.
The 2018 Junior Jury program announced participating student jurors. Jurors, selected from a pool of applicants in grades 10-12, will meet industry professionals and will learn how to analyze and adjudicate films. After deliberating and selecting the best film in its category, the jurors will present the Junior Jury Award as part of the Montclair Film Festival’s Award Ceremony on Saturday, May 5.
This year’s jurors are Nate Bauer (Montclair High School), Jonny Berkowitz (Millburn High School), Domenick Castellano (Morris Catholic High School), Trinity Caviness (Montclair High School), Jayla Creekmur (Kent Place School), Alex DeRosa (Millburn High School), Grace Domine (Bloomfield High School), Gabriel Finnell (Montclair High School), Anna Gustavsen (Montclair High School), Lily Jones (Montclair Kimberley Academy), Lucia Ledesma (Montclair High School), Alex Noble (Columbia High School), Olivia Rabin (Kent Place School), Alejandra Rodriguez (Passaic County Technical Institute), Truman Segal (West Orange High School).
2018 Emerging Filmmaker Competition
Storytellers: Grades 6 – 8
Grand Prize: Narrative
Max Myers, Buzz Aldrin Middle School, Consider This Question
Grand Prize: Documentary
Lucy Osterberg, Renaissance at Rand Middle School, The Women's March on Washington: One Year Later
Special Jury Prize: Documentary
Carli Platt, Millburn Middle School, In Plain Sight: A Hidden Child of the Holocaust
Grand Prize: Experimental
Jake Edelstein, Grover Cleveland Middle School, The Alone Experiment
Grand Prize: Social Impact
Matthew Abate, Buzz Aldrin Middle School, The Last American Breakfast
Visionaries: Grades 9 - 12
Grand Prize: Narrative (tie)
Aidan Romanaux, Ralph Ravix; Columbia High School; Choice
Grand Prize: Narrative (tie)
William Blackman, Owen Plofker, Djoume Traore, Kayla Phillips, and Valentino Musumeci; Montclair High School; Do Not Disturb
Special Jury Prize: Narrative
Gabriel Soto, Passaic County Technical Institute, Impact
Grand Prize: Documentary
Ana Camila Gutierrez, Perth Amboy High School Main Campus, Dandelion
Special Jury Prize: Documentary (tie)
Alex Ferrandiz, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Nostalgia
Special Jury Prize: Documentary (tie)
Lindsay Fiorellini, Megan Mitchell; Passaic County Technical Institute; A Place to Call Our Own
Grand Prize: Experimental
Noah Levine, William Dobbs, Maggie Brill, Daniel Schwartz, Sydney Relihan, Jess Helfenstein; Livingston High School, Columbia High School, Horace Mann School, Dearborn High School, Benet Academy; Quiet Time
Special Jury Prize: Experimental/Visual Design
Grace Hillabrant, Kent Place School, beLOW
Grand Prize: Social Impact
Alex DeRosa, Millburn High School, Unburned
Special Jury Prize: Social Impact
Gabrielle Narcisse, Kent Place School, Enough is Enough
Grand Prize: Animation
Sophie Goodman - Merel; Columbia High School; Super Convention
Special Jury Prize: Animation
Ethan Halperin; Columbia High School; Cellular Life
Partners for Health Foundation “Speak Out!” Award
Erika Robertson, Passaic County Technical Institute, The Beauty Bias
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 26 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, Trembulak, McDonough, Golia & Trevenen, LLP; Chubb; Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; William H. Connolly & Co.; The Nature Conservancy, and others. Our programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism, as well as the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. For information about Montclair Film, visit www.montclairfilm.org
