(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Montclair Film, New Jersey's leading film non-profit, joined the North To Shore festival in announcing the inaugural film program for the Atlantic City portion of the festival, taking place June 9-11, 2023.

The film program will open on Friday, June 9th at 7:00pm with the Atlantic City premiere of Primal Scream, directed by William J. Murray. Production on this film began in 1983 in Atlantic City and was completed in 1985, with the film being released on home video in 1987. The film is the story of an Atlantic City-based hot-shot private investigator Corby Mchale (Ken McGregor), who is immediately thrust into the chaos of an international, intergalactic energy clash. Primal Scream has never screened in Atlantic City... until now! The evening will also include Made a Movie, Lived to Tell, a short documentary about the making of Primal Scream and will feature a post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.

On Saturday, June 10, Savanah Leaf’s stunning drama Earth Mama screens as the festival’s Centerpiece Film at 7:30pm. The award-winning film is the story of  24-year-old Gia (Tia Nomore), a pregnant single mother struggling to make ends meet while fighting for custody of her son and daughter, who are currently in foster care. Earth Mama is an A24 release.

On Sunday, June 11, the festival closes with Anton Corbijn’s Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) at 3:30pm. The film tells the story of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey "Po" Powell, the creative geniuses behind the iconic album art design studio Hipgnosis, responsible for some of the most recognizable album covers of all time, including classic albums by Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney.Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) is a Utopia release.

The program also includes special screenings on Saturday, June 10, of A Compassionate Spy by legendary documentary filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams), the documentary short I Am Not Your Hero directed by Kelley Kali, featuring a panel discussion about contemporary challenges for BIPOC healthcare providers, and presented in partnership with Whole Health Pavillion, and Laura Moss’s terrifying update on Frankenstein Birth/Rebirth, a Shudder release.

On Sunday, June 11, the program features Mark Fletcher’s visually stunning Patrick and the Whale, exploring the fascinating nature of the sperm whale, attempting to shine a light on its intelligence and complexity, as well as highlighting its current and past relationship with humankind.

All screenings will take place at Dante Hall, located at 14 North Mississippi Ave in Atlantic City, NJ.  Tickets are available to the public by visiting northtoshore.com and selecting ‘Atlantic City’. These films join the previously announced Opening Night Party with Joe McGinty and The Loser’s Lounge, taking place on Thursday, June 8, at the Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City, and free community screenings on the beach of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Friday June, 9 and Top Gun: Maverick on Saturday, June 10. Both beach screenings begin at sunset.

“We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary selection of films to Atlantic City, and to join the community in celebrating the inaugural North To Shore festival,” said Montclair Film Executive Director and Co-Head Beth Gottung. “From powerful non-fiction stories to dramatic movies that speak to our contemporary experience, we look forward to building connections with one another through the art of film.”

“Our North To Shore team can’t imagine more creative, thoughtful and effective partners than our friends and colleagues at Montclair Film,” says John Schreiber, President and CEO of NJPAC, which is producing the North To Shore Festival. “The events these experts have curated for this exciting festival weekend in Atlantic City will draw thousands of fans to our celebration, and we’re grateful for their participation.”

Montclair Film, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization connects filmmakers from around the region and world with audiences by presenting films and year-round programs that engage, educate, and entertain through the power of visual storytelling.  The twelfth annual Montclair Film Festival will take place from October 20-29, 2023. The Storyteller Series is presented by our official audio sponsor, Audible. We are grateful for generous support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies; Hackensack Meridian Health, and Compass Real Estate. Additional support is provided by American Express Foundation, Chubb; Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; The Montclair Center BID; The Nature Conservancy; and RBC Wealth Management. We are also grateful for our partners The Bravitas Foundation, Coldwell Banker Realty, Phiphen Studios, Winston & Strawn, and Spiro Harrison. All programs are made possible with 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,. Montclair Film provides unique and meaningful ways to engage with diverse, creative, and sophisticated audiences and seeks sponsors for its signature spring film festival and other year-round programs that attract more than 46,000 annual attendees and generate more than 750 million media impressions yearly.

The North to Shore Festival, launched in 2023, features all the talent, diversity, and creativity that New Jersey has to offer, packed into three extraordinary weekends of performances, screenings, parties and conversations in three of the state's most iconic cities.  Hosted by Atlantic City (June 7–11), Asbury Park (June 14–18), and Newark (June 21–25), the North To Shore Festival will bring together events at 50+ venues for an over-the-top showcase of Jersey excellence, aligned with Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy’s vision of a celebration worthy of the Garden State’s long legacy of innovation in the arts, film and technology.