Montclair Film Festival Sets 2026 Lineup With ‘La Bola Negra,’ ‘I Play Rocky,’ ‘The Debut’ and More (EXCLUSIVE)

The Montclair Film Festival has unveiled the complete lineup for its 2026 edition, bringing a slate of international premieres, awards season contenders, documentaries and independent films to New Jersey.

Among the highlights are Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s “La Bola Negra,” Peter Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky,” Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut,” Sian Heder’s “Being Heumann,” James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” and Mike Leigh’s “Tender Loving Care.”

The festival will also feature appearances from Tim Blake Nelson, Edward Burns, Jesse Eisenberg, Susie Essman, Paul Giamatti, Stephan James, Karina Longworth, Rachel Maddow, Julianne Moore and John Turturro. They join previously announced honorees Beth de Araújo, Stephen Beresford, Ava DuVernay, Tony Gilroy and Jack O’Connell.

The festival will open Oct. 16 with Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” at the Wellmont Theater, and will close with Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” on Oct. 25 at MKA Upper School. The centerpiece selections include Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th,” Simon Stone’s drama “Elsinore” and Brad Bird’s animated feature “Ray Gunn.”

Several of the festival’s most prominent events will feature filmmakers and stars in person. Eisenberg will join Paul Giamatti and Julianne Moore for a conversation about “The Debut,” moderated by Stephen Colbert. Edward Burns will attend a screening of “Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies,” while Nelson will appear for “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd.” John Turturro will participate in a Q&A following “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” and Susie Essman will attend a screening of “The Good Life.”

The festival’s 2026 David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking will go to director Ben Klein and producer Rachel Maddow for “Kill. Bury. Print.,” which examines an escalating conflict between a community newspaper and the sheriff of the Oklahoma county it covers. Klein and Maddow will participate in a post-screening Q&A.

The festival will also present juried competitions in documentary, fiction and Future/Now, the latter honoring emerging independent filmmakers with the $5,000 Mark Urman Award. Documentary contenders include “Closure,” “The Great Experiment,” “One in a Million,” “Rehearsals for a Revolution” and “When a Witness Recants.” The fiction competition features “All of a Sudden,” “Fatherland,” “Minotaur,” “Possible Love” and “Rose.”

The short-film competitions will include documentary, fiction and New Jersey categories, with selections ranging from Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry’s “The Baddest Speechwriter of All” to “Albatross,” “Callback,” “Scratch,” “St. Joseph” and “Us Being Epic.”

Other programming includes panels on new pathways into filmmaking, the New Jersey film and television industry, festival programming and the relationship between box office and awards momentum.

Tickets go on sale Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. for Montclair Film members and Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. for the public.

The complete lineup of films is below. The festival runs from Oct. 16-25.

Opening Night Film
“Wild Horse Nine,” directed by Martin McDonagh

Closing Night Film
“Behemoth!” directed by Tony Gilroy

Documentary Centerpiece
“14th,” directed by Ava DuVernay

Fiction Centerpiece
“Elsinore,” directed by Simon Stone

Animation Centerpiece
“Ray Gunn,” directed by Brad Bird

Filmmaker Tribute
Tony Gilroy, moderated by Stephen Colbert

Performer Award
Jack O’Connell, “Ink”

Screenwriter Award
Stephen Beresford, “Elsinore”

Documentary Filmmaker Award
Ava DuVernay, “14th”

Breakthrough Director Award
Beth de Araújo, “Josephine”

David Carr Award for Truth in Filmmaking
Ben Klein and Rachel Maddow, “Kill. Bury. Print.”

Feature films

“14th,” directed by Ava DuVernay
“Act One,” directed by Sophia Takal
“Adam’s Apple,” directed by Amy Jenkins
“All of a Sudden,” directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
“Auntie Mame,” directed by Morton DaCosta
“Avedon,” directed by Ron Howard
“Bedford Park,” directed by Stephanie Ahn
“Behemoth!,” directed by Tony Gilroy
“Being Heumann,” directed by Siân Heder
“The Beloved,” directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen
“Beneath the Blue Suburban Sky,” directed by Edward Burns
“Bitter Christmas,” directed by Pedro Almodóvar
“La Bola Negra,” directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi
“Bunker,” directed by Florian Zeller
“Clarissa,” directed by Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri
“Closure,” directed by Michal Marczak
“Club Kid,” directed by Jordan Firstman
“Coward,” directed by Lukas Dhont
“The Debut,” directed by Jesse Eisenberg
“The Diary of a Chambermaid,” directed by Radu Jude
“The Dreamed Adventure,” directed by Valeska Grisebach
“Edward Said: Between Worlds,” directed by Maiken Baird
“Elsinore,” directed by Simon Stone
“Everything Else Is Noise,” directed by Nicolás Pereda
“Every time,” directed by Sandra Wollner
“Fatherland,” directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
“Fjord,” directed by Cristian Mungiu
“Gentle Monster,” directed by Marie Kreutzer
“The Good Life,” directed by Mark Mannucci
“La Gradiva,” directed by Marine Atlan
“The Great Experiment,” directed by Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar
“I Play Rocky,” directed by Peter Farrelly
“Ink,” directed by Danny Boyle
“In Waves,” directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen
“Iron Boy,” directed by Louis Clichy
“Jackrabbit,” directed by Ballard C. Boyd
“Jean-Michel Basquiat,” directed by Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman
“Josephine,” directed by Beth de Araújo
“Kill. Bury. Print.,” directed by Ben Klein
“The Last Critic,” directed by Matty Wishnow
“The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd,” directed by Tim Blake Nelson
“Look Back,” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
“The Lorraine,” directed by Sam Pollard
“Mallory’s Ghost,” directed by Arabella Oz and Nick Canellakis
“Minotaur,” directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
“Mouse,” directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson
“Mudville,” directed by Adam Pinney
“Musk,” directed by Alex Gibney
“My NDA,” directed by Miriam Shor and Juliane Dressner
“Noga,” directed by Jono Bergmann and Benji Bergmann
“Nuisance Bear,” directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” directed by William Greaves and David Greaves
“One in a Million,” directed by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes
“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” directed by Noah Segan
“Paper Tiger,” directed by James Gray
“Possible Love,” directed by Lee Chang-dong
“Ray Gunn,” directed by Brad Bird
“Re/Pair,” directed by Lacey Schwartz Delgado
“The Red Hangar,” directed by Juan Pablo Sallato
“Rehearsals for a Revolution,” directed by Pegah Ahangarani
“Rose,” directed by Markus Schleinzer
“Sapiro V Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford,” directed by Gaylen Ross
“Soul Patrol,” directed by J.M. Harper
“A Talent for Murder,” directed by Anton Corbijn
“Tangles,” directed by Leah Nelson
“Tender Loving Care,” directed by Mike Leigh
“TheyDream,” directed by William D. Caballero
“threeASFOUR: Full Circle,” directed by Sean Ono Lennon and Brian Gonzalez
“Time Warp,” directed by Allison Berg
“We Are the Shaggs,” directed by Ken Kwapis
“When a Witness Recants,” directed by Dawn Porter
“The Whole World Is a Lie,” directed by Charlie Birns
“Wild Horse Nine,” directed by Martin McDonagh.

Short films

“About That Picasso,” directed by John Block
“Albatross,” directed by Amandine Thomas
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All,” directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry
“Beast of the Seine,” directed by Jon Portman
“Before Dawn,” directed by Julia Galeta
“Book U Can Ask ???s,” directed by Casimir Nozkowski
“Buckets,” directed by Drew van Steenbergen
“Buckskin,” directed by Mars Verrone
“Callback,” directed by Matthew Puccini
“Charlie and the Rocket Man,” directed by Lori Grinker
“Chikaboom!,” directed by C. Craig Patterson
“Church Hat,” directed by Miceál Og O’Donnell
“Copy, Save,” directed by Alyssa Loh
“The Corner,” directed by John Ridley and Jeanmarie Condon
“Crisis Actor,” directed by Lily Platt
“A Derailment,” directed by Nathan Truesdell
“Division,” directed by James Paul Dallas
“Dr. Fried and the Peptides,” directed by David Beckman-Gaynes
“Escalation,” directed by AJ Schnack
“Evergreen,” directed by Luke McCormick Gardiner
“A Flash and How It Lasts,” directed by Zhihao Hu
“Free Joan Little,” directed by Yoruba Richen
“Getar Hero,” directed by Teddy Stern
“Halcyon Days,” directed by Grace Hanna
“High Voltage,” directed by Hannah Whisenant
“Homebodies,” directed by Rachel Olson
“Homebody,” directed by Shruti Parekh
“The Hotline,” directed by Ricki Stern and Jesse Sweet
“I Saw You in the Flood,” directed by Kevin Xian Ming Yu
“In Lieu of Flowers,” directed by Stacey Torkelson
“In My Blood,” directed by Alex Bendo
“In the Trench,” directed by Morgan Miller
“Jason,” directed by Gabriella Canal
“Jimmy’s Corner: One More Round,” directed by Olivier Bernier
“Like Father,” directed by Jared Callahan
“Like Little Earthquakes,” directed by Matteo Moretti and Freddie Gluck
“Matched,” directed by Elvira Ibragimova
“Matches,” directed by Jake Delaney
“Maurice and Marvin,” directed by David Friend
“The Monks Who Know Ball,” directed by Nathaniel Swyer
“The Moon and the Star,” directed by Jonah Shallman
“Mr. Jesus,” directed by Emily Best
“A New Inferno,” directed by Nita Blum-Reddick and Jonathan Pickett
“Not Valid for Travel,” directed by Jiaying Lin
“One Last Order,” directed by Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko
“Oracle of Delphi, Ohio,” directed by Carter Stewart
“Petticoats,” directed by Gaëlle Graton
“Pismo Beach,” directed by Christian Tucci
“Proposal,” directed by Nikhil Venkatesa
“The Quiet Between,” directed by Sam Evoy
“Romantaswipe,” directed by Rose Hannah Frankel
“Room for Error,” directed by E.J. McLeavey-Fisher
“Room of the Absolute,” directed by Natalie Shirinian and Elizabeth Baudouin
“Scenes From the Divide,” directed by Alison Klayman
“Scout’s Honor,” directed by Isabel Pask
“Scratch,” directed by Aliya Kamalova
“A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil,” directed by Daniel Straub
“Slick,” directed by Jenna Rossman
“St. Joseph,” directed by Maky Rupert
“Sunspark,” directed by Danny Bourque
“Sweet Boy,” directed by John Kim
“Tampons & Taxes: Or How to Play the Ole Boys Club and Win,” directed by Emily Harrold
“Testing Testing Sandi Bachom,” directed by David France and Paul McGuire
“Today & Tmrw,” directed by Mariales Diaz Batista
“Too Romantic,” directed by Talia Light Rake
“An Unknown Substance,” directed by Steven Leckart
“Us Being Epic,” directed by Jeannette Louie
“Verse,” directed by Noam Argov
“The Waddles,” directed by Max Jenkins
“Water Cooler,” directed by Emma V.F.
“We Were Here,” directed by Pranav Bhasin
“Welcome to Snugville,” directed by Caroline Dean
“Wild East,” directed by Maia Wikler

In Conversation

In Conversation With Stephan James
Sunday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

In Conversation With Karina Longworth
Sunday, Oct. 25, noon, Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Panels

Inside Puppet Heap: Fabrication in Filmmaking
Go behind the scenes with Puppet Heap, the award-winning studio behind dozens of original films, TV productions and iconic puppet creations. Screenings of Puppet Heap’s original short films, narrated by the studio’s larger-than-life mascot, the Heap, show audiences how puppets are designed, built and brought to life for the camera. The presentation features production puppets, fabrication insights and techniques, plus a live Q&A. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Who Gets to Make Movies Now? New Paths, New Voices
The path to becoming a filmmaker is evolving in disruptive and exciting ways. Today’s emerging talent comes from an increasingly wide range of backgrounds: not just film schools or traditional industry jobs, but online communities, independent production, other creative disciplines and entirely unexpected places. Christopher Rosen, deputy editor at The Ankler and co-host of the “Prestige Junkie” podcast, leads a panel of creators and entertainment stakeholders. They explore the new routes into filmmaking, the perspectives fresh voices bring to the screen and what these changing pathways mean for how the industry discovers, develops and champions the next generation of big-screen storytellers. Presented in partnership with The Ankler.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 4 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Art Can Save Our Democracy: How Creativity Can Be a Force for Good
Law professor, writer and human rights advocate Alan Jenkins leads a panel of local arts leaders on the vital role the arts play in defending democracy. Panelists from Montclair organizations including the Montclair Art Museum, Jazz House Kids, Vanguard Theater Group and Montclair Film discuss how artists and cultural institutions fight injustice, inspire civic engagement and address global issues in their own community.
Monday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Breaking Into the Business: Your Guide to New Jersey’s Film and Television Industry
Industry veterans and film commissioners discuss how to break into New Jersey’s growing film and TV industry. The conversation highlights resources including NJ 411, the Actors Hub, Film Ready New Jersey and the Take 2 program. Panelists also share practical guidance on identifying legitimate opportunities, avoiding common pitfalls and building meaningful industry connections. Presented in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission.
Thursday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Meet the Programmers
Mallory Martin, executive director of Film Festival Alliance, hosts programmers from Montclair and other visiting festivals. They take filmmakers inside the process of selecting films for festivals, with insights, tips and an open dialogue on building a program. Presented in partnership with Film Festival Alliance.
Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Box Office, Buzz and the Race Ahead
This year’s most talked-about movies are bringing big, enthusiastic audiences back to theaters and reshaping the awards conversation along the way. They range from blockbusters such as “Project Hail Mary” and “The Odyssey” to indie breakouts such as “Obsession” and “The Invite.” As box office momentum, new creator pipelines and evolving business models collide with critical acclaim, industry buzz and Oscar ambition, what does commercial success mean for a film’s awards prospects now? Katey Rich, awards editor at The Ankler and host of the “Prestige Junkie” podcast, leads a panel of film insiders and awards experts. They unpack the season’s biggest contenders, the performances and filmmakers breaking through and how a resurgent theatrical marketplace could shape the race to Oscar night. Presented in partnership with The Ankler.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 4 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Special Events

StorySlam: Scary Stories for the Screen
Fan-favorite storytellers from past events return for a special Montclair Film Festival StorySlam, sharing coming-of-age stories around the theme “Feeling Fifteen.” Expect an evening of laughter and emotion.
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m., Audible Lounge at Montclair Mezzanine

Montclair Improv Comedy
Veterans of some of the best improv theaters bring an original night of comedy, courtesy of Montclair Improv Comedy.
Thursday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., Cinema505

Meet Us on Church Street
Free, family-friendly live events and activities throughout the day, presented with Montclair’s Complete Streets. More information will be available on the Montclair Film website in early October.
Saturday, Oct. 24, Church Street