Jersey Arts Podcast · ArtPride New Jersey

Movies and Mirth with Montclair Film

·36 min·2 clips

Tom Hall says one ticket from every Montclair resident would make this festival the most successful in history.

1. Jersey Arts Podcast talks with Montclair Film about the 14th Montclair Film Festival, running October 17th through the 26th. 2. Gina Marie Rodriguez hosts Tom Hall, the artistic director, and Tricia Haggerty-Wentz, the new executive director, whose roles shape the festival and year-round programming. 3. The episode asks what Montclair Film is for beyond screenings, and the answer centers on community, curation, and access to movies year-round. 4. Tricia Haggerty-Wentz says she joined Montclair Film two weeks earlier and calls the timing "really fantastic" because the 14th festival is only weeks away. 5. Tom Hall says his favorite part of independent film is "the connection that we build between artists and audiences" in theaters. 6. Hall ties that connection to Montclair’s diverse community, saying the festival aims to honor race, gender, sexuality, opinion, and ideas with a wide spectrum of movies. 7. He also says Montclair Film wants an international scope so local audiences stay connected to film communities around the world. 8. Haggerty-Wentz says the mission includes the word "joy," and she points to a screening of The Librarian with librarians in the audience. 9. Hall says Montclair Film started as a festival and went year-round in 2017, expanding into learning and engagement programs. 10. He lists impact screenings for classrooms, film clubs, teaching filmmaking and screenwriting, and a film club for adults and teens with disabilities. 11. Hall says the organization operates The Claridge Cinema as a six-screen independent nonprofit cinema and recently acquired the Bellevue Theater in Montclair. 12. He adds that the headquarters at 505 Bloomfield Avenue includes classrooms, a 65-seat micro cinema, story slam events, improv nights, performances, and private rentals. 13. Hall rejects a simple battle between theaters and streaming, saying Montclair Film treats Netflix, Apple TV, and Peacock as complementary partners. 14. He says Netflix’s Jay Kelly will open the festival, then receive a theatrical run before streaming, with The Claridge participating in that release plan. 15. Hall says the festival matters because it offers low-cost risk-taking, with tickets around $15 to $17 and members paying less. 16. He contrasts that with Broadway ticket prices and says Montclair Film lets audiences see filmmakers in person after screenings. 17. Hall explains that programming is not just selection but balancing categories, because there are always more strong films than available screens. 18. He gives the example of five top documentaries about Hurricane Katrina in one year and says the team could only choose one to keep the program diverse. 19. The conversation stays conversational and detail-heavy, with Gina Marie Rodriguez drawing out practical examples, festival logistics, and personal movie memories. 20. The episode will suit film festival regulars, local arts supporters, and New Jersey cinema fans, but it may skip listeners who want no festival logistics.

As heard by us

A friendly festival chat that makes curation feel personal, local, and worth the ticket.

This episode treats Montclair Film with warm, practical attention, and the festival comes across less like a checklist than a civic gathering.

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Want a low-pressure way into a packed film festival?

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