September 9, 2026, Montclair, NJ– Montclair Film has announced the 2026 Opening Night, Centerpiece, and Closing Night Films for the 15th Annual Montclair Film Festival, presented by Volvo Car USA, taking place October 16-25, 2026 in Montclair, NJ.
On Friday, October 16 at 7:00 pm at The Wellmont Theater, the 2026 festival opens with WILD HORSE NINE directed by Martin McDonagh. Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi). Amongst the Island’s iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’s newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways. Driven by outstanding performances and a powerful story, WILD HORSE NINE marks Martin McDonagh’s triumphant return to the screen. Montclair Film is proud to present WILD HORSE NINE as the Opening Film of the 2026 Montclair Film Festival.
WILD HORSE NINE is a Searchlight Pictures release On Saturday, October 17 at 4:15 pm at The Wellmont Theater, Brad Bird’s RAY GUNN will screen as the festival 2026 Animation Centerpiece. In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named
Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson). Academy Award® winning director Brad Bird (THE INCREDIBLES, RATATOUILLE) returns to the big screen with RAY GUNN, a science fiction noir that will keep audiences glued to their seats. Montclair Film is honored to feature RAY GUNN as our 2026 Animation Centerpiece.
RAY GUNN is a Netflix release
On Sunday, October 18, at 7:00 pm Simon Stone’s ELSINORE will screen as the festival’s 2026 Fiction Centerpiece. The deeply emotional and inspirational true story of Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott, in an unforgettable performance)– a gifted actor whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph. Facing his own mortality with unflinching honesty, wit, and grace, Charleson delivers a courageous performance that becomes a source of healing and inspiration for those around him. Montclair Film is proud to present ELSINORE as the Fiction Centerpiece of the 2026 Montclair Film Festival.
ELSINORE is a Focus Features Pictures release
On Friday, October 23, at 7:30 pm at The Montclair Kimberley Academy Upper School, Ava DuVernay’s 14th screens as the festival’s 2026 Documentary Centerpiece. A decade after her Academy Award–nominated and Emmy Award®–winning documentary 13th, Ava DuVernay is turning her lens on the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Written in the wreckage of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was meant to close the door on the hierarchy of human worth. Instead, it has become the subject of a permanent argument. Ava DuVernay’s 14th pulls this constitutional fight out of the footnotes and into the present, chronicling the vicious battle over the amendment that has raged for over 150 years. Threading deep archival scholarship with piercing headlines from today, 14th brings together legal minds, politicians, historians, and cultural voices in direct conversation with a question America still hasn’t settled: Who gets to belong? Montclair Film is honored to present 14th as our 2026 Documentary Centerpiece. 14th is a Netflix release
On Sunday, October 25 at 6:00 pm at The Montclair Kimberley Academy Upper School, Tony Gilroy’s BEHEMOTH! screens as the festival’s 2026 Closing Night Film. A gifted cellist, Alex Serian (Pedro Pascal), returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Music, which has been the constant, all-consuming river of his life, begins to carry Alex on an adventure that will change him forever. Inventive and moving, BEHEMOTH! is Tony Gilroy’s (MICHAEL CLAYTON, ANDOR) love letter to film scores, a testament to the powerful impact that music can have on the way we experience cinema. Montclair Film is honored to share BEHEMOTH! as the Closing Film of the 2026 Montclair Film Festival.
BEHEMOTH! is a Searchlight Pictures release “2026 marks the 15th Anniversary of the Montclair Film Festival, and it is shaping up to be an extraordinary year for cinema” said Montclair Film Artistic Director Tom Hall. “As
we look back on the past 15 years, we have seen remarkable connections forged at our festival, in our education programs, our cinemas, and our community. All of that is due to the work of great filmmakers. This year’s festival program features remarkable films made by artists who continue to inspire our work. We can’t wait to share them with our audiences.”
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The full 2026 Montclair Film Festival program, including the 2026 Competition Films, will be announced on Friday, September 25, 2026.
Tickets for Montclair Film Festival events go on sale on Monday, September 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM for Montclair Film Members and Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM for the public. Tickets for all events will be available at montclairfilm.org.
ABOUT MONTCLAIR FILM 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 fifteenth annual Montclair Film Festival presented by Volvo Car USA will take place from October 16-25, 2026. Additional Film Festival support is provided by major community and industry partners including Audible, Ketel One Vodka, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and the Montclair Center BID. Montclair Film’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by a grant from New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism, among many others. Montclair Film provides unique and meaningful ways to engage with diverse, creative, and sophisticated audiences and seeks sponsors for its signature film festival and other year-round programs that attract more than 83,000 annual attendees and generate more than 800 million media impressions yearly. For information about Montclair Film, visit www.montclairfilm.org
