The Montclair Film Festival (MFF) today announced the winners of the festival’s 2021 film competitions. This year’s festival featured four competitive categories: Fiction, Documentary, Future/ Now, and New Jersey Filmmaking. Additionally, the Fiction and Documentary juries also awarded films for the festival’s Short Film competitions. The MFF also announced the festival’s 2021 Audience Awards and Junior Jury prizes.
Feature Film Jury Awards
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD directed by Joachim Trier, was awarded the festival’s Fiction Feature Prize with Sebastian Meise receiving a Special Jury Prize for Directing for his film GREAT FREEDOM.
The Fiction Feature Competition featured DRIVE MY CAR, directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, GREAT FREEDOM, directed by Sebastian Meise, A HERO, directed by Asghar Farhadi, THE SOUVENIR PART II, directed by Joanna Hogg, and THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, directed by Joachim Trier.
The Fiction jury was comprised of Bilge Ebiri (Film Critic), Richard Gladstein (Producer), and Zach Mandinach (The Gotham).
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FLEE, directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, took home the festival’s top Non-Fiction Competition prize, the Bruce Sinofsky Award, in the festival’s Non-Fiction Feature competition. This award was established in memory of filmmaker and longtime Montclair resident Bruce Sinofsky.
The Non-Fiction Feature Competition featured BERNSTEIN’S WALL, directed by Douglas Tirola, A COP MOVIE, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, THE FIRST WAVE, directed by Matthew Heineman, FLEE, directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and PRESIDENT, directed by Camilla Nielsson.
The Non-Fiction Feature Competition Jury was comprised of Kahane Cooperman (Director), Richard Lawson (Critic), and Nancy Schafer (Producer).
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WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY?, directed by Aleksandre Koberidze, was awarded the Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking in the festival’s Future/Now competition, featuring a $5000 cash prize, honoring early career filmmakers. This award was established in 2019 in memory of the film distribution executive Mark Urman, a longtime Montclair resident, and funded through Montclair Film’s Mark Urman Award Fund.
The Special Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking was awarded to Jane Schoenbrun for WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR.
The Future/Now Competition featured CLARA SOLA, directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, THE INNOCENTS, directed by Eskil Vogt, POPPY FIELD, directed by Eugen Jebeleanu, WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR, directed by Jane Schoenbrun, and WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY?, directed by Aleksandre Koberidze.
The Future/Now jury was comprised of Penelope Bartlett (Criterion), Matt Grady (Factory 25), and Genevieve Villaflor (Sag Harbor Cinemas).
