Montclair Film has announced this year’s Montclair Film Festival Honors, set to be presented at the 14th edition of the east coast event. The ceremony will take place from Oct. 17 to Oct. 26 in Montclair, New Jersey.
To officially open the festival, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy will be welcomed as Honorary Chairs for their contributions to the legacy of filmmaking in New Jersey, at The Wellmont Theater.
On the same night, the festival will honor Nicolas Britell with the 2025 Composer Award, where he will participate in a post-screening Q&A to discuss his score for the festival’s 2025 Opening Night film “Jay Kelly,” directed by Noah Baumbach.
Filmmaker Spike Lee will be honored with the 2025 Filmmaker Tribute on Oct. 18, with an in-depth conversation moderated by Stephen Colbert. The Montclair Film Festival will honor Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Co-Chair and CEO Pamela Abdy with the 2025 Visionary Award, with a conversation moderated by Montclair Film Artistic Director Tom Hall, focusing on her career by highlighting films such as “Sinners,” “Weapons,” and the upcoming Paul Thomas Anderson film “One Battle After Another.”
The third honoree for Oct. 18 will be screenwriter Will Tracy, who is presented with the 2025 Screenwriter Award following a screening of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia” at The Wellmont.
On Oct. 19, director Shih-Ching will be honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Director award following a screening of her film “Left-Handed Girl,” which has been selected as Taiwan’s submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
Directors Mark Obenhaus and Laura Poitras will receive the 2025 David Carr Award For Truth In Non-Fiction Filmmaking for their film “Cover-Up.” The Montclair Film Festival honors the legacy of New York Times reporter David Carr with an award to a film that honors Carr’s commitment to journalism, which will be presented to both filmmakers at The Bellevue Theatre.
The full festival program will be announced on Sept. 26. Tickets will go on sale on Sept. 29 for Montclair Film Members and Oct. 3 at 10:00 AM for the public.