Montclair Film Festival 2026: A Local Guide from a Former Costume Designer

Before I was a Realtor, I spent years as a costume designer on Broadway, TV shows and films. So when the Montclair Film Festival comes to town every October, it feels a little like home. This year is the 15th festival, and it runs October 16 to 25, 2026.

The festival is run by the nonprofit Montclair Film, and it fills theaters all over town with screenings, filmmaker Q&As and panels. Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine opens the festival on October 16, and Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! closes it on October 25. You'll find the full schedule and tickets at montclairfilm.org.

Where the screenings are

• The Wellmont Theater, 5 Seymour Street, in Montclair Center

• The Clairidge, 486 Bloomfield Avenue, also in Montclair Center

• The Bellevue Theater, 260 Bellevue Avenue, in Upper Montclair

• Montclair Kimberly Academy, 6 Lloyd Road

Getting around festival week

Parking downtown gets tight during big screenings, and the train is an easy alternative. Bay Street station is a short walk from the Wellmont and the Clairidge, and Upper Montclair station is a few blocks from the Bellevue. Both are on NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line. If you're coming from Morris County like I am, give yourself extra time on Bloomfield Avenue on weekend evenings.

What I notice as a former costume designer

Whenever I watch a film, I catch myself looking at the clothes first: how a costume tells you who a character is before they say a word. Houses work the same way. The first thing buyers see, online or at the front door, tells a story before anyone reads the listing. That's a big part of how I prepare homes for sale. It's about details, presentation and making sure the home's best features read clearly on camera.

If you're thinking about Montclair

Festival week is a good time to see Montclair Center and Upper Montclair at their busiest. If you're looking at homes here, my Montclair guide covers the town's resale requirements, property taxes, its six train stations and local links. If you're comparing it with nearby towns, see the guides for Bloomfield and West Orange, or browse all of my North Jersey town guides.

See you at the movies. If you'd like to talk about buying or selling in Montclair, call or text me at 201-575-5013.