Creating the Next Generation of Film Storytellers

Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Bob Feinberg, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Montclair Film, and Vice President & General Counsel of WNET, to discuss the importance of educating the next generation about the power of film and storytelling.

1/28/19 #2201

Excerpt:

"We're pleased to welcome Mr. Bob Feinberg, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Montclair Film, and also Vice President and General Counsel of WNET. So you know this place, huh? I've been here. Nice to see you. Good to see you, Bob. Montclair Film... huge. Going into its eighth year, was, quote, "just the film festival, now it's so much more." Yeah. That's true. We started eight years ago as an annual film festival which grew year by year, great acceptance in the community and beyond. About three years ago, our friends at Investors Bank donated a 6,000 square foot 1920s bank building right on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair. Gorgeous. A beautiful building. We turned it into the Investors Bank Film and Media Center. What goes on there? We rebuilt the building. So, we launched the capital campaign which we've just completed. 3.5 million dollars... Hmm. ... to build out a 65 seat multi-purpose cinema and education complex where we do classes, and administrative office space for our year-round staff. Because we've really become a year-round arts organization, largely thanks to the building. Right. We do classes for kids, adults... in filmmaking, improv, comedy… Storytelling? Storytelling. First, the storytelling thing... So we started out with a vision about helping people tell their stories. Film, of course, but we've grown. So now, we have a podcasting studio in our facility where we teach podcasting classes and where people can come record podcasts. We do live, stand-up story slams. We invite people to come tell their stories. One night, the theme was cancer survivors talking about how they survived that horrible disease. One night was... the first night was "My First Time". It was the first time we had ever done it, So we asked people to talk about the first time they did something. Don't smile like that. No I'm just... the first time anything. Anything. One of my most favorites... because I've got college-age kids... Right. We had high school kids come read their college essays. Get out of here. It was fantastic. That's fabulous. It really is. Great stuff. So it's so far beyond the great film festival that started eight years ago? Well, it really... it's grown. We've been... we've been embraced by the community, we've been embraced by the film industry, by filmmakers, and by actors who come year-round. Last night we did a screening of a great doc about Jimmy Breslin... Yeah. ... and Pete Hamill. I've heard about this. What's it called? It's called Deadlines Artists. Wow. It's gonna air on HBO in the new year. And you guys had screening? We did a... we did a members-only screening. We have... Wow. We have... so many people have..."