Superstorm Sandy documentary lands spotlight at Montclair Film Festival, Delta Air Lines

“Landfall: The Eyes of Sandy” brought tears of joy and sorrow to many local residents who experienced the onslaught of Superstorm Sandy. The documentary video, which chronicles the storm as it approached and demolished communities in Stafford Township and on Long Beach Island, will continue to share the towns’ heartrending story during the 2014 Montclair Film Festival.

The film, featuring the grassroots movement led by local surf and skate apparel company Jetty to “Unite and Rebuild,” is part of the festival’s New Jersey Spotlight section, which tripled in size from six feature-length films in 2013 to 18 this year. It will be presented at the Bellevue Theater on Monday, May 4, at 11:45 a.m.

Photo by Jack Reynolds
'Landfall' filmaker, Andrew Pearson,
and producer, Corinne Gray Ruff, work
together to share the story of Sandy.

“We are ecstatic about being selected to the Montclair Film Festival because it is highly selective of the films it screens,” said Corinne Gray Gruff, producer of “Landfall.” “I know all of the people in the film; this is my community, so I get emotional watching the film. But to see how Andrew (Pearson), the filmmaker, brought the story to life on-screen and evoked such great emotion is a testament not only to the power of film to enlighten, but his skill in the art of filmmaking,” she added.

This year’s festival features 92 separate presentations, which is an increase from 79 last year. The presentations include six world premieres, two U.S. premieres, 56 N.J. premieres, 12 additional films, five shorts programs, four live conversations, five free panels and two parties.

Political satirist Steven Colbert, who is also a Montclair resident, and Kevin Smith, executive producer of AMC's “Comic Book Men,” an unscripted TV show starring the staff of his Red Bank comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, are among the more than 100 special guests expected to attend the event.

To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit montclairfilmfest.org.

“Landfall” will also make its debut in the skies aboard Delta Air Lines’ In-Flight Entertainment as a feature global documentary through the airline’s Force for Global Good campaign. The gripping account is expected to reach 2.7 million passengers on 272 video-equipped aircraft. It will be playing as a video-on-demand from May through October 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The film will also be highlighted aboard all flights in SKY Magazine.

Prior to “Landfall,” Pearson had great success with his short documentary “Running Through: The Jordan Culbreath Story,” which won the New Hope Film Festival in Pennsylvania and other renowned film contests. However, he said he has never before had the honor to be a part of In-Flight Entertainment or any other such large distribution.

“It’s actually better than a theatrical distribution deal it would normally yield in the industry. I'm excited to see what attention it could possibly receive once it is released 30,000 feet in the air,” said Pearson. “It’s a great, authentic testament to not only how the film was made and with whom, but it reflects 100 percent pure love. There isn’t a negative fiber you can take away from what the film does for anyone. Everyone involved in the slightest capacity should be so proud of that reflecting across the entire planet.”

–Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.