Montclair Film issued a sneak preview of its 2024 festival on Thursday, offering a curated list of notable screenings and events viewers may not want to miss.

The festival’s full program will be released Sept. 27 ahead of the townwide event, which runs from Oct. 18-27.

Here are the “special” films and events highlighted by festival organizers for the 13th MFF:

Conclave

Edward Berger (“All Quiet on The Western Front,” 2022) directs Ralph Fiennes as a Catholic cardinal who unwittingly finds himself embroiled in a conspiratorial search for a new pope, which could shake the Vatican and church at its very core if revealed to parishioners.

Screens 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 at The Wellmont Theater – the opening night for this year’s MFF.

Unstoppable

Chosen as the festival’s Fiction Centerpiece, “Unstoppable” tells the true story of a wrestler born with one leg whose determination to win an NCAA championship for his college propels him to push the limits of physical and mental resolve.

Screens 8 p.m. on Oct. 19 at The Wellmont Theater.

Flow

A group of wayward animals make for unlikely allies as they search for dry land after a massive flood transforms the world and homes they knew into a limitless and baron sea. This animated feature from Latvia’s Gints Zilbalodis (“Away,” 2019) was chosen as the festival’s Family Centerpiece, and offers “a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship,” according to Montclair Film.

2073

Samantha Morton stars in this hybrid genre cautionary tale that blends documentary footage of present day socio-political issues with a speculative narrative set in the movie’s titular year. Academy Award winner Asif Kapadia directs this year’s Documentary Centerpiece that leads viewers through a fictional future informed by our all-too-real present.

Screen 4 p.m. on Oct. 27 at The Clairidge. Features a Q&A with the director.

The Piano Lesson

Director Malcom Washington adapts August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play into a striking feature for the festival’s closing night. As two siblings squabble over the sale of a family piano, Washington reminds viewers that ghosts don’t merely haunt us, they remind us of what we forgot. Or ― for others ― what we avoided remembering in the first place.

Screens 5 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Montclair Kimberly Academy’s upper school. Features a Q&A with the director and lead actor John David Washington, moderated by Stephen Colbert.

Nightbitch

Academy Award winning director Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood,” 2019) earned this year’s director award for this examination of the abrupt life-changes wrought by motherhood and the anxiety that follows. When a mother (Amy Adams) puts her career on-hold to care for her child full-time, the new routine veers off course into a dream-like existence, forcing her to question whether identity is a static feature of the self or a fluid perception we create but don’t always control.

7 p.m. on Oct. 27 at The Clairidge. Features Q&A with the director.

Apocalypse in the Tropics

Petra Costa’s investigation of religious influence over Brazilian politics has earned the festival’s 2024 David Carr Award for Truth in Filmmaking, which honors a work of cinematic journalism from each year’s slate of programming. Weaving interviews with a Brazilian pastor and the political powerbrokers he allegedly controls, Costa shines a light on democracy left “hanging by a thread.”

Screens at 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 25 and 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 26 at The Clairidge.

First Annual Creator Spotlight

Festival organizers present this live event to underscore the oft-overlooked art of online content. Following an early look at Michelle Khare’s YouTube series “Challenge Accepted,” in which the filmmaker documents her attempts to earn a martial arts blackbelt in just 90 days, the series’ filmmakers and a YouTube executive discuss the social media behemoth’s impact on the craft of storytelling and audience engagement.

Event begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the Montclair Kimber Academy upper school.

How to get tickets for Montclair Film Festival

Festival tickets will be available for presale to Montclair Film members beginning Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be made available to the general public starting Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.

For more information, check out the Montclair Film website.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: ‘Conclave,’ ‘Unstoppable’ highlight 13th Montclair Film Festival