‘No Judgment, Just Movies!’: Montclair Film Partnership Supports Parents and Builds Community

Parenting is hard, and going out with a baby is no easy feat. That’s why we are proud to partner with film and arts nonprofit Montclair Film to support Bring Your Baby Matinee screenings. This initiative creates a supportive, fun environment for parents to enjoy a movie, connect with others, and access resources.

“No judgment, just movies!” said Samantha Givone, Montclair Film’s Community Engagement Manager. “Nursing mothers and crying babies are welcome.”

At Montclair Film’s two locations, The Clairidge and The Bellevue, parents attending a Bring Your Baby Matinee enter a baby-friendly space. The theatre includes a changing table with wipes and a diaper bin, secure stroller parking, ample seating, and baby-safe screenings with lowered audio and subtitles. Parents are encouraged to move around the theatre as needed.

“We wanted to provide a comfortable and welcoming space for parents and caregivers to be able to see new films and get out of the house to build community and have a change of pace in the early throes of parenthood,” said Givone.

Empowering Parents with Support, Education and Resources

When parents arrive for a Bring Your Baby Matinee, our staff warmly welcomes them and shares helpful information about pregnancy and parenting. We offer resources such as support groups for pregnant women and new moms, information about maternal home visitation, childhood lead poisoning prevention, and ways to connect with our 30 programs that support family health and well-being across northern New Jersey. Attendees can also win a toy for their child through our raffle. Our team truly enjoys this opportunity to connect with and support parents and families.

“We partnered with The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey as the sponsor of this series to help us provide the smoothest experience from start to finish while also educating new parents,” said Givone. “They have been a wonderful addition as a partner and sponsor because they provide endless amounts of information to new parents about all different topics.”

An Impactful Partnership with Montclair Film

We are grateful to Montclair Film for this partnership. It’s wonderful to see families each month at Bring Your Baby Matinees and to support an initiative that helps new parents get out with their baby to see a great film, build community, and access resources as they navigate this life phase. It is incredibly rewarding to connect with families and hear how impactful this initiative is for them. We are excited to collaborate with Montclair Film not only on Bring Your Baby Matinees but also on other inspiring projects, such as last month’s screening of the HypnoBirthing documentary “Fear and Now” by Hoboken filmmaker Liat Ron at Cinema505.

Bring Your Baby Matinees happen every month at Montclair Film, and children under 2 get in free. Visit Montclair Film for more information and tickets.

We hope to see you at the movies soon!

About Montclair Film

Montclair Film is a year-round nonprofit for film and arts. They produce the highly regarded Montclair Film Festival, held annually in mid-to-late October, showcasing new works from American and international filmmakers, and running this year from October 16 to October 25. Montclair Film also offers an Education Academy with classes focused on film and media for tweens, teens, and adults. Montclair Film operates two independent theaters, The Clairidge and The Bellevue. Their mission is to transform lives and communities through the power of film and filmmaking.