FilmColumbia Festival
FilmColumbia, Columbia County's premier annual cultural event, screens the very best upcoming American and international films for ten days in late October. Launched in 1999 as the Crandell Theatre's "little local festival that could," FilmColumbia is now an acclaimed, nationally recognized film event.
FilmColumbia was recently recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the "25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World." Said Tim Molloy, MovieMaker's editor-in-chief, "Obviously a lot of New Yorkers are now discovering the beautiful small communities just a short drive from New York City, and we think they'll be delighted to learn more about FilmColumbia, a fest that blends a gorgeous location, local color (both people and leaves) and Oscar-caliber films, lovingly programmed by a revered team with exquisite taste."
Schedule of Events:
Zurawski v Texas
12:00pm
99 mins
Women denied abortions under Texas' unforgiving laws provokes a fearless attorney to sue the state. As the women wrestle with an immovable Attorney General, they recount their traumatic experiences in the hope of regaining their reproductive rights. Premiered at the Telluride Festival.
Armand
Short: The Rest of Your Life
2:00pm
140 mins
At the end of a school year, a six-year-old is accused of some very bad behavior. Parents are summoned and what transpires in the classroom where they gather is the subject of this intense and haunting film, which won the Camera d'Or for Best First Feature at Cannes in May. Some critics were perplexed, but others recognized that the filmmaker, grandson of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann, learned from his forebears how to ratchet up tension between characters so deftly that the story enters the territory of dreams.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
5:00pm
95 mins
In the second feature of Zambian-Welsh writer-director Rungano Nyoni, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle Fred on a deserted road in the middle of the night. At his funeral, unexpected and unwanted secrets are unveiled that turn her family upside down. This absurdist film surprises at every turn, and comedy gives way to darkness as the consequences of Uncle Fred's abusive behavior to the women around him are revealed. Nyoni won Best Director at Cannes' Un Certain Regard.
Brews and Clues: Movie Trivia at Chatham Brewery
6:30pm
Mirror, mirror, on the wall — who's the brainiest cinephile of them all? Test your knowledge of all things movies while enjoying the award-winning brews and bites of Chatham Brewery. No era or genre of film is off-limits as you compete for prizes as an individual or in teams.
Blitz
7:30pm
114 min
The indefatigable Oscar-winner Steve McQueen recreates London in 1940-1941 under German bombing. Citizens hunker down in subway stations and children are sent to safety with relatives in the countryside. But nine-year-old George does not want to leave home; he returns to London, much to the distress of his mother who goes looking for him all over the city. Blitz opened the London Film Festival and closed the New York Film Festival.
