“The Crandell Theatre in Chatham, N.Y., is the palatial setting for a thriving film festival.” —The Wall Street Journal
Two Decades of Award-Winning Films
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.
If a film screens at FilmColumbia, there’s more than a good chance that following its official release it will go on to be nominated for one of the industry’s top prizes. A look back at the festival’s award-winning programming year after year speaks for itself.
FilmColumbia’s special events are legendary. Among the most popular is the mystery “Saturday Sneak” preview film, which is only revealed to the audience moments before the screening. In recent years, the festival has also included special panels with filmmakers and industry leaders, a screenwriting workshop where participants can hear their work read by professional actors, and a children’s international festival of short films that is free to the community.
The festival is programmed every year by Peter Biskind and Laurence Kardish. Biskind is an author, film historian, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Esquire, and past executive editor of Premiere magazine. His new book about the streaming revolution, Pandora’s Box: How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV, will be published by HarperCollins in November 2023. Kardish is senior curator emeritus for film and media at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Calliope Nicholas, the long-time director of the festival, is Co-Director and Manager of Residency Programs at Millay Arts, an international artist residency in Austerlitz, N.Y.
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.”
Peter Biskind, FilmColumbia Co-Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director
Laurence Kardish, FilmColumbia Co-Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director
Two teenage sisters are about to leave their country forever when they unexpectedly reconnect with an absent father. This relationship will both amplify and ease their pain of change.
October 11, 2024, Chatham, N.Y.— From Friday, October 18th to Sunday, October 27th, the Crandell Theatre presents FilmColumbia 2024. FilmColumbia is celebrating its 24th year with the year’s best upcoming American, international, and animated features, documentaries, and shorts. This year’s lineup includes a treasure trove of new films, breakouts, new and seasoned talent, and stellar standouts from the festival circuit that have not yet opened commercially, featuring 50+ exceptional new films and shorts you won’t see in wide release until later this fall and winter. Walton Goggins. Courtesy Crandell Theatre. The annual Kick-Off Party at the home of Crandell benefactor Jack Shear, to be held this year on Sunday, October 20th, will honor Emmy-nominated actor and area resident Walton Goggins, with appetizers and full buffet by Bimi’s Canteen. Tickets are available online. The festival is Friday, October 18th to Sunday, October 27th at the Crandell…
By Remy Commisso Known for his action-packed films and morally gray characters, Walton Goggins is a dynamic actor whose supporting roles have earned him Emmy nominations in “Fallout” and “Justified.” With his new movie, The Uninvited, Goggins takes a break from playing compelling anti-heroes as the lead in Nadia Conner’s dramedy. Goggins, who moved to Columbia County during the pandemic, is this year’s honoree at FilmColumbia. At the 24th FilmColumbia, from October 18-27, over 50 pre-release films will be shown at Chatham’s Crandell Theatre. The programming has a wide range of insightful international films as well as domestic. All We Imagine As Light is an Indian film directed by Payal Kapadia about two hospital nurses in Mumbai navigating their love life, one who has a distant husband and the other in a taboo interfaith relationship. Read the Full Article in CHRONOGRAM’s October issue online…
Film Columbia is highlighted in the opening spread of Chronogram’s Fall Arts Preview in its latest issue. Read the article in CHRONOGRAM’s October issue online
