James Schamus was elected to a three-year term on the Crandell Theatre board at its January annual meeting. Schamus, who has had a home in Columbia County for 25 years, is a longtime supporter of the Crandell, and was honored at the 2018 FilmColumbia festival. By providing FilmColumbia with advance screenings of films he produced, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Pianist, and Brokeback Mountain, Schamus helped anchor the young festival with quality cinema. “By adding his invaluable perspective to our film programming efforts, James Schamus will help us navigate these changing and challenging times in the film industry,” said Crandell Board President Lydia Kukoff. “He has shown himself to be fully engaged in the issues of maintaining and sustaining the Crandell as a vital presence in the Chatham community.” “People-supported theaters such as the Crandell are not just…

(Chatham, NY—October 27, 2022) FilmColumbia, the county’s premier cultural event held annually at the historic Crandell Theatre, will screen its final set of highly curated festival films during its closing weekend, October 28 – 30. The films, screening from noon to night, tackle important topical subjects and include the unveiling of a very special screening. The storied “Sneak Preview” on Saturday night, October 29, has long been the festival’s headline event. Often a sell out, this advance screening of a major prestige film headed for eventual Oscar contention is also among the festival’s most exciting. The film’s title, unknown at the time of ticket purchase,  is only revealed once attendees are in their seats, just minutes before the lights dim. Like many of the films that opened the festival, the closing weekend features several that take on some of the…

(Chatham, NY—September 22, 2022)—FilmColumbia, now in its 22nd year and Columbia County’s premier annual cultural event, will once again light up the screen with the very best–and the latest–national and international films. Screening some 45 films from October 21 – 30, FilmColumbia 2022 will feature festival-favorite releases from acclaimed directors Laura Poitras, Darren Aronofsky, Luca Guadagnino, James Gray, and Sarah Polley, and lauded performances from Anne Hathaway, Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Sigourney Weaver, Jessie Buckley, and Frances McDormand, among many others. Urgent, timely and dazzling new films screening at this year’s festival include Call Jane, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Bones and All, The Whale, The Son, and Women Talking. Each film stirred audiences and critics during their recent festival premieres at Sundance and in Venice, Cannes, Toronto, Tribeca and Telluride. For the…

(Chatham, NY—September 29, 2022)—FilmColumbia, Columbia County’s premier annual cultural event, is gearing up to screen the very best–and the latest–national and international films from October 21 – 30. FilmColumbia’s packed program of 2022 films includes the recently added Sr., director Chris Smith and Robert Downey Jr. ‘s documentary about his indie director father and namesake. Premiering at Telluride and in New York, it is a moving memorial about the bond between parent and child, addiction, Hollywood, and mortality. “There are so many marvelous aspects to this year’s festival,” says Laurence Kardish, the festival’s co-artistic and co-executive director with Peter Biskind. “The number of extraordinary films by women, the number of award winners, and the broad range of programs from the most intimate of dramas to the most spectacular of blockbusters make this a festival of festivals.” FilmColumbia is programmed by…

(Chatham, NY—October 6, 2022)—FilmColumbia, Columbia County’s premier annual cultural event that runs from October 21 – 30, will once again screen an extraordinary variety of new films with some of the most buzz-worthy performances lauded at International film festivals here and abroad. Sarah Polley’s Women Talking features a density of talent rarely found in most films. Played by Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand, Judith Ivey and several newcomers, the women in a patriarchal Mennonite community are abused by their husbands and relatives and gaslit to believe they are the victims of ghosts. Forbidden from learning to read and write, they come together in solidarity as they discuss their lives and fates. The film created a sensation when it premiered at Telluride in early September. When Whale premiered at The Venice International Film Festival around the same time,…