(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 most debated and pressing topics of the day. Call Jane and Women Talking, two extraordinary yet very different films about women’s fundamental human rights, will screen during the festival’s closing weekend, as will two international features that deliver devastating and surprising appraisals of childhood poverty and an intense childhood friendship.
Paris is in Harlem, the Slamdance award-winning film from director Christina Kallas, starts off the weekend at Noon. It has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is getting rave reviews from the indie film press for its jazz-infused portrait of New York City on the edge.
Popular in-person festival events put on pause during the pandemic, like the Screenwriting Panel on October 29, are also back in full swing. “The energy that you feel during the festival is something people really enjoy,” managing director Calliope Nicholas recently told WAMC’s Joe Donahue on his daily Roundtable show. “There are some truly remarkable films that distributors are sending to movie houses across the country,” added Laurence Kardish, the festival’s co-executive and co-artistic director with Peter Biskind. “And the Crandell is such a spectacular venue to screen them; there’s no theater quite like it.”
There will be a programming change for Saturday, October 29, at 5 pm. Dreamin’ Wild, which was originally scheduled to run, will be replaced by Memories of My Father, a touching family drama that is Colombia’s submission to this year’s Oscar competition. Dreamin’ Wild tickets are valid for the new screening and can also be refunded as requested in the Crandell Theatre box office.
The final festival film to screen in the 534-seat theater is a grand action-adventure out of India that will have its regional theatrical premiere at FilmColumbia. RRR, which stands for “Roudram Ranam Rudhiram” in Telugu and “Rise Roar Revolt” in Hindi and English, is a tale of two legendary revolutionaries and their epic battle with the British Raj during the 1920s. It was made to be seen, and enjoyed, on the big screen and epitomizes the celebration of movies and movie-making that FilmColumbia and the Crandell have long embraced. Come join us! Go to the Crandell Theatre box office on 48 Main Street, Chatham, NY, or purchase your tickets online here.