Press Release – October 1, 2018

Media Contact:
Robyn Coe
(818) 287-1237
robynpc@gmail.com

FILMCOLUMBIA 2018 WILL KICK OFF WITH A MULTI-DAY TRIBUTE TO
ACCLAIMED ACTOR BRIAN COX, INCLUDING SCREENINGS OF FOUR OF HIS FILMS,
A Q&A SESSION WITH THE ACTOR AND A SPECIAL BENEFIT RECEPTION, OCTOBER 19-20

TICKETS TO THE FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 20-28, AND THE BENEFIT GO ON SALE OCTOBER 6 TO CRANDELL THEATRE MEMBERS AND OCTOBER 13 TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

(Chatham, NY–October 1, 2018)—FilmColumbia 2018, Columbia County’s premier annual cultural event, will kick off its 19th year in Chatham, NY, as it has for the past two years: with a special tribute to an acclaimed artist with ties to the county. This year’s honoree is distinguished actor Brian Cox. The event, benefitting the community programs of the Crandell Theatre, will take place October 19-20, and tickets are on sale now.

Four of Cox’s films will be screened over the two days, all at the Crandell: The Good Heart and The Escapist on Friday, October 19, and The Carer and L.I.E. on Saturday, October 20. The latter screening will be followed by a Q&A with the actor conducted by Peter Biskind, the executive and co-artistic director of FilmColumbia 2018, followed by a kick-off party celebrating Cox at the home of longtime FilmColumbia supporter Jack Shear. Tickets for the screenings and the party are on sale for Crandell Theatre members and the general public at https://51139.thankyou4caring.org/2018-filmcolumbia-festival-kick-off. Please note that tickets to the four pre-festival Cox screenings are not included in FilmColumbia 2018 All Film passes.

Cox, a native of Dundee, Scotland, has received an Emmy Award and has been nominated for Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards. In addition, he has received the Laurence Olivier Award and the London Critics Circle Award, among many others. He was the recipient of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003. Cox’s illustrious resume includes performances in some 200 movies and television programs from Braveheart to Rushmore, and includes The Bourne Identity, X-Men 2 and Deadwood; eight more currently are in production. He has channeled every variety of the human species in truly singular roles, from King Lear to Hannibal Lecter. Cox is presently starring in the HBO hit series, Succession. He has been a resident of Columbia County since 1965.

Online tickets and All Film passes to FilmColumbia 2018 for Crandell Theater members will go on sale on Saturday, October 6, at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis, including the highly anticipated Sneak Peek, an unannounced film that traditionally joins the list of Oscar contenders, which will screen at 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 27. FilmColumbia sales for the general public will begin on Saturday, October 13, at 9 a.m. For details of ticket sales procedures, please go to http://www.filmcolumbia.org/ before purchasing.

FilmColumbia 2018 will present 50 world-class independent and international films, plus post-screening Q&As with acclaimed artists and special tributes and events, all presented by The Crandell Theatre. Feature and documentary films hailing from nearly 20 countries, as well as the latest releases from award-winning directors Steve McQueen, Frederick Wiseman, Asghar Farhadi and Morgan Neville, and standout performances by many of the world’s most lauded actors including Javier Bardem, Juliette Binoche, Penelope Cruz, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, Robert Duvall, Jake Gyllenhaal, Regina Hall, Dennis Hopper, John Huston, Melissa McCarthy, Carey Mulligan, Liam Neeson, Estelle Parsons, Rosamund Pike, Mary Kay Place, Michelle Rodriguez, Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci will highlight the festival. Screenings will take place at the Crandell and Morris Memorial venues in Chatham. The complete FilmColumbia 2018 lineup is available now at http://www.filmcolumbia.org/.

FilmColumbia 2018 is programmed by Biskind and co-artistic director 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, The Sky is Falling: How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, and Superheroes Made America Great for Extremism, has just been published. Kardish is senior curator emeritus for film and media at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Calliope Nicholas is the managing director of the festival.

The Crandell Theatre is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote and develop the appreciation of film to enrich the social, cultural and educational experience of the community, and to renovate and revitalize the Crandell Theatre as a cornerstone of culture in Chatham, NY. The theater is Columbia County’s oldest and largest movie theatre with 534 seats and was built in 1926 by Walter S. Crandell, as a vaudeville house. It features mainstream and independent films daily, seven days a week, and hosts the FilmColumbia festival each year in October. We encourage you to become a member today.

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