(Chatham, NY – June 18, 2018)—The Crandell Theatre in Chatham, NY, will serve as the exclusive regional host for the premiere of “Tales of Europe,” a series of five new and acclaimed contemporary films from France and Italy—each of which screened at major international film festivals this year, including Cannes, Toronto and Rome, among others—from July 13-19, 2018. The Crandell Theatre is proud to host the only presentation of “Tales of Europe” in the tri-state area.

Made by leading European filmmakers and featuring some of their most celebrated actresses, each of the five films will be screened twice—in its original language with English subtitles—during the seven-day event at the Crandell. Additionally, a Crandell Theatre members-only free screening of Catch the Wind will be held on Sunday, July 15, at 3:30 p.m. with an introduction by Laurence Kardish, Artistic Director of FilmColumbia and former Senior Curator of the Department of Film for New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and an audience discussion following the film.

“So many excellent non-English-language films never find U.S. distribution,” said Kardish.  “We are very pleased to be able to introduce some of the continent’s most exciting films to American audiences, including these five remarkable dramas in which real people face real-life problems in films that are intense, personal and socially relevant.  The event is a very special and unique opportunity for all of us in the area who love foreign-language to enjoy what European audiences are also seeing in their local cinemas.”

The theater will debut “Tales of Europe” via an arrangement with Europa International, a nonprofit whose aim is to improve and increase the international distribution and circulation of European films, and Europa Cinemas, a network of cinemas focusing on European movies, both supported by the European Commission’s program for culture and media.

The films and schedule for “Tales of Europe” are:

Friday, July 13 (7 p.m.) and Sunday, July 15 (1 p.m.) — All That Divides Us
2016. France. Directed by Thierry Klifa. 98 mins. Played at Rome.

In this modern thriller, megastar Catherine Deneuve plays a concerned mother to Diane Kruger (In the Fade), an attractive woman in a fraught relationship with an abusive fellow whose own buddy is even more of a criminal mischief-maker.

Saturday, July 14 (2:30 p.m.) and Tuesday, July 17 (7 p.m.) — Djam
2017. France. Directed by Tony Gatlif. 97 mins. Official Selection at Cannes.

Tony Gatlif is perhaps the world’s most celebrated Romany filmmaker. His films, rich in music, are about people who don’t stay put, and Djam is no exception. Djam is about a young Greek woman (Daphne Patakia) with a zest for life who befriends another, Avril, a French activist (Maryne Canon) in Turkey helping Syrian refugees.

Saturday, July 14 (5:00 p.m.) and Sunday, July 15 (7:30 p.m.) — After the War
2017. Italy. Directed by Annarita Zambrano. 92 mins. Official Selection at Cannes.

France stops offering asylum to political refugees who have committed acts of terror, and a single middle-aged father, once an Italian radical of the left, finds his peaceful life threatened, particularly when an assassination is carried out “back home” in his name. Does he go into hiding with his daughter, a teenager with a normal life of her own, or return to Italy to stand trial?

Saturday, July 14 (7 p.m.) and Thursday, July 19 (7 p.m.) — Fortunata
2017. Italy. Directed by Sergio Castellitto. 104 mins. Official Selection at Cannes.

Celebrated Italian writer/director Sergio Castellitto casts star Jasmine Trinca as a feisty single mom determined to open her own hairdressing salon in Rome. Her only problem is her choice of lovers, who keep styling her ambition. The film includes a cameo by the great Hanna Schygulla.

Monday, July 16 (7:p.m.) and Wednesday, July 18 (7 p.m.) — Catch the Wind
2017. France. Directed by Gael Morel. 103 mins. Played at Toronto, Haifa, Dubai and Durban.

French star Sandrine Bonaire plays a woman who, when the textile company where she works relocates from France to Morocco, decides, against everyone’s advice, to go to North Africa with the job. There she finds labor conditions and women’s rights very different than at home.

The Crandell Theatre is screening “Tales of Europe” through EclairPlay, a fast-growing broadband delivery platform for digital cinema content currently in use at over 180 North American cinemas.  EclairPlay gives the Crandell easy and cost-effective access to expanded programming options—including live events—and an ever-increasing portfolio of first-run independent films and “event” cinema.

The Crandell Theatre is Columbia County’s oldest and largest movie theatre, built as a 534-seat vaudeville house by Walter Crandell in 1926. The theatre shows mainstream and independent films seven days a week, and is renowned for the annual FilmColumbia Festival held each October. Since 2009, the Crandell has been owned and operated by the Chatham Film Club, a nonprofit organization. However, in recognition of the vital role the theatre plays in the community, the Chatham Film Club has changed its name to the Crandell Theatre. The Crandell’s 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 theatre as a cornerstone of culture in Chatham, NY.

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Interview available with Laurence Kardish, Artistic Director of FilmColumbia and former Senior Curator of the Department of Film for New York’s Museum of Modern Art

Art available at https://www.eclairplay.com/en_USA/collections/68