(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 Biskind and Kardish. Biskind is an author, film historian, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Esquire, and past executive editor of Premiere magazine. His new book on the streaming revolution in television will be published in the fall of 2023. Kardish is senior curator emeritus for film and media at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Calliope Nicholas is the long-time managing director of the festival.
In addition to screening festival-favorite features and documentaries from acclaimed directors, FilmColumbia will host an hour-long morning program of short films for kids and their families on Saturday, October 22, beginning at 10:30 am.
Curated by Nicholas and Patti Greaney, of GIRALDI Media, NYC, the morning program is free of charge, the festival’s gift to the community. “The Children’s International Film Program is a perennial family favorite and features the best in kids short films that you’ll only see here.”
The children’s program, sponsored by a generous gift from the Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation, will also feature a raffle giveaway. If your seat number is called, you could win a bucket of festival swag, including a selection of concession candy.
Online ticket sales to FilmColumbia 2022 for Crandell Theatre members will begin on October 8 at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis. Online sales to the general public will begin on October 15 at 9 a.m. Individual passes for films shown during the day are $11 for Crandell members and $13 for the general public. Evening film passes are $14 for Crandell members and $17 for the general public. All-Film passes are available for $225 for Crandell members and $275 for the general public.
This year’s health and safety protocols, relaxed and mask-friendly, will be posted on the FilmColumbia website.
For more updates on the 2022 FilmColumbia Festival in the coming weeks, follow @FilmColumbia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Contact Beth Marchant at bmarchant05@gmail.com to inquire about press photos for individual films.
See you on Main Street at the Crandell this October!
Crandell Theatre, Inc., is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural vitality of the region through film programming that challenges, inspires, educates, and entertains. The theater is supported by ticket sales and earned revenue, contributions of members and friends, and private and public grants, including the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. In 2017 the Crandell Theatre, built in 1926 and Columbia County’s oldest and largest, was listed on the federal and state registers of historic places. For information, visit the website, https://staging.crandelltheatre.org, or call 518-392-3445.