The Chatham Public Library and the Crandell Theatre Present Film Career Panel for Teens and Young Adults on Saturday, November 5

posted on November 2, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Chatham, NY—November 2, 2022)—Have you ever dreamed of writing and directing your own film? What most may not realize is just how many other critical roles beyond writing, directing and acting are necessary to bring a commercial, television series or film to life. This Saturday, November 5, at 10:30 am, area teens and young adults can hear directly from film and TV professionals who have chosen very different routes to success during “Career GPS: Pathways in Film,” a free program held at the Crandell Theatre. The event is the first of the Chatham Public Library’s monthly Career GPS Series designed to introduce teens to the wide variety of potential jobs that exist within every field and profession. Career GPS is organized and facilitated by Wally Rubin, in collaboration with the Chatham Public Library and the Chatham High…

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Crandell Theatre Presents Area Premiere of GardenFit

March 27, 2022

posted on February 28, 2022

VIEW TRAILER HERE: GardenFit 60 GardenFit is presented for public television by The WNET Group and distributed by American Public Television. With the gardening season just around the corner, Crandell Theatre presents the area premiere of GardenFit, a new 13-episode public television series highlighting garden styles and techniques, while providing advice and solutions for gardeners’ aches and pains. Columbia County residents, creators, and co-hosts of GardenFit, Expert Gardener Madeline Hooper and Fitness Trainer Jeff Hughes will introduce two 30-minutes episodes and conduct a question and answer session. The event will be held on SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2022, 1 PM. Refreshments follow the program. Admission is $10/person, Crandell Theatre Members admitted at no charge. Memberships may be purchased at the theater prior to the program. Online reservations are required along with proof of vaccination and masks. Memberships may be purchased online or…

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Crandell Theatre Presents Attica: Then & Now Free Screening and Discussion of the New Documentary, ATTICA

posted on January 10, 2022

Crandell Theatre presents the riveting 2021 documentary Attica by Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson and co-director Traci Curry, about the 1971 uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility, on Sunday, January 30 at 1 p.m. followed by a post-film discussion. Panelists include Daniel L. Meyers, the attorney who litigated the “Attica Massacre” for over 25 years, his step-son Jared Reinmuth, an author and co-writer of the graphic memoir, Big Black: Stand at Attica, Jose Pineda III, the executive director of After Incarceration, a Hudson Valley-based restorative justice nonprofit project, and Laurie Scott, director of ReEntry Columbia. Attica was nominated for three Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards including Best Historical or Biographical Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Director. It was also named Official Selection at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. This free program is produced and created by the Crandell Theatre Board of Directors…

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Winners of Bridging Divides, Healing Communities Youth Film Challenge Honored at Crandell Theatre

posted on December 7, 2021

The Crandell Theatre honored the winners of the Bridging Divides, Healing Communities Youth Film Challenge with a screening of selected films and a discussion of topics raised by local young people in their submissions. Over 60 attendees enjoyed eight films focused on themes such as learning disabilities, self-image, pronouns and food insecurity. Yonah Sadeh, a student at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, earned first place and $2,000 for “In Our Backyard,” a film about affordable housing in his hometown of Falls Village, Conn.  An honorable mention went to Samantha Hoffman, a student at Chatham High School from East Chatham, N.Y., for “He/She/They.” All of the filmmakers demonstrated resilience and determination by making and submitting meaningful films in the midst of a pandemic. The Youth Film Challenge was led by Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative and the Civic Life Project as part of…

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Making History – Marking the 50th Anniversary of the 1971 May Day Protests as Recorded by Videofreex, “Mayday 1971 Raw”

posted on April 15, 2021

Crandell Theatre proudly presents Mayday 1971 Raw, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1971 May Day peace protests that made history, with record-setting civil disobedience arrests and leading to the end of the Vietnam War. The protestors’ slogan: “If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government.” The early video documentary was recorded by Mayday Video, an ad hoc group of pioneer video makers, including Videofreex, who lived and had a pirate TV station in the Catskills during the 1970s. This virtual community event features access to a 66-minute, 21st century edit of the original video compilation from the historic 1971 May Day protest. Participants are invited to view the film in advance of the event, and tune in to a panel discussion on May 1st at 5 p.m. To gain access to the film, please register for the event…

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Farm Film Festival 13: March 15 – March 21, 2021

posted on March 12, 2021

Crandell Theatre proudly presents the thirteenth annual Farm Film Festival. This year’s festival, presented in collaboration with the Chatham Agricultural Partnership and the Columbia Land Conservancy, will be held virtually via Zoom. Farm Film Festival XIII is presented with generous support from MetzWood Insurance and the Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation. As in the past, the program is a mix of films made by professional and amateur filmmakers who respond to the call for entries; the films are selected by a panel representing the collaborating organizations. The festival showcases films that focus on farms, farming, and farming issues from local and national filmmakers. Our theme this year is “Sustainability Around the Globe.” All nine short films will be available for viewing from March 15th-21st on our Youtube channel. Virtual screening is open to the public at no charge, but…

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Findings From The Crandell Theatre Members and Friends Survey

posted on February 25, 2021

Dear Members and Friends: With the governor’s recent decision to open theaters at 25 percent capacity, the responses of Crandell members and friends to the recent survey [January 15-25] have provided helpful guidance as we consider an appropriate format and schedule for reopening in 2021. One-third of Crandell members responded to the questionnaire, with a return of all members and friends at 17 percent. There was not an appreciable difference in responses when members were isolated from the total. Based upon the information provided, we learned that Crandell viewers are overwhelmingly between 55-75 years old and live full time in Columbia County. They come to the Crandell to see movies between three and five times every three months. When people consider returning to the Crandell, they have the following priorities for health/safety: Most important: having had the COVID vaccine, limited/appropriately…

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Chatham Crandell Theatre Marquee

Considerations on Re-Opening the Crandell

posted on October 27, 2020

Dear Friends: As a result of the pandemic, the Crandell has been closed since March. During that time, our staff and board have been so grateful for the support of our members and friends. Although the Crandell screen may be dark, we have been busy all the while. We have developed schematic drawings toward the long-desired renovation of our beloved theater. We used our PPP grant to do a cleanup of the theater. Our newly-created Community Programming Committee has presented two well-attended, well-received programs thus far: one about the food chain, and our Farm Film Festival. Each week, we offer several films for home viewing on various streaming platforms. And, through our collaboration with local libraries and Kanopy, 30,000 films are available for free. This week, the Governor allowed movie theaters to re-open, at up to 25% capacity. As we…

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Behind The Screen: Community Outreach

posted on August 25, 2020

In the latest Behind The Screen — a peek behind the Crandell’s velvet curtain — Joanne Dunne Murphy discusses some of the ways we’re working to stay engaged with you and the rest of the Crandell community during these curious times. The Crandell Community The Community Outreach committee of the Crandell Theatre was formed this year to connect our community through the medium of film. We aim to offer a variety of programs to attract both new and loyal Crandell audiences, and to spark discussion among members of our community on issues important to the Chatham area and our region. Our inaugural program on March 1, “Uprooting Addiction,” addressed the addiction crisis and featured the eponymous film. It was a collaborative event with the Crandell Theatre hosting the film’s team, addiction counselors, and Chatham’s Chief of Police Peter Volkmann. We were encouraged by the large number of…

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Harvesting Change: Our Food Supply in Pandemic Times

posted on July 28, 2020

Now online: a recording of the Crandell’s live panel event, Harvesting Change: Our Food Supply in Pandemic Times joins some of the region’s leading lights in sustainable food and farming in a discussion about the state of sustenance in these strange times. Sponsored by Hawthorne Valley Association.   Covid-19 has disrupted our food supply in profound ways, both locally and globally. Much of this change has been painful, exposing the many vulnerabilities and inequalities in our food system. Yet at the same time, there have been positive shifts as food suppliers and buyers nimbly adapt to the necessity of social distancing. While being literally driven apart by Covid-19, we are nonetheless sharing its historic shakedown of our food choices and behavior. Join panelists Ruth Reichl (former editor of Gourmet Magazine, memoirist and cookbook editor), Kate Arding (co-founder of Talbott & Arding…

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