Chatham, NY—October 14, 2022)—FilmColumbia, the county’s premier cultural event, is delighted to celebrate the significant contributions to cinema made by Sony Pictures Classics during its past 30 years as a distributor of independent films. “We’re thrilled to be opening the festival this year with a tribute to the influential distributor,” says FilmColumbia co-executive director and co-programmer Peter Biskind. Co-founded in 1992 by co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, along with Marcie Bloom, Sony Pictures Classics has released the finest independent films of the past three decades and amassed a library of nearly 500 titles, earning the distributor 158 Academy Award nominations and 37 wins, in addition to guild appreciation and many other awards. FilmColumbia’s past festivals have screened many of those films, and this year is no exception. “We’ll be showing three…
Headline Events and Oscar-Worthy International Films on Tap for FilmColumbia 2022
(Chatham, NY—October 13, 2022)—FilmColumbia, the county’s premier cultural event held annually at the Crandell Theatre, will kick off its opening weekend on Friday, October 21, with several very special events. The festival continues through Sunday, October 30, with a highly curated lineup of Hollywood, independent and international films. Tickets and full festival passes will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, October 15. FilmColumbia 2022’s opening day, Friday, October 21, will feature a special screening at 4:30 pm of Ang Lee’s award-winning classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. After the show, the festival will celebrate Sony Pictures Classics’ 30th anniversary with a free Q+A featuring co-founder and co-president Tom Bernard. He’ll be joined on stage by triple-threat writer, producer and director James Schamus, a long-time Lee collaborator and the film’s Oscar-nominated screenwriter. In its three decades as a distributor…
Health & Safety
At the Crandell we take the health of our community members and staff very seriously. With our 534 seat auditorium and balcony, there is ample space to spread out. We have also upgraded our HVAC system with the highest MERV or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value it can use. MERVs report a filter’s ability to capture larger particles between 0.3 and 10 microns (µm). The higher the MERV rating, the better the filter is at trapping specific types of particles. Masks are optional but encouraged for all patrons, including in the lobby and theatre spaces. We will continue to monitor the situation in Columbia County closely and make any adjustments accordingly. Your safety is our highest priority. Please do your part as well! We ask that guests refrain from entering the Crandell if they are experiencing any COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms.
Crandell Theatre Announces Three New Board Members
Crandell Theatre, Columbia County’s historic, single-screen movie house on Main Street in Chatham, NY, announces that its Board of Directors formally welcomed new board members Ian Hooper, Julie Raskin, and Andrew Goetz this spring. Board President Lydia Kukoff shares that “over the past several years, our board has worked to strengthen the Crandell as an organization while, at the same time, expanding our program offerings. At this exciting time, as we look toward the renovation of our beloved theatre, we are thrilled to welcome Ian, Julie, and Andrew. Each of them brings unique knowledge, experience, and energy to our efforts, and we will be enriched immeasurably by their presence on our board.” Ian Hooper has lived in Canaan, New York, since 1980, and has been enjoying movies at the Crandell for more than 40 years. Hooper’s entire career was spent…
Crandell Theatre Presents The Wobblies and Discussion with Filmmaker Deborah Shaffer and Peter Biskind
Chatham, NY (July 5, 2022). Crandell Theatre, Columbia County’s historic, single-screen movie house on Main Street in Chatham, NY, presents the 1979 documentary The Wobblies on Sunday, July 10, at 1 pm. The Wobblies, directed by Deborah Shaffer and Stewart Bird, chronicles the rise and fall of a unique labor union, Industrial Workers of the World. After the screening, filmmaker Deborah Shaffer will join Peter Biskind, Crandell Theatre board member and Executive Director of FilmColumbia, for a discussion and Q&A. Founded in Chicago in 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) took to organizing unskilled workers into one big union and changed the course of American history. This compelling documentary of the IWW (or “The Wobblies” as they were known) tells the story of workers in factories, sawmills, wheat fields, forests, mines and on the docks as they organize…
Crandell Theatre Presents Hello, Bookstore and Discussion with the Film’s Subject and Director
Crandell Theatre, Columbia County’s oldest and largest movie house, in Chatham, New York, presents the new critically acclaimed documentary Hello, Bookstore on Friday, June 24, at 7 pm. After the screening, film subject and owner of The Bookstore Matt Tannenbaum will be in conversation with filmmaker A.B. Zax. Sharon Weinberg, owner of Chatham Bookstore, will moderate the discussion and Q&A. In Hello, Bookstore, a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore in its hour of need. A landmark in Lenox, Massachusetts, The Bookstore is a magical, beatnik gem thanks to its owner, Matt Tannenbaum, whose passion for stories runs deep. Presiding at The Bookstore for over forty years, Tannenbaum is a true bard of the Berkshires and his shop is the kind of place to get lost in. This intimate portrait of The Bookstore and the family at…
Two Documentaries with Local Subjects Come to the Crandell this June
Crandell Theatre, Columbia County’s oldest and largest movie house in Chatham, New York, screens critically acclaimed commercial films, classic movies, and arthouse independents in a variety of genres. This June, the Crandell will screen two distinct documentaries each featuring local subjects: The Automat and Hello, Bookstore. Each screening will be followed by post-film Q&A with community members, film subjects, and in the case of Hello, Bookstore, the filmmaker. The Automat, playing Sunday, June 5, at 1 pm tells the 100-year story of iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, where generations of Americans enjoyed coffee and meals at communal tables. The documentary features interviews with Spencertown resident Steve Stollman, an architectural dealer who bought, sold, and restored antique commercial wood bar fixtures. His work led to the preservation of original Automat equipment and provision to exhibitions at the New York Public…
Changes to Health & Safety Guidelines
Effective March 31, Crandell Theatre patrons will no longer need proof of vaccination in order to attend screenings. Masks are recommended but not required. However buffered seating remains in effect to ensure that every patron or party will have ample space around them. (With the Crandell’s 534 seat auditorium and balcony, there is ample space to spread out.) We will continue to monitor the situation in Columbia County closely and make any adjustments accordingly. Your safety is our highest priority. Please do your part as well! We ask that guests refrain from entering the Crandell if they are experiencing any COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms.
Dateline: Berlin
Dateline: Berlin The Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale, is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. Every February around 400 films of all genres, lengths and formats are shown in cinemas all over the sprawling city. Founded in 1951 as a showcase for the “films of the free world” in a “free” city then surrounded by a Communist nation, the Berlinale still maintains a political emphasis even after German reunification. It does not shy away from controversy, and Berlin audiences, committed to their festival, expect to be provoked, disturbed and, perhaps, even entertained by the films shown. One of the films that spoke to me most is from a new German filmmaker, Maggie Peren. The Forger tells the extraordinary true story of an amiable young man, a Jew, who survived the Third…
Crandell Theatre Presents Area Premiere of GardenFit
March 27, 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…
New Membership Program Expands Benefits
Over the past 20 years the unwavering support of members has been essential for keeping the Crandell Theatre lights shining bright. Member support not only helped us survive but retain our vision during the Covid crisis. If we have learned anything during this difficult time, it is that the Crandell needs to increase membership/contributed income in addition to box office/concession revenue to sustain the theater and support film programs, including FilmColumbia. Beginning January 1, 2022, the board is introducing annual memberships, with benefits expanded and fully or mostly tax deductible. The most significant benefit is at the box office, where non-member, adult box office ticket prices have increased to $11, with member prices remaining at $8. At the $75 Individual membership level, you save $3 on one box office ticket to all regularly scheduled films and, at the $125 Dual…