FilmColumbia, Columbia County's premier annual cultural event, screens the very best upcoming American and international films for ten days in late October. Launched in 1999 as the Crandell Theatre's "little local festival that could," FilmColumbia is now an acclaimed, nationally recognized film event.
FilmColumbia was recently recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the "25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World." Said Tim Molloy, MovieMaker's editor-in-chief, "Obviously a lot of New Yorkers are now discovering the beautiful small communities just a short drive from New York City, and we think they'll be delighted to learn more about FilmColumbia, a fest that blends a gorgeous location, local color (both people and leaves) and Oscar-caliber films, lovingly programmed by a revered team with exquisite taste."
Schedule of Events:
No Other Land
12:00pm
95 mins
Made by a Palestinian/Israeli collective and filmed in the West Bank between 2019 and mid-2023, No Other Land chronicles the systematic destruction of the homes and schools of Masafer Yatta, a mountain village, by the Israeli military and the repeated displacement of the native population. Shown at the Berlin, Toronto and New York film festivals.
Local Film Program
The Herd, The Art of Metaphor, and Arrested Moment
2:00pm
105 mins
A Catskill herd of shaggy Belted Galloway cattle is the inspiration for this lovely meditation on —Belted Galloway cattle! — that, in case you're cow-ignorant, are beautiful black or brown creatures with a broad belt of white circling their midriffs that turn your everyday cow into an aesthetic statement. Moreover, they show traces of what humans might call personality n truth, not much happens in this documentary; they graze, chew their cuds, nuzzle their calves, just doing what cows do. In short, they just are, and as such, exert a surprisingly hypnotic power over the human viewer, forcing us to think again about our fellow animals.
Santosh
5:00pm
120 min
Filmmaker Sandhya Suri has crafted a gripping tale about the terrifying power of authority. In rural India, Santosh, a widow, takes over her late husband's police job just when a young low-caste girl, reported missing, is raped and murdered. Sharma, a respected and fierce policewoman who is investigating the crime, enlists Santosh as her assistant, who soon learns that finding a murderer requires some extra judicial actions as well.
Endurance
7:30pm
103 min
American premiere. In a legendary feat of leadership and perseverance, Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton kept alive his crew of 27 men for over a year despite the loss of their ship, the Endurance, crushed by a frigid ice pack in 1915. Over a century later, a team of modern-day explorers set out to find the sunken ship. The film weaves together the Shackleton survival story and the search for the wreck of the Endurance at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. The Shackleton story uses restored and colorized footage that was shot in 1915, while the contemporary expedition is shot verite' style with interviews explaining Shackelton's ill-fated mission.
Hollywood Karaoke
9:30pm
Sing out, Louise! Show off your Oscar-worthy vocal abilities with a movie melody or cheer others on from the crowd. Hosted by Regina Sapphire. Present your FilmColumbia ticket stub for half-off your first drink!
