FilmColumbia Returns To The Crandell With 40 Award-Winning Films

The movies are back, baby. But wait, for those ready to finally brave the outside world and go to a theater again, who would want to break a long silver screen fast with any old schlock at the megaplex? For those looking to be emotionally and intellectually seduced by film again, FilmColumbia 21 at the Crandell Theatre in Chatham, New York, has returned, running from October 22-31 with 40 films that remind us of the power of the medium.

After having to cancel last year’s film festival due to the pandemic, FilmColumbia organizers are drawing audiences fast to screenings of award-winning independent films and supplementary events. As much as they are focusing on bringing great cinema back to the beautiful historic theater, they are also getting serious about safety protocols, requiring proof of vaccine, masks and spaced seating, to ensure all attendees are as comfortable as possible.

FilmColumbia and Crandell programmers say they are particularly excited to be offering screenings of nine of the most acclaimed documentaries of the year, including "Flee," the Sundance Grand Prize Winner for Documentary, and "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America," which claimed the Documentary Audience Award at South By Southwest.

 “Of special interest this year is the fabulous collection of nonfiction films, which range from the traditional to the very unconventional, that demonstrate vividly, dramatically and memorably the strength and variety of documentary films,” said Laurence Kardish, co-artistic director of FilmColumbia 21 and senior curator emeritus for film and media at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. “These works, whether re-creations, archival, animated or even ‘acted,’ not only inform and entertain, but deliver unsuspected punches. They are as different, one from the other, as comedies are from mysteries, love stories from war stories, and thrillers from musicals. I guarantee most will reappear as soon as major award nominations are announced.”

Powerful nonfiction draws include "The Rescue," which chronicles the 2018 heroic rescue of a boys’ soccer team from a flooded cave in Thailand; a Q&A with Columbia County resident Bob Eisenhardt, who also edited "Free Solo", the Oscar winner for Best Documentary in 2018, will follow.

Other docs on the docket include: "Cow," a unique look at a British dairy farm through the eyes of a…cow, named Lumia; "A Cop Movie," about the life of police in Mexico City that is, organizers say, as much a love story as it is a tale of lives in danger; and "Bernstein’s Wall", a lively and quite personal autobiography of Leonard Bernstein as a major composer, conductor, humanist and American protester that relies heavily on his own words as narration.

Though FilmColumbia is rightly pushing their slate of docs, there’s plenty of great fiction to be seen in the small town big theater, including new releases from acclaimed directors Pedro Almodovar, Wes Anderson and James Lapine. This is also one of the best ways to see lauded performances from Timothy Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Pelelope Cruz, Benicio Del Toro, Colin Firth, and a heck ton more.

Curated by film critic and historian Peter Biskind, and Kardish, and run by Festival Manager Calliope Nicholas, FilmColumbia has become an upstate staple for locals and fall tourists, becoming one of Chatham’s biggest cultural draws. For an independent theater, canceling last year's event (along with all regular programming) was hard, but with the support of its active community and invested board of directors, the Crandell springs back to its pre-pandemic glory.
“It’s been a struggle but we are getting through it,” Nicholas said. “To not have the festival two years in a row would be a crime! People have missed the quality and beauty of the big screen. Our biggest concern is that everyone is comfortable and safe.” 

COVID put cinephiles and films in a long-distance relationship. Their communications were relegated to visits on small home screens, or even just the tiny phone. Now, the romance is back and FilmColumbia is the perfect eight days to get reacquainted with the theater experience and fall back in love with the movies.

Tickets and the full FilmColumbia schedule are available at The Crandell Theatre website.