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:

Screenwriting Workshop
with Scott Cohen and Anastasia Traina
10:00am

Join actor Scott Cohen and screenwriter Anastasia Traina for the second day of this popular event. Bring a 5-10 page scene from your screenplay, play, or TV script and hear it come to life by professional actors. Get insightful feedback, critique, and creative support to elevate your work.

Every Little Thing
Short: Love Letters
128 mins
12:00pm

Every Little Thing
Hummingbirds are fragile marvels and, although they may be the tiniest of birds, they amaze way above their size. They are also easily wounded. Terry Masear, a bird rehabilitator in the Hollywood hills, rescues injured and orphaned hummingbirds, and names them. When and if they regain their "wings" she releases them. Every Little Thing is a shimmering tribute to a remarkable woman, her dedicated team, and to nature's small wonders.

A Real Pain
3:00pm
90 min

Written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, this comedy follows mismatched cousins (Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) on a tour of Poland in honor of their grandmother. It somehow manages to be funny and heartfelt at the same time, and if you couldn't get enough of Culkin in Succession, here's a chance to sate your appetite. Played the Sundance Film Festival.

Sex
5:00pm
125 min

Two chimney sweeps in Oslo are pals. When one tells the other of his strange dream about being a woman, the other replies with an account of an unlikely sexual encounter he had. Each then tells his respective wife his story. The wives react differently, one casually, the other with confusion. This comedy about identity, fidelity and family life floats high over Oslo's rooftops like helium.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
(Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)
7:30pm    
91 min

A 2024 restoration of the original 1964 negative, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is that rarity — a key work of cinema that transformed the art. Not only did Jacques Demy succeed in making a movie with colors so astonishing that one critic called it "a singing Matisse," but the dialogue is completely "sung" in recitative, something that had not been done before. The story is one of first love, amplified by color and music that deepen its heartbeat. Umbrellas won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1964, received five Oscar nominations, and made a global celebrity of its young star, Catherine Deneuve.

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