GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The Adirondack Film Festival is returning to all the screens Glens Falls has to offer. From Oct. 13-15, the festival will screen feature films and shorts, from fiction to documentary. With 39 films on the official roster, there's a lot to see.
Films will be screened at the Charles R. Wood Theater or Crandall Public Library, following an opening night reception at the Queensbury Hotel. Nearly every film on the list has a virtual option, for those not comfortable with sitting in a theater, or otherwise unable to make it to town.
It's about more than just seeing good films - it's also about hearing from the actors, directors and producers who make them. This year, Jason Schwartzman ("Rushmore"), David Strathairn ("Good Night and Good Luck"), and Lili Taylor ("Mystic Pizza") will guest at festival screenings and panels, and will be in town to enjoy the festivities all weekend long.
See a full schedule for the 7th Adirondack Film Festival, and find out what's what in the schedule of cinema coming to Glens Falls:
Thursday, Oct. 13
- Opening night music video showcase
- "We're Gonna Come Back"
- Expression of hope for actors whose careers were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Directed and choreographed by Janine Molinari
- Starring Analise Scarpaci, Jonah Mussolino, Zoe Glick, Darnell Williams
- "A Feast that Never Comes"
- A story told between four characters and the work of musician Ex-Fiancee
- Dir. Maria Juranic, choreographed by ChrisMastersDance
- Starring John Raffles Durbin, Kayla Farrish, Nico Li
- "Blondie: Vivir en la Habana"
- Short documentary about a path-breaking concert by the band Blondie in Cuba
- 7:30 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- Q&A with Rob Roth
- Panel with artist and director Rob Roth, director of "Blondie: Vivir En La Habana"
- 8 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- Opening night reception
Friday, Oct. 14
- "Not a Tame Lion"
- Documentary on John Boswell, an openly gay Yale professor and translator of 14 ancient and modern languages who conducted research at the Vatican archives that led to the publishing of four award-winning books, and the forward movement of the marriage equality debate in the U.K. Accounts include students, friends and family of Boswell.
- Dir. Craig Bettendorf
- 10 a.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- "Remember This"
- A Blitzkrieg survivor in World War II risks his life to carry the first eyewitness reports of war-torn Poland to the Western world.
- Dir. Jeff Hutchens, Derek Goldman
- Starring David Strathairn
- 11 a.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater
- Documentary shorts
- "The Tree with Orange Wings"
- "The Stopgap"
- A short documentary on shortages of COVID-19 protective equipment in New York City in 2020.
- Dir. Timothy Racca Morrish, Katya Skvortsova
- "Dancing in the Mountains"
- Documentary on the origins of freeride mountain biking, focusing on star mountain biker Hailey Elise.
- Dir. Samuel T. Scofy
- 12:30 p.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- Stage-to-screen shorts
- "Idea"
- A teaching assistant hosts a series of online meetings with students, helping them find meaning in their life stories for a class assignment while struggling with his own story.
- Dir. Michelle Tattenbaum
- Starring Erin Gann, Kane Koichi, Lambert Tamin, Alexandra Curran, Layla Khoshnoudi, Erika Rolfsrud
- "Dinosaur"
- A film about struggling with anxiety, in places as simple as leaving the house.
- Dir. Aaron Ford
- Starring Alicia Renee, Mickey Tron
- "Waiting in the Wings"
- Short documentary following two nonprofit theaters in California struggling to reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Dir. Josie Andrews
- 1 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- Stage-to-Screen Virtual Bonus Block
- "Consider the Sparrow"
- "If We Were Normal"
- Dir: Pam Scott, Wayne Stills
- "The Fabulous Ohs: The Marriage and the Music"
- 1:30 p.m.
- Virtual-only
- "The Quiet Epidemic"
- A young Brooklyn girl and a Duke University scientist are both diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, at a time in which it is said to not exist. The film chronicles their search for answers amidst a greater medical debate, dating back to the discovery of Lyme disease in 1975.
- Dir. Lindsay Keys, Winslow Crane-Murdoch
- Starring Julia Bruzzese, Enrico Bruzzese, Dr. Neil Spector, Mary Beth Pfieffer
- 2:30 p.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- "What We Do Next"
- A New York City politician, a young woman released from prison, and a corporate attorney fight for their versions of the truth in a tri-POV story.
- Dir. Stephen Belber
- Starring Karen Pittman, Corey Stoll, Michelle Veintimilla
- 3 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- Panel: Covering Lyme Disease
- Filmmakers Lindsey Keys and Winslow Crane-Murdoch join SUNY Adirondack microbiologist Holly Ahern of the Lyme Action Network for a panel on the fight against Lyme Disease as it becomes increasingly prevalent in the Adirondacks.
- 4:30 p.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- Suspense shorts
- "One Foot In"
- Two graverobbers see a night of adventure.
- Dir. Eric Schabla
- Starring James DeVita, Marcus Truschinski
- "Lioness"
- A story about parenthood inspired by a real event at a domestic violence shelter.
- Dir. Molly E. Smith
- Starring Sara Oliva, Lily Jane
- "Checking Out"
- Two Indian-Americans check in at a hotel room to carry out a suicide pact.
- Directed by and starring Piyali Syam and Vick Krishna
- "The Old Man Next Door"
- A veteran with PTSD and agoraphobia meets a student who lives next door and has her own struggles with mental health. The two bond as the student's mental health spirals downward.
- Dir. Aidan Otene Dickens
- Starring Lawrence Wharerau, Emilie Hope, Carry Stackhouse, Sonny Ngatai, Asia Tumama, Alexander Southey
- "Headlights"
- A man having an affair witnesses an attack.
- Dir. Nick Usher
- Starring Dan Gaisford, Amelia Bennett, Dan 'DJ' Johnson, Olivia Mace, Du'aine Samuels, Mark Knight
- "The Prince and the Goblin"
- A young boy and a homeless man form a friendship.
- Cory Byam
- Starring Dominic Byam, Cory Byam
- 5 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- "A Love Song"
- A woman visits a campground in the rural west, waiting for an old flame to arrive.
- Dir. Max Walker-Silverman
- Starring: Dale Dickey, Wes Studi, Michelle Wilson
- 7:30 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater
Saturday, Oct. 15
- "Something Inside is Broken"
- A love story between two Native American tribe members during a time of agreement and conflict with European settlers.
- Dir. Jack Kohler
- Starring John Douglas Ayers, Natalie Benally, Elle Beyer
- 10 a.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- Comedy shorts
- "The Guitar Thief"
- Two mariachi players deal with high rent and a stolen guitar.
- Dir. Miguel Lepe Jr.
- Starring Miguel Lepe Jr., Nathalie Galde, Vernon Mina, Edesio Sanchez-Gomez, Mike Geraghty, Rob Grabowski, Claudia Martinez, Orlando Lara
- "Cocktail Hours"
- A gay couple both donate sperm samples to get an equal chance at being the biological father to their child. One is ready, but the other faces some anxiety and malfunctions.
- Dir. Jason Laurits
- Starring James Tison, Joe MacDougall, Zuhairah McGill, Debra Toscano, Dan Domingues, Jamie Askew
- "I Mustache You"
- A magical realistic comedy about an agoraphobic who receives an invitation from a secret admirer.
- Directed by and starring Shara Ashley Zeiger
- "The Teddy Bear"
- 11 a.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- "The Last Frankenstein"
- Dr. Jason Frankenstein is the last of his family, stuck in a dead-end life. A creature from his past appears, and he begins his work anew.
- Dir. David Weaver
- Starring William Barnet, Jana Szabela, Keelie Sheridan, Michael Wetherbee, Jeff Raiano, Roderick Klimek
- 12:30 p.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- "Homegrown" Adirondack regional shorts
- "Internal Combat"
- A military veteran locates his employer's partner and stolen cash.
- Dir. Brett Puglisi
- Starring Joe Wooley, Jazz Jackis, Bernardo Tiaba
- In-person only at Charles R. Wood Theater
- "A Lasting First Impression"
- A widow seeks out her late husband's mistress.
- Dir. Christopher Gaunt
- Starring Jennifer Lefsyk, Kelly Mantle
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- "The Long Goodbye"
- An aspiring actor leaves Vermont for New York, leaving his father to nostalgia and the future. The son works in film, the father begins a new adventure as a writer, and the two reconnect over a new project.
- Directed by and starring Burnham Holmes, Ken Holmes
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- "Camp Greenwood"
- Teens are trapped within the property line of a benevolent haunted cabin.
- Virtual only
- "Sonder"
- A father and son confront their past.
- Virtual only
- "Another Way to Farm"
- "If I Could Tell You"
- 1 p.m.
- "Cryptid"
- A mysterious creature brutally kills a man in a rural Maine town, creating a mystery for a local journalist.
- Dir. Brad Rego
- Starring Ellen Adair, Kevin O'Rourke, Jeanine Bartel
- 2:45 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater/Virtual
- "Sweet Disaster"
- A woman becomes pregnant, and the child's father leaves her to reunite with his ex. The woman fights through health problems to get him back, using absurd and hilarious methods.
- Dir. Laura Lehmus
- Starring Friederike Kempter, Lena Urzendowsky
- 3 p.m.
- Crandall Public Library/Virtual
- "There There"
- A series of warped scenes with two characters at a time in an unhinged close reality.
- Dir. Andrew Bujalski
- Starring Jason Schwartzman, Lili Taylor, Molly Gordon
- 5 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater
- Awards presentation
- 7:30 p.m.
- Charles R. Wood Theater
Passes for the Adirondack Film Festival are available online. Tickets include in-person, virtual screening, and hybrid all-access options.
