Making plans for ways to spend your free time this fall? For a fun October weekend of creative cinema, look no further than the Adirondack Film Festival. The 4th annual event, presented by the Adirondack Theatre Festival, is back and bigger than ever, with over 135 films gracing 6 screens in Downtown Glens Falls October 17-20.
The Four-Day Lineup of Films and Fun
This year, 48% of all the films screened during the festival were shot in New York State, so it’s fitting that the weekend kicks off on Thursday with a screening of Pretenders. The feature film was directed by James Franco and shot exclusively in the Albany area at such locations as the Palace Theater in Albany, Russell Sage College in Troy, and Union College in Schenectady.
Friday and Saturday will feature screenings of over 135 films at the Charles R. Wood Theater, The Park Theater, Crandall Public Library, and The Queensbury Hotel. There will be 17 feature films screened during the weekend, with 6 of them headlining the event.
Included in the 135+ pieces being screened on Friday and Saturday are 100 short films spanning several genres, including documentary, drama, comedy, sci-fi, experimental, and music video.
Over 200 filmmakers, writers, directors, actors, and artists will be making appearances at the festival, and there will be official after parties on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Other fun events happening over the weekend include virtual reality screenings of Gloomy Eyes, The Plank Experience, and the VIP-only Google Cardboard How to Tell a True Immigrant Story.
At the Tooning In art gallery, which will be set up in the Charles R. Wood Theater, attendees can purchase art inspired by the films in this year’s festival.
This year’s installment of the Adirondack Film Festival’s foreign film series centers on India, featuring Bollywood music videos, the award-winning feature film Badhaai Ho, and a discussion with Indian cinema expert Pulkit Datta.
Guests can also attend a panel on stunts, featuring professionals whose credits include television and blockbuster hits like Wonder Woman, Black Panther, and Game of Thrones.
There will be an awards ceremony on Saturday, followed by a Best of Fest all day on Sunday, which will cap off the weekend with encore screenings of the films that won the Audience Choice Awards.
The Headliners
- Pretenders (directed by James Franco): filmed in the Capital Region
- Extra Ordinary (directed by Mike Ahern and Edna Loughman): NY premiere
- The Peanut Butter Falcon (directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz): SXSW Audience Award Winner
- Greener Grass (directed by Jocelyn Deboer and Dawn Luebbe): a Sundance Official Selection
- Loving Vincent: The Impossible Dream (directed by Miki Wecel): a documentary on the making of Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominated Loving Vincent
- Badhaai Ho (Congratulations) (directed by Amit Sharma): a multi-award-winning Hindu-language New Bollywood film
Tickets are $35 for a single day pass, $65 for the full four-day festival ($30 for students), and $85 for VIP tickets (which includes admission to the after parties, stunt panel, and VR screenings, as well as priority seating). All ticket holders receive unlimited access to the Popcorn Bar, complete with an array of 20 seasonings and toppings from which to choose.
For the full schedule and to check out the trailers, visit adkfilmfestival.org.
