Welcome to the Upstate Films Virtual Cinema
Welcome to the Upstate Films Virtual Cinema
Upstate Films is closed for the foreseeable future, but we still want to bring you some of the programming that we were planning on screening this spring. In partnership with select distributors, we are happy to bring you Virtual Screening Rooms. Purchase a ticket through one of the links offered on our website, and watch the movie in the comfort and safety of your own home.
Just as with a real ticket, the proceeds will be split between Upstate Films and the distributors. Your ticket allows you to watch the film for a specified period of time, and you'll be able to stream it on compatible streaming devices, your mobile device or your computer browser. Please see our Virtual Screening Room FAQ for more information.
- Renowned neurologist and literary giant Oliver Sacks is posthumously celebrated in this profound, highly engaging, deeply personal memoir.
- A provocative coming-of-age story, Jennifer Venditti’s debut film, BILLY THE KID (2007), is an acclaimed odyssey into the soul of an American teenager. Venditti follows Billy as he navigates small town Maine, grappling with isolation and first-time love, and traversing the frustrating gap between imagination and reality. Exhilarating and heartfelt, the film grants an intimate, empathetic view of an expressive and seemingly fearless outsider and provides an unvarnished and unique snapshot into what it’s like to grow up in America.
- The unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior's rise to the nation's highest court is the subject of RBG, a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg 's exceptional life and career from directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen.
- Tony Le Stéphanois (Jean Servais), back from prison after taking a rap for Jo le Suédois (Carl Möhner), is ready to settle a few scores and mastermind a brilliant jewel heist. A worldwide smash hit, Rififi earned director Jules Dassin the Best Director prize at Cannes and set the standard for screen robberies for decades to come. (via Rialto)
- Adapted from the bestselling novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson, OUT STEALING HORSES stars Stellan Skarsgård as a grieving widower whose encounter with an old acquaintance from his youth causes him to recollect his own coming of age in 1948. Confronting feelings of guilt from events long ago, he summons wisdom from the past to help him deal with the grief of the present. The Norwegian entry for best international entry at this year's Oscars, the film combines first rate performances with the alluring backdrop of the harsh Norwegian countryside.
- Werner Herzog turns the camera on himself and his decades-long friendship with the late author Bruce Chatwin, a kindred spirit whose quest for ecstatic truth carried him to all corners of the globe. Herzog’s deeply personal portrait of Chatwin, illustrated with archival discoveries, film clips, and a mound of “brontosaurus skin,” encompasses their shared interest in aboriginal cultures, ancient rituals, and the mysteries stitching together life on earth.
- On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, a spark from a transmission line in Northern California, coupled with climate-impacted conditions aka global warming's aftershocks, quickly grew into a devastating firestorm that engulfed the picturesque city of Paradise, California. By the time what became known as the Camp Fire was extinguished, it had killed 85 people, displaced 50,000 residents and destroyed 95% of local structures. It was the deadliest U.S. fire in 100 years — and the worst ever in California’s history. From the moment the crisis began, Oscar-winning director RON HOWARD led a filmmaking team to the city and would go on to spend a year with Paradise residents, documenting their efforts to recover what was lost.
- Chronicles John Lewis’ 60-plus years of social activism and legislative action on civil rights, voting rights, gun control, health-care reform and immigration.
- Based on the international bestseller by rock-star economist Thomas Piketty (which sold over three million copies worldwide and landed Piketty on Time's list of most influential people), this captivating documentary is an eye-opening journey through wealth and power...
- A dazzling, course correcting documentary that describes not only the life and craft of af Klint, but also the history of her rejection and rediscovery by the art world.
- A beguiling new documentary offering a tour of New York City through the lens of the passionate and often eccentric individuals who love, collect and sell vintage and antique books.
- In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief (a chilling Ingvar Sigurdsson, who received Cannes’ Critics’ Week award for Best Actor for his performance) begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth takes over his life and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones.
Upstate Chats
Thelma Adams Chats with Patrick Harrison
Film critic and author Thelma Adams sits down to talk about the past, present, and future of movies with Patrick Harrison, Director of Membership/New York Programming for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Thelma Adams chats with film distributor/maven Richard Abramowitz
Wow! It’s nearly three months since we closed due to the pandemic. We’ve been presenting films in our Virtual Cinema. And we’re fortunate to have Thelma Adams, twice chair of the NY Film Critics Circle & novelist (The Last Woman Standing), talking with folks from the film world. Here she has an outdoor socially distanced chat with Richard Abramowitz who’s worn many hats in the film business during the past forty years. Currently Richard runs his own outfit, Abramorama that is the preeminent global theatrical distribution and rights management partner for music films and is recognized for the consistent high quality of its work on award winning films such as Ron Howard’s Grammy Award®-winning The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years. Click here to watch.
Thelma Adams chats with Upstate Films about Pauline Kael
Despite being “shuttered” for the time being, we are presenting films in our Virtual Cinema. And now we’re even ready for our “close-up” as film critic. Steve Leiber, co-director of Upstate Films, had a chance recently to talk with Thelma Adams, twice chair of the NY Film Critics Circle & novelist (The Last Woman Standing), about the doyenne of film critics, Pauline Kael, the subject of WHAT SHE SAID: PAULINE KAEL, now playing in our Virtual Cinema. Read More
This is from Steve Leiber, one of the founders of Upstate Films…
“Once again it’s time to look in the mirror and then look out the window where I see my country founded on genocide of the native peoples and slavery and its aftermath (including prison labor allowed through the 13th amendment to the constitution). This continues to stomp on my fellow citizens… Decades since MLKing – since the Panthers – since Malcolm X – and still many, mostly people of color, are systematically swept aside as the rich get richer, the privileged get special treatment, and the many are left to grab for the scraps from the table. Race and class are inextricably connected. How to unravel this double discrimination and create a way more just society?”
In 2022 Upstate Films will celebrate its 50th anniversary. After nearly five decades of running Upstate, its co-founders and Executive Directors, Steve Leiber and DeDe Leiber, will soon be retiring. Upstate is now seeking a new Executive Director to whom they can “pass the reels” (actually, Upstate went digital in 2013).Please support our business sponsors.
Get showtimes in your inbox
Our weekly email will keep you up-to-date about upcoming films and events.
Advertise with us
Ads on the website are seen by over 11,000 unique visitors per month, and they appear in the on-screen slideshow seen by every audience.
Become a member
Save $ on Ticket Prices
Plus, members can show their cards to receive perks from over 50 participating businesses!
Donate or give a gift
Upstate Films is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible.