The Exorcist

Online ticket sales ended this morning, but tickets are available day-of at the box office (cash and check only)
Happy Halloween from Upstate Films and Oblong Books! Inspired by the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States, William Peter Blatty’s best-selling book and William Friedkin’s award-winning film follow the demonic possession of a 12 year-old girl and her mother’s attempts to win her back.
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Far from the Tree

The life-affirming FAR FROM THE TREE, based on Andrew Solomon’s award-winning bestselling non-fiction book Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, could be a companion piece to WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? – its about what it means to be family, and above all, about love, no matter what.
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Dirty Dancing

Released in 1987 with little fanfare, DIRTY DANCING, the musical/love story set in the Catskills in the early ’60s, became a mega-hit film that later spawned a stage musical seen by millions world-wide.
OUTDOOR SCREENING Friday Aug 31st (Tonight!) at Greig Farm, Red Hook (243 Pitcher Ln) … Bring a Picnic or Enjoy Papa’s Best Batch incredible edibles. Click here to purchase tickets in advance. (Online tickets will be available until 12 hours before the event. Hard tickets will also be on sale day-of at Greig Farm.)
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The 37th Annual Black Maria Short Film Festival

The Black Maria Film Festival returns to Upstate Films Friday July 27th! Named after Thomas Edison’s film studio, dubbed the “Black Maria” because of its resemblance to the black-box police paddy wagons of the same name, the program features a collection of award-winning works — including animation, narrative, and documentary films chosen by the festival jury. Immediately following the screening, Festival Director Jane Steuerwald will conduct a Q & A with the audience. The show begins at 8:15pm and will take place at Upstate Films in Rhinebeck.
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FDR High School American Studies Student Documentaries

Each year, Upstate Films works with a group of American Studies students at FDR High School in Hyde Park. Over the course of the school year, students come to Upstate to watch films and meet regional filmmakers, all while working on their own documentary projects. At the end of the year, we screen the projects the students made. Join us Saturday June 8th at 10:30am for a FREE screening of this year’s videos! Students will be there in person for a q&a.
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How to Fold a Flag

Sunday May 6th at 11am, join the Engage Film Series for a benefit screening of How to Fold a Flag, followed by a panel discussion on current U.S. military actions and their costs to the American public (read the article that inspired this event here). Proceeds will benefit the Costs of War Project (suggested donation $10).

Panelists include: Filmmakers Michael Tucker & Petra Epperlein (How to Fold a Flag, Gunner Palace, Karl Marx City); Stephanie Savell, Project Director at Brown University’s Costs of War Project; Dan Gettinger, co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone; Christopher McIntosh, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Studies at Bard College; and Derek McGee, Marine veteran who served two tours in Iraq, and author of An Iraq Vet’s Journey from Wall Street to OWS (read here).
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Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point

Join us Sunday, March 25th at 12:30 for a free screening of Fix It: Health Care at the Tipping Point. A program presented by the Healthcare Action team of the Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance, the screening will be followed by a panel discussion anchored by Cathy Varunok, co-founder Miles of Hope; Elizabeth Armstrong, RN; Dr. Daniela Stokes, M.D.; and Eve Madalengoitia, DCPAA Healthcare Action Team. Donations taken at the door (suggested donation $10) will go to support Miles of Hope.
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Submission

Stanley Tucci plays a professor of creative writing at a small New England college who gets entangled with a seductive student in this adaptation of Francine Prose’s acclaimed novel about sexual politics, Blue Angel.
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Big Night – the classic film followed by a scrumptious dinner at Cucina

Enjoy dinner and a movie and help fundraise for Upstate Films!
See the culinary classic BIG NIGHT, followed by a sumptuous dinner cooked by the chef who designed the food in the film. Seated family style at long farm tables in Cucina‘s renovated 19th century barn, attendees will taste dishes chef Gianni Scappin orchestrated for Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott’s film, including the show-stopping timpano. Movie admission, dinner, and wine are included in the price of the ticket. SOLD OUT! Click here for tickets ($75 per person)
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Matilda

Read the book & watch the movie! Presented in collaboration with Oblong Books, this screening will be followed by an optional post-screening discussion led by Oblong’s Nicole Brinkley. Matilda may contain the stuff of traditional children’s stories — a wicked step-aunt, a true friend with a pure heart, and more than a little magic — but “traditional” isn’t a word that comes to mind when describing this film. Before 1996, Danny DeVito’s directorial credits included Throw Momma From the Train, War of the Roses, and Hoffa. With a taste for exaggerated characters and extraordinary situations, his sense of quirk is a fine match here for Roald Dahl’s novel about neglectful parents, cruel teachers, and the revenge of a brave little girl.
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The Hand That Feeds

Join us Saturday, January 27th at 11am for a free screening of The Hand That Feeds. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion anchored by Suzanne Adely from the Food Chain Workers Alliance, Rosanna Aran from the Laundry Workers Center, Catherine Barnett from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and Emma Kreyche from the Worker Justice Center of New York. Donations taken at the door (Suggested donation $10) will go to support the Food Chain Workers Alliance.
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Upstate Films and Oblong Books Present: Witness for the Prosecution

Read the story, then watch the movie! Upstate Films and Oblong Books co-present this screening, followed by a book group discussion — Sunday, November 12th at 1pm in Rhinebeck. To purchase tickets to the screening online in advance, click here.
Based on a short story and play by Agatha Christie, Billy Wilder’s WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION stars Charles Laughton as a British lawyer who gets caught up in a couple’s tangled affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
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Engage Film Series presents: Dramatic Escape

Join us Saturday, November 4th at 11am in Rhinebeck for a benefit screening (suggested donation $10), followed by a panel discussion anchored by Katherine Vockins, the executive director of RTA, Kim Breden, RTA facilitator, and Charles Moore, RTA staff person and alum. This screening is presented by the ENGAGE Film Series (read more on the series below), and proceeds will benefit Rehabilitation Through Arts.

Dramatic Escape transports viewers into the lives of maximum security prisoners at Sing Sing in Ossining, NY, as they mount a stage production of A Few Good Men.
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Her Magnum Opus

In Person: Filmmaker Marta Renzi, along with dancers Aileen Passloff and Arthur Avilés. Sunday, October 29th in Rhinebeck at 2pm. 
A freewheeling narrative enacted almost entirely through movement and music, Her Magnum Opus is Marta Renzi’s ode to creativity and community.
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Sneak Preview: Lucky

Sunday, September 24th at 8:15 in Rhinebeck
Celebrate the late Harry Dean Stanton at this special sneak preview screening on Art House Theater Day. This year, Upstate celebrates 45 years in the Rhinebeck community. We’d like to thank everyone – especially our Members – for your support. Members: present your card at this show for a complimentary small popcorn.
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Literally, Right Before Aaron

Still reeling from his breakup, Adam (Justin Long) is devastated when he learns that his ex (Cobie Smulders) is engaged.
*Wednesday’s screening will be followed by a q&a with director Ryan Eggold & associate producer Sean Rappleyea, moderated by Vincent Nugent. Tickets will be available at the box office day-of. 
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London National Theatre: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Wednesday, October 18th at 1:30 in Rhinebeck
Sonia Friedman Productions present Imelda Staunton (Gypsy, Vera Drake, the Harry Potter films); Conleth Hill (Game Of Thrones, The Producers); Luke Treadaway (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Fortitude, The Hollow Crown) and Imogen Poots (A Long Way Down, Jane Eyre) in James Macdonald’s new production of Edward Albee’s landmark play, broadcast live to cinemas from the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.
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Woodstock Comedy Festival: Films – Sunday Sept 17th

The Woodstock Comedy Festival is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with a mission: Comedy for a Cause. Each year net profits are donated to Polaris and Family of Woodstock for the battle against human trafficking and domestic violence. The 5th-annual festival is another 3-day weekend event, Sept. 15 – 17, in the little town with a lot to laugh at, with everything from stand-up comedy to sketch comedy, improv to panels, films (see below) and more.
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Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo – Live at the Fisher Center

Named the “Greatest Film of All Time” by the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound, this romantic, psychological thriller hypnotizes audiences on the big screen, accompanied by Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score. The score will be performed live at the Fisher Center by the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra on September 16th at 8pm and September 17th at 2pm.

Tickets are on sale now, ranging from $25 – $125. The top ticket price includes an Upstate Films Membership. Click here to purchase online in advance (Ticketing is only available through the Fisher Center website).
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The Good Mind

Join Upstate Women in Film and Television (UPWIFT) and Upstate Films for a special screening & discussion with filmmaker Gwendolen Cates on Sunday, August 13th at 1pm in Rhinebeck.
Filmmaker Gwendolen Cates addresses Native American sovereignty and water protection issues in the powerfully moving and informative documentary, “The Good Mind.”
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The Princess Bride

Read the book, then watch the movie! Sunday July 30th at 1pm, Upstate Films and Oblong Books co-present this screening, followed by a book discussion.
Adapted by William Goldman from his novel of the same name, it’s not difficult to see why The Princess Bride has become a classic in the years since its 1987 release. Heroic fantasies, we often feel, should be lighter than air, hot as dragon fire, and fast as a sword in the sunlight. And that’s what we get from this epic delight — along with an ample supply of humor and foolery.
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Stop Making Sense

Jonathan Demme, who passed away this past April, was a great friend to arthouses nationwide. He first came to Upstate Films in the late ’70s after making Citizens Band and returned two more times – to present Cousin Bobby and a special show of Philadelphia along with writer Ron Nyswaner. July 19th, in tandem with arthouse theaters across the country, Upstate will screen Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense in celebration of his life and work.
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Joe Cocker: Mad Dog With Soul

Saturday, July 8 at 9pm, the Woodstock Film Festival presents this special screening at Upstate Films Woodstock. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director John Edginton, as well as Michael Lang, the co-creator of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, and Joe Cocker’s manager, plus other surprise guests.
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