Four regional theaters in New York have been chosen to host some of this year’s Syracuse International Film Festival (SYRFILMFEST) competition screenings. In addition to theaters in Syracuse, festival films will be shown at the Capitol Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, 220 W. Dominick St. in Rome; the Hamilton Movie Theater, 7 Lebanon St. in Hamilton; the Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca St. in Geneva; and at 305 Park Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus in Oswego.
Festival organizers say these new locations have come about due to increased regional interest in being a part of the festival experience. “As more international partners join our network, we need more theater spaces to show the work,” says Festival Artistic Director Owen Shapiro. “Since we formed the Central New York Film Consortium in 2009, more colleges and universities are becoming involved with the festival and integrating international and independent film into their coursework and programs.”
The CNY Film Consortium is Cayuga Community College, Cazenovia College, Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Ithaca College, Le Moyne College, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oswego, Syracuse University and Tompkins Cortland Community College.
The regional theaters chosen to screen films this year are mainstays of the communities where they reside. This new phase of SYRFILMFEST’s growth enables the festival to reach a larger audience with unique offerings. “Wherever possible, we will send a filmmaker along with the films to make an appearance and talk with the audience about the film,” says Christine Fawcett-Shapiro, SYRFILMFEST executive director. “This is a special ‘perk’ of the festival experience and something that you don’t see at the mall cinema.”
Specific information on screenings will be available in the coming weeks. At present, showings are scheduled for the Smith Opera House on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; the Hamilton Movie Theater on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.; for 305 Park Hall in Oswego on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and for the Capitol Theatre Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Admission for each show is $8 for the general public/$6 for seniors and students. Each screening will include a short film and a feature-length film from the festival competition.
