UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Some of the most important and most talked about films of the year have been selected for the fourth annual Centre Film Festival, which returns Oct. 31 featuring movies in every genre — documentaries, fictional shorts, features, experimental narratives and more — screening at the State Theatre in State College and the historic Rowland Theatre in Philipsburg.
Highlights of the seven-day festival include Denmark-based Iranian director Ali Abassi’s crime thriller “Holy Spider,” a contender for Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards, and the drama “Klondike,” Ukraine's submission for an Oscar and winner of the Cinema Dramatic Competition for directing at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition, the festival includes numerous films with Centre County connections. For example, “Of Medicine and Miracles” chronicles the story of Philipsburg’s Emily Whitehead, the first child in the world to have her immune cells activated to fight cancer. The treatment approach, known as CAR T-cell therapy, has helped many others and she has lived more than a decade cancer-free. Plus, films like “The Molok” and “Watching the Wilds” were shot in Centre Hall and Philipsburg, respectively.
For festival co-founder and Penn State faculty member Pearl Gluck, the quality and variety of films make the weeklong event special. Since its inception in 2019, the Centre Film Festival has sought to showcase global films with local relevance and local films with global relevance.
“We want films with global themes that are also local, that will spark conversations among central Pennsylvania’s intergenerational, multidimensional audiences,” said Gluck, the Donald P. Bellisario Career Advancement Professor in the Department of Film Production. “This year’s films speak to us about what’s going on in the world.
“The films address important issues like women’s rights, climate change, migration, incarceration, race, gender and sexual orientation. Seeing the impact of those issues through a filmmaker’s lens makes them more immediate.”
Screenings, giveaways, support events and nightly celebrations as part of the festival run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6. Along with the in-person screenings, all of which include post-screening question-and-answer sessions, the hybrid festival also supports online screenings.
A full festival schedule is available online. Tickets for individual screenings or the entire festival may be purchased online or in person. Student tickets are free.
The closing night celebration at the State Theatre includes the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Penn State alumnus Stan Lathan, a visionary director and producer whose career spans five-plus decades.
Lathan, who earned his bachelor’s degree from the University in 1967, has created and directed groundbreaking public affairs programming as well as top-ranked network sitcoms. He created “Def Comedy Jam” for HBO, which remains one of the most influential artistic projects ever on TV, and perhaps culture in general.
Local and visiting artists will offer master classes to high school students in the area as part of the festival. In addition, college and high school students have been selected as members of the diverse jury selected to determine festival awards.
Several films in the festival were made by Penn State alumni and students. Plus, many Penn State students have helped support the festival with creative, organizational and marketing efforts.
The festival is supported by local partners and sponsors who are committed to showcasing Centre County’s growing appeal as a hub for the arts and to building the local economy through the arts.
“Clearly, we have a lot to offer here in Centre County. These great filmmakers want their work to be shown here. With so much talent coming to campus and our community, we can glean from them, and they can glean from us,” Gluck said.
Opening night for the festival kicks off at 6 p.m. Oct. 31 at the State Theatre in State College. The awards program and closing celebration begins at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 at the State Theatre.