Centre Film Festival celebrates filmmaking with options for variety of audiences

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — From its two opening nights to the final screening seven days later, the Centre Film Festival offers viewing options for film fans of all ages and interests thanks to a variety of genres and a combination of filmmaker question-and-answer sessions and supporting events.

The eighth-annual festival includes animation, documentary, experimental and narrative options, feature-length films and shorts. The range of options offers a little bit of everything — and ideally something for everyone — by design.

More than 750 submissions from around the world were considered for the festival. Along with in-person events Nov. 2-8 the festival continues virtually Nov. 9-16.

A full schedule and tickets are available at the Centre Film Festival website. Student tickets are free.

“The mission of the Centre Film Festival, and its impact, comes from connecting local voices with global ones,” said Pearl Gluck, co-founder and artistic director of the festival. Gluck is an associate professor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. “We bring filmmakers and films to the community that spark conversation and inspire new works. It’s an exciting event and an opportunity to celebrate filmmaking in central Pennsylvania and far beyond.”

The first of the festival’s two opening nights happens at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 at the State Theatre in State College with screenings of “La Bola Negra” and “Kiloran Bay.” Netflix’s “La Bola Negra” has already earned awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. The films offer an example of the Centre Film Festival’s commitment to bringing high-quality international films to local audiences to spark connections and conversation.

The second opening night, Nov. 6 at the Rowland Theatre in Philipsburg, features “Jimmy,” a full-length feature about actor Jimmy Stewart, his career and his military service, and “Anodynus,” which follows a young military veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Along with those two off-campus theaters, festival screenings will take place in Pattee and Paterno Library, Carnegie Building and the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State. Community screening locations include 3 Dots Downtown, Tempest Studios, UEC Theatre 12 and Webster’s Bookstore Cafe in State College.

A Pre-Fest Tailgate with nine shorts begins at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 in Carnegie Cinema.

Overall, the weeklong festival includes 51 films making their Pennsylvania premieres and three making their U.S. premiere. Seventeen films selected for the festival were made in Pennsylvania and the schedule includes 13 student films.

Among the many highlights are:

• Numerous films by Penn State alumni, faculty and students
• A Nov. 2 screening of “Tipping Point PA,” which focuses on Pennsylvania politics, on the eve of Election Day.
• A Nov. 4 screening of “Union Town,” from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple that follows workers organizing New York City’s delivery industry.
• A Nov. 5 screening of “Reggae Girls,” which follows Jamaica’s women’s soccer team during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including a post-screening discussion with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Trish Dalton.
• A free immersive experience from 1-7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Palmer Museum of Art as visitors can explore 17 virtual reality and immersive films from around the world.

In addition, the festival’s annual Lifetime Achievement and Chandler Living Legacy awards will recognize actor Delroy Lindo and artist/educator Nashormeh Lindo, respectively.

Delroy Lindo’s big-screen credits include “Sinners,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “The Core,” and “Get Shorty.” He has appeared in several TV series as well.

Nashormeh Lindo, a past chair and board member of the California Arts Council, earned her bachelor’s degree at Penn State. She has taught art in the Philadelphia public schools, served as coordinator of community services at the Baltimore Museum of Art and been an adjunct instructor at City College of San Francisco, along with pursuing her own artistic passions and serving as an independent curatorial consultant and arts advocate.

All awards will be presented on the final night of the festival.

A full schedule along with information about all films and related events can be found on the festival website.

Along with the Bellisario College and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, the festival gets support from State College borough, the Scholar Hotel Group and numerous donors, sponsors, venue partners and volunteers.