FilmColumbia, Columbia County’s premier annual cultural event, will return, October 22-31, after last year’s hiatus due to the pandemic. The 10-day festival in Chatham, NY, will present world-class independent and international features and documentaries, plus post-screening Q&As with directors and special tributes, all presented by The Crandell Theatre.The geographic and artistic scope of FilmColumbia 2021 will be on full display via feature and documentary films hailing from more than 35 countries, as well as the latest releases from award-winning directors Pedro Almodovar and Wes Anderson and theater legend James Lapine. The festival also will feature distinctive performances by many of the world’s most celebrated actors, including Timothy Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, Benicio Del Toro, Colin Firth, Glenda Jackson, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Josh O’Connor, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Schumer, Tilda Swinton and Jeffrey Wright.To tell us more about the festival – we welcome Calliope Nicholas - executive director of FilmColumbia. And festival co-programmer Laurence Kardish - the former Senior Curator of Film at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and presently an instructor in the graduate program for film at the School of Visual Arts.