Community Calendar

Join us at the Scene One Spectrum 8 theatre for an exclusive screening of The Sludge War, a five-year investigative documentary.

When a young woman discovers her community was built on land contaminated by a secretive program designed to make toxic waste disappear, she embarks on an investigation into one of the most consequential environmental cover-ups in U.S. history.

There will be a post-screening Q&A with director Galassia Grassetto and special guests.

Utica University’s free Films on Thursday series begins its Fall 2026 season on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00pm with the documentary movie, Shari & Lamb Chop.

Shari Lewis was a talented singer, dancer and magician, but she’s best known as the ventriloquist who brought sock puppets to life – especially one named Lamb Chop.

The award-winning children’s television pioneer, who reinvented herself more than once in the face of changing times, is celebrated in this documentary that traces her life and five-decade plus career with rare clips and insightful interviews.

A complete list of the Fall 2026 film series, the campus map, parking information, and more information are available at https://www.utica.edu/film.

All films are shown at 7 p.m. in Macfarlane Auditorium in DePerno Hall and are free and open to the general public

The name Woody Guthrie conjures images of Dust Bowl families from the 1930s fleeing their wind-ravaged farms, along with those famous lyrics “This land is your land, this land is my land / From California to the New York Island.”

Woody’s horizons extended far beyond the dusty Oklahoma hills of his youth. When his wanderings and ramblings brought him to New York City, in the 1940s, he was introduced—both personally and professionally—into a vibrant Jewish culture that he wholeheartedly embraced. That culture in turn deeply influenced his life and his music. Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls presents a whole new side of Woody Guthrie that will change your view of one of America’s most celebrated songwriters and cultural icons.

Following the screening, award-winning director and producer Steven Pressman will join us for a live Q&A to discuss the film, Guthrie's enduring legacy, and the remarkable Jewish influences that shaped his work.

Run time: 89 mins., documentary. Directed and produced by Steven Pressman, written by Steven Pressman and Lisa Stark.

This screening is cosponsored by the Springfield JCC.

Join us for the next installment of the NXT Rockumentary Film Series.

This ambitious documentary explores hip-hop as part of a broader musical and cultural continuum, tracing the genre’s evolution through the voices of influential artists and the communities that shaped it. Blending extensive interviews with archival material, the film examines hip-hop’s roots, its artistic innovations, and its connections to earlier traditions including jazz, gospel, and spoken-word expression. A thoughtful look at the culture and history of a groundbreaking musical movement.

Due to licensing restrictions, we’re unable to publicly list the film title. To find out what’s screening, join our mailing list or contact us directly.

A NYS Writers Institute event

About the film:
A Nuyorican coming-of-age story set in 1980s Brownsville, Brooklyn, this new film follows Elaine, a girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager, as she navigates the challenges of a chaotic family and a tough and unpredictable neighborhood. "Brownsville Bred" was the only U.S. Latina-directed live-action narrative to earn Oscar eligibility in 2025.

About the director:
Elaine Del Valle, multifaceted writer and filmmaker, transmutes her Brooklyn Puerto Rican girlhood into an astonishing variety of works of art: a one-woman show, award-winning short, TV show, YA novel, and now a feature film.
“From Girlhood Trials to Onstage Triumph” proclaimed the New York Times in its 2010 review of her same-titled play. The YA novel, Brownsville Bred, was a finalist for Publishers Weekly’s 2020 BookLife Prize.

7 p.m. Friday, September 18
Page Hall - University at Albany Downtown Campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12203
Free and open to the public.
https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/brownsvillebred

Mountainfilm on Tour visits Hardwick, Massachusetts at The Center. Join us for an evening of inspiring and captivating films handpicked from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colorado.

Founded in 1979, Mountainfilm is one of North America’s longest-running documentary film festivals. Through the years, the festival has grown and changed to its current iteration – a thought-provoking weekend of film, art and ideas that leaves audiences with full cups and feeling inspired to create a better world. Each year after the festival, Mountainfilm on Tour hits the road sharing the year’s most inspiring short films with communities worldwide.

Mountainfilm on Tour – Hardwick will feature a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and inspiring documentary short films that align with Mountainfilm’s mission to use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world.