Film Days Events Continue Today, Culminate with a Wrap Party at The Smithy

By LOGAN BREEN
SUNY Institute for Local News
COOPERSTOWN

For an extended weekend every fall, the Village of Cooperstown is transformed into a Mecca for independent cinema, attracting filmmakers and audiences from around the region and even across the country. Now in its 13th year, the annual Glimmerglass Film Days returns this week, running from November 13-17. The film festival brought more than 700 attendees to Cooperstown in 2024 and it is expected to surpass that number this year, according to Otsego 2000 Program and Communications Manager Peg Odell.  

Monday, November 17, the final day of the festival, will feature “Keeper” at noon, “Rule of Stone” at 1:15 p.m. and a shorts program at 3:15 p.m., all at Fenimore Farm and Country Village. “Cover-Up,” a political thriller tracing the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter SEymour Hersh will be shown at 5:30 p.m. at the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theater, and the “That’s a Wrap! Party” will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. at The Smithy.

Events like Glimmerglass Film Days are a hopeful reminder that the arts, including narrative and documentary films, still serve as a powerful way to bring together people and communities.

“Our audiences are dedicated to the theatrical experience—that is, watching a film in a public space with other people,” said Peggy Parsons, founder and artistic director of Glimmerglass Film Days. “The boxed-in experience of streaming has great limitations,” Parsons added, “and smarter audiences like ours understand that. Independent filmmaking, on a global level, is not dying out and neither are theaters.”

Finding and building community is at the heart of the Glimmerglass Film Days experience. And the community of Cooperstown itself is an integral part of the film festival’s success. Parsons explained that over the years the festival has built up a loyal local following, and “the level of the discussions between filmmakers and audiences has become more intimate and intense.” She continued: “Every one—filmmaker, student, retiree, artist, and whatever—is on the same level. There’s a sense of connectedness here that the big festivals, like Berlin or New York, cannot attain. One-on-one connection is very important here.”

Cooperstown is a unique spot to host a film festival, as it does not have a multiplex or a traditional movie theater. The evening screenings are put on in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 189-seat Grandstand Theater, which was completely renovated back in 2018. Xander Moffat, Glimmerglass Film Days’ technical director and programmer, explained that the Hall of Fame’s theater “is state of the art and filmmakers have been thrilled with the picture and sound on offer there. Not to mention how comfortable the seats are!”

Other screening venues include the Fenimore Farm, Fenimore Art Museum, Templeton Hall, and Cooperstown Coworks. These are effectively “pop-up” venues, though Moffat described how the Film Days staff have worked in recent years with the Syracuse-based company VisualTec to ensure that these non-traditional spaces deliver theater-quality image and sound.

Moffat added that the potential weaknesses of these “pop-up” venues is also a strength.

“Even though these non-theatrical venues always pose some challenges, I think it’s great that we’re able to spread out our offerings throughout the town, and each venue has its own unique character,” he said. “It contributes to the strong sense of community that makes our festival stand out.”

This year’s “season,” as the organizers refer to it, includes a program of 28 feature films, 2 short film programs, and a number of filmmaker talks, parties, art exhibits, guided walks, and other special events. (Read a more detailed overview of the 2025 Glimmerglass Film Days schedule here on AllOtsego.)

Every presentation of Glimmerglass Film Days is centered around a theme—this year’s theme being “revolutions.” Parsons and Moffat, who selected the Film Days movies together, revel in the multiple meanings of the term. About the “revolutions” theme, Parson explained that “we approached it in two senses: the sense of resistance to things that are toxic or upsetting, but even bigger is simply the constantly changing cycles of life. Revolving nature, so to speak.”

The natural world is always at the heart of the Glimmerglass Film Days experience. In its mission statement, the festival describes itself as “showcas[ing] the best in independent films exploring humanity’s complex relationship with the natural world.”

When asked about what makes a film a “Glimmerglass Film Days film,” co-programmer Moffat responded, “one of the biggest things we’re on the lookout for are films that reflect our natural world in unique and compelling ways. While we don’t limit ourselves to ‘environmental films,’ most of the films offer insights into both the scientific and cultural facets of living in our world.”

Parsons also feels that the heart of the festival is how the films and their producers connect with the community.

“I always hope that audiences, first of all, are inspired and challenged by what they see and learn. Keeping an open mind is important and I trust our audiences to do that,” Parsons said.

Like any big festival or multi-day event, there promise to be a few standout moments. When asked about what some of these “can’t miss moments” might be at this year’s Glimmerglass Film Days, Moffat diplomatically responded, “the truth is that I’m excited about each and every film we’ll be presenting this year.”

For Parsons, “opening night with the film ‘Apple Cider Vinegar,’ ‘Been Here Stay Here,’ ‘Monk in Pieces’ and ‘Rule of Stone’” promised to be a highlight; she added that they are “all powerful and affecting works.”

Moffat opened up: “I would say a can’t miss is ‘Cover-Up,’ our closing night film about Seymour Hersh. It’s likely to get a lot of awards attention this winter, and I’m glad our audiences will get a early look. We have a few films that might fall into the hidden gem category: ‘River of Grass,’ a film about Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the Florida Everglades, ‘Valentina and MUOsters’ about a family in Sicily, and ‘Jetty’ about a public works project in Rockaway, NY.”

Glimmerglass Films Days runs from Thursday, November 13 through Monday, November 17. Most individual film tickets cost $8.00 in advance, $10.00 at the door. Multi-film and full festival passes are also available. More information can be found at glimmerglassfilmdays.org.

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Service, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.