Five-day Festival Features Film Premieres, Filmmaker Talks
COOPERSTOWN—Glimmerglass Film Days, now in its 13th season, will present 31 film screenings and 12 related events over five days, November 13-17, including several premieres. The films reflect the theme “revolutions” and were selected by Film Days Artistic Director Peggy Parsons, founder of the film program at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and Xander Moffat, an independent film producer who serves as technical director and programming coordinator.
“We are really looking forward to this year’s Film Days,” said Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000. “Peggy and Xander have put together a wonderful slate of films, and with the filmmakers coming, parties and food tie-ins, the art exhibit, guided walks, trivia, free films and more, we are glad to offer Cooperstown and the region a dynamic and full five-day festival.” Film Days is a program of Otsego 2000.
Film Premieres
“Grains of Sand” will make its North American festival premiere at Glimmerglass Film Days. Filmed over eight years, “Grains of Sand” accompanies the filmmaker’s mother and mother-in-law, artists and close friends, as they enter their ninth decade. Through conversation, memories, and artwork, along with reflections by the filmmaker herself, they create together a positive, different kind of “coming-of-age” story that turns common perceptions of aging upside down.
Director/Producer Sarah Gross, who will participate in a Q&A after the film, said “Grains of Sand is a testament to the power of art and friendship and a personal exploration of what it means to age and continue becoming oneself. In the true sense of the phrase, it is a story of two women’s coming-of-age at 80.”
The film “Rule of Stone” will have its New York State premiere at Film Days. This documentary exposes and examines the power of architecture and the role it has played in the creation of modern Jerusalem.
“Ride the Line” will have its Upstate New York premiere. The film was created as the filmmaker, Ihor Volochii, and a friend cycled 1,500 km along the entire front line in Ukraine to raise funds for Ukrainian soldiers.
“I’m really addicted to cycling, but even more I love my country, and this film was born out of this love,” said Volochii.
“Being able to feature more premieres is a sign that Glimmerglass Film Days is putting itself more firmly on the festival calendar,” said Moffat. “Some of that has to do with the outsized recognition Cooperstown itself enjoys, but it’s also a testament to the quality of our community of filmgoers, creating a generous and receptive environment for these films.”
Special Guests
Glimmerglass Film Days begins on Thursday, November 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the opening film, “Apple Cider Vinegar” (Sofie Benoot, 2024, USA, 80 minutes). The hall’s Grandstand Theater will also be the venue for “Teenage Wasteland,” (Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, 2025, USA, 100 minutes) with film subject and retired Middletown, NY teacher Fred Issek in attendance on November 14; “Observer” (Ian Cheney, 2025, USA, 94 minutes) on November 15; “The Golden Spurtle” (Constantine Costi, 2025, UK, 75 minutes) on November 16; and the closing film, “Cover-Up” (Mark Obenhaus, Laura Poitras, 2025, USA, 117 minutes) on November 17.
In addition to Fred Issek and Sarah Gross, filmmakers and guests attending Glimmerglass Film Days include: Paul Wagner and Ellen Casey Wagner (“Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light”), Robert Borgatti and Paul Lamont (“America’s Stairway”), Sam Fleischner (“Jetty”), Victoria Kupchinetsky and Peter Hutchison (“Calico Rebellion”), Ilana Trachtman (“Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round”), and Sasha Wortzel (“River of Grass”).
“The filmmakers and guest speakers really enrich the Film Days experience,” said Pope.
Art Exhibit and Events
The 2025 Film Days companion art exhibition, “Revolutions, Considered,” features works by Tom Nussbaum, James Herman and Jim Sullivan. The exhibition, curated by Sydney L. Waller, a founding member of the Film Days Steering Committee, will be on view at The Smithy, 55 Pioneer Street in Cooperstown, November 13-17 from noon to 5 p.m., and other times by appointment.
Free guided walks will be held during the festival, including a bird walk led by the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, a tree walk with the Otsego County Conservation Association, a beaver walk at Lordsland Preserve with the Otsego Land Trust, and an historic preservation walk, “Evolution or Revolution,” in Cooperstown with Otsego 2000 and led by Dr. Cindy Falk.
Film Days Trivia will be held at The Local Bird, 139 Main Street in Cooperstown, on Saturday, November 15 at 7 p.m. Food events include the Opening Party, Closing Party, a Mid-Festival Fall Supper, and a Sunday Brunch.
Venues
Films will be shown at multiple Cooperstown locations: the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (25 Main Street), Fenimore Art Museum (5798 State Highway 80), Fenimore Farm and Country Village (5775 State Highway 80), Templeton Hall (63 Pioneer Street), and Cooperstown Coworks (6 Doubleday Court). The full schedule, including film trailers, is available at glimmerglassfilmdays.org.
Tickets and Free Films
Film Days offers two free films, “Jetty,” with director Sam Fleischner in attendance, on Friday, November 14 at 12:30 p.m., and “Into the Wonderwoods” on Saturday, November 15 at 1 p.m. at the Village Hall. The latter is an animated film about a 10-year-old boy who gets lost in a mysterious world while trying to reunite with his family.
Most film tickets are $8.00 in advance, $10.00 at the door. Tickets to events with food, including “Local Hero” and “Shelf Life,” range from $12.00-$50.00 when purchased in advance, higher when purchased at the door. See full schedule and purchase tickets or reserve tickets for the two free films at glimmerglassfilmdays.org. Tickets will be sold at the door as well.
Glimmerglass Film Days is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film Days also is funded by The Scriven Foundation. Benefactor Level sponsors include Doreen DeNicola/DeNicola Design LLC; Five Star Subaru; S. Tier French; and Tim and Alison Lord. Director Level sponsors include Carol Beechy and Katie Boardman; blackstanleystudios; the Blue Mingo Grill; Jay Bosley and Hudi Podolsky; Eva Davy; Faith Gay and Francesca Zambello; the Raymond Han and Paul Kellogg Foundation; Patricia and Robert Hanft; the Emery C. Jr./Nancy F. Herman Fund; Allison and Keyes Hill-Edgar; Robert Nelson and Van Broughton Ramsey; Peter Regan and Aviva Schneider; and the White House Inn.
Additional sponsors can be found at glimmerglassfilmdays.org.
