Film festival fun set for August 5-8

Hamilton will be abuzz with award-winning filmmakers and stars when the Hamilton International Film Festival returns to the village from Aug 5-8.

Filmmakers will host discussions, several major features and short fiction films will be screened, and closing night will bring red-carpet arrivals and a dance party to the Palace Theater.

The festival is produced by Slater Brothers Entertainment, which was founded by brothers Wade, Grant and Todd Slater, whose father Terry Slater was the head hockey coach at Colgate University for 15 years.

Grant and Todd Slater and director A.D. Calvo (left to right) attend a reception during last year’s Hamilton Film Festival. (Photo by Heather Ainsworth)

 

One of the event highlights will be a talk with Vicki Abeles, director and producer of Race To Nowhere, the award-winning documentary about the pressures on today’s over-scheduled students. That event will take place at the Colgate Bookstore at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6, before the 8:30 p.m. showing of the film at the Hamilton Theater.

“This is one powerful film that every parent, coach, teacher and high school administrator should see,” said Todd Slater.

In other highlights, Saturday will be a full day for the entire community, beginning with a hunger walk to benefit the Hamilton Food Cupboard, followed by a panel discussion with several filmmakers at the Colgate Inn.

During the day, the big screen will feature Guru of Go, the ESPN feature documentary by Oscar-winning director Bill Couturié about Loyola Marymount basketball star Hank Gathers who collapsed and died on the court in 1990.

Saturday night the festival moves to the Palace Theater for red carpet arrivals beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by Wednesday, a short fiction film, and Crude, the award-winning documentary by Joe Berlinger about the infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” environmental lawsuit. Thereafter, the mood will be considerably lighter as filmmakers and fans mingle and dance to music by The Mark McKay Band.

Sunday, closing day, will be both spooky and sporty, featuring both a short fiction and a feature film about the legendary Micah Rood, the 18th century farmer and his legendary apples, as well as ESPN Films’ Keep Eye On Ball: The Hashim Khan Story.