Munson-Williams Film Series May 2021 • Sponsored by M&T Bank
The Courier May 5 & 7 Directed by Dominic Cooke, 2021, United Kingdom, Rated PG-13, 112 min.
The Courier is a true-life spy thriller, the story of an unassuming British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) recruited into one of the greatest international conflicts in history. At the behest of the UK’s MI-6 and a CIA operative (Rachel Brosnahan), he forms a covert, dangerous partnership with Soviet officer Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) in an effort to provide crucial intelligence needed to prevent a nuclear confrontation and defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.
My Salinger Year May 12 & 14 Directed by Philippe Falardeau, 2021, United States, Rated R, 102 min.
New York in the ‘90s: After leaving graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, Joanna (Margaret Qualley) is hired as an assistant to Margaret (Sigourney Weaver), the stoic and old-fashioned literary agent of J. D. Salinger. Fluctuating between poverty and glamour, she spends her days in a plush, wood-paneled office—where dictaphones and typewriters still reign and agents doze off after three-martini lunches—and her nights in a sink-less Brooklyn apartment with her socialist boyfriend. Joanna’s main task is processing Salinger’s voluminous fan mail, but as she reads the heart-wrenching letters from around the world, she becomes reluctant to send the agency’s impersonal standard letter and impulsively begins personalizing the responses. The results are both humorous and moving, as Joanna, while using the great writer’s voice, begins to discover her own.
Nomadland May 19 & 21 Directed by Chloé Zhao, 2021, United States, Rated R, 107 min.
Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand, Academy Award nominee for Best Actress) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao (Songs My Brothers Taught Me), Nomadland features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West. Golden Globe winner for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director. Nomadland is also winner of Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography at the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards; the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival; and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (McDormand), Best Director and Best Cinematography!
The Truffle Hunters May 26 & 28 Co-Directed by Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw, 2021, United States/Italy, Rated PG-13, 104 min.
Deep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of men, seventy or eighty years young, hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle—which to date has resisted all of modern science's efforts at cultivation. They are guided by a secret culture and training passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly trained dogs. They live a simpler, slower way of life, in harmony with their loyal animals and their picture-perfect land, seemingly straight out of a fairy tale. The demand for white truffles increases year after year, even as the supply decreases. Because of climate change, deforestation, and the lack of young people taking up the mantle, the truffle hunters' secrets are more coveted than ever. However, as it soon becomes clear, these ageing men may just hold something much more valuable than even this prized delicacy: the secret to a rich and meaningful life.
Born in Utica, NY and a graduate of New Hartford High School, Co-Director Gregory Kershaw is a documentary and narrative filmmaker whose work explores the complexity of humans confronting an ever-changing world. The Truffle Hunters, which Kershaw directed, shot, and produced with filmmaking partner Michael Dweck, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for the 2021 Oscars.
Co-Director Michael Dweck is an award-winning filmmaker and visual artist known for his narrative photographic and film projects. His projects incorporate mediums ranging from film and sound to photography and sculpture. His works have been featured in solo and group exhibitions at museums and galleries worldwide. Dweck holds a degree in Fine Art from Pratt Institute.
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All films are shown in the Sinnott Family - Bank of Utica Auditorium at Munson-Williams on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and Fridays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. All titles and dates are subject to change.
Ticket prices for all screenings: Film Passbooks: Munson-Williams Members: $7 Munson-Williams Members $55 General: $9 General Admission: $75 Students: $5 Each Passbook contains ten admissions to the PrattMWP Students: Free Film Series that may be used in any combination. Film Passbooks do not expire.
For more information, or to order advance tickets, please call the Munson-Williams Ticket Office at 315-797-0055 (select option 5).
The MWPAI Film Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.