The Three Rivers Film Festival has been a home for filmmakers the past 35 years, especially those born in Pittsburgh. And with 26 events in just five days, Film Pittsburgh’s inaugural year of programming is set to highlight many meaningful Steel City connections.
Kathryn Spitz Cohan, executive director of the nonprofit Film Pittsburgh (formerly JFilm), said that in such a small film market, the festival serves a vital role.
“It gives you an opportunity to see films that you would never see in Pittsburgh, and that’s the point,” she said. “These films are one shot only, one night only.”
To kick off the jam-packed schedule, Three Rivers opens with the frank documentary “The Freedom to Marry,” at 7 tonight at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Downtown.
Boasting two Pittsburgh natives, director Eddie Rosenstein and protagonist Evan Wolfson, the film zooms in on a historic moment that took place less than two years ago — the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Obergefell v. Hodges case, which legalized same-sex marriage in all states.
A catered reception featuring a Q&A session with Mr. Rosenstein, Mr. Wolfson and the ACLU-PA’s Vic Walczak follows the screening.
But the festival is not all about documentaries. There are traditional art house films such as “Neruda,” whimsical cinematographic features such as “Lost in Paris” and “glorious remakes” such as the German subtitled “Heidi,” which Ms. Spitz Cohan lauds for its artistry.
“Halfway” — a drama featuring “The Blind Side” star Quinton Aaron — challenges the failed American prison system. The story centers around a recently released prisoner dropped into rural Wisconsin and left to his own devices as the only black man in town.
The film, directed by Carnegie Mellon University graduate Johnny Patterson, speaks to Ms. Spitz Cohan’s dedication to feature native producers and filmmakers in her first year organizing the Three Rivers Film Festival.
“We certainly paid attention to films submitted to us that have a Pittsburgh connection,” Ms. Spitz Cohan said.
The festival opens at the August Wilson Center tonight at 7 and runs through Sunday at various locations. For more information about the festival: filmpittsburgh.org. Student discounts are available and tickets may be purchased at http://filmpittsburgh.org/.
Courtney Linder: clinder@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1707. Twitter: @CNL_13.
THURSDAY
“Neruda”: The life of Nobel Prize-winning poet/politician Pablo Neruda, 6:15 p.m., Regent Square Theatre (RST), Regent Square.
“A Song For You: The Austin City Limits Story”: Archival footage, interviews and behind-the-scenes insight from guests and crew of the music show. 7 p.m., Harris Theater, Downtown.
“Halfway”: Recently released convict is sent to live on a relative’s farm in Wisconsin, 7 p.m., Melwood Screening Room, Oakland.
“Kamper”: Acerbic take on millennial marriage, 8:45 p.m., RST.
FRIDAY
“Kelly’s Hollywood”: Siblings try to make it in Hollywood, 6:45 p.m., Melwood.
“Lost in Paris”: A small-town Canadian librarian meets a Chaplinesque tramp, 7 p.m., RST.
“Always Shine”: Two longtime friends pursue acting careers, 9:15 p.m., Melwood
“Trespass Against Us”: Chad Cutler (Michael Fassbender) tries to break away from family crime business in this outlaw drama from Adam Smith (Doctor Who), 9:15 p.m., RST.
SATURDAY
“A Quiet Passion”: Emily Dickinson biopic starring Cynthia Nixon, 1 p.m., RST.
“Contemporary Color”: David Byrne stages a Color Guard event in Brooklyn, 2:30 p.m., Harris.
Independent Filmmaking in Pittsburgh: 4:30 p.m., Melwood.
“Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise”: Portrait of the poet/writer/activist, 5 p.m., Harris.
“Variete”: Newly restored version of the silent German classic, 7 p.m., RST.
Shorts Program: Recent short-form work with local connections, 7 p.m., Melwood (and 1 p.m. Sunday).
“Blindness”: Based on real events in the life of Julia Brystiger, a high-ranking officer who led brutal purges against dissidents during Poland’s Stalinist era, 8 p.m., Harris.
“Apprentice”: Drama about young correctional officer and the prison’s highly skilled executioner, 9:30 p.m., RST.
“Kate Plays Christine”: Nonfiction psychological thriller starring Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards) as actress preparing to play Florida newscaster who committed suicide live on-air in 1974, 9:30 p.m., Melwood.
SUNDAY
“The Last Family”: Unsettling portrait of Polish surrealist painter Zdzisław Beksiński, 1 p.m., RST.
“Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent”: Story of celebrity chef Jeremiah Tower, 1 p.m., Harris.
“Hunter Gatherer”: Andre Royo (“The Wire”) plays a man restarting his life after three years in prison, 3:30 p.m., Harris.
“Heidi”: Adaptation of the classic, 3:30 p.m., Melwood.
“The Father and the Bear”: Uplifting drama about a retired character actor diagnosed with dementia, 4 p.m., RST.
“Tower”: Documentary about the mass shooting at University of Texas’ Austin campus 50-plus years ago, 6 p.m. Harris.
“One Week and a Day”: The two misfits embark on a tragicomical journey, 7 p.m., RST.
First Published: November 16, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
