A Life Illuminated is a documentary that follows the life and career of pioneering marine biologist and deep-sea explorer, Dr. Edith Widder, as she descends 3,300 feet to the bottom of the ocean on an expedition in search of one of the greatest bioluminescent mysteries on our planet. Director Tasha Van Zandt will join post-screening via Zoom for a conversation with Jon Bowermaster. (dir. Tasha Van Zandt, U.S., 2025, 90 mins.)

A mysterious young man from a New York publisher is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith to write one final installment of the Ripley anthology.

The film opens with a robed, profusely bleeding "God" disemboweling himself, with the act ultimately ending in his death. A woman, Mother Earth, emerges from his remains, arouses the body, and impregnates herself with his semen. Becoming pregnant, she wanders off into a vast and barren landscape. The pregnancy manifests in a fully grown convulsing man whom she leaves to his own devices. The "Son of Earth" meets a group of faceless nomads who seize him with what is either a very long umbilical cord or a rope. The Son of Earth vomits organic pieces, and the nomads excitedly accept these as gifts. The nomads finally bring the man to a fire and burn him. "Mother Earth" encounters the resurrected man and comforts him. She seizes the man with a similar umbilical cord. The nomads appear and proceed to rape her. Son of Earth is left to mourn over the lifeless body. A group of characters appears, carry her off and dismember her, later returning for Son of Earth. After he, too, is dismembered, the group buries the remains, planting the parts into the crust of the earth. The burial site becomes lush with flowers.

The legendary maestro Leonard Bernstein—celebrity conductor, composer, and political activist—is thrillingly captured in this archival documentary portrait With Bernstein’s 1989 Christmas Day concert in Berlin as a frame, Douglas Tirola crafts Bernstein’s remarkable career entirely from television interviews, news footage, home movies, audio clips, and personal letters. (dir. Douglas Tirola, U.S., 2026, 105 min.) “Galvanizing. It captures how Leonard Bernstein became the superstar of American high culture. What the documentary captures, profoundly, is that he was a fierce hedonist who worked hard to live the life he wanted.” –Variety

The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's saviour before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.

Live From Upstate Discounted ticket for members + Saugerties (12477) residents (with ID) Join Upstate Films in welcoming Ian Flanigan home for the holidays. A night of storytelling and holiday tunes on an intimate stage in his hometown, by the musician praised by Blake Shelton as a “once-in-a-lifetime vocalist.” Flanigan has since built a career rooted in authenticity, heart, and relentless touring. Originally from Saugerties, NY, Ian began touring independently at just 17 years old, carving his path across the country as a grassroots performer. He’s played renowned stages including Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival,Dripping Springs Songwriters Festival, and Austin City Limits, steadily building a loyal fan base through raw talent and genuine connection. He has shared the stage with Blake Shelton, Parker McCollum, Trace Adkins, Larry Fleet, Bob Schneider, and many more—bringing his commanding presence and heartfelt storytelling to venues and festivals across the country. Whether solo or backed by a full band, Flanigan’s live show is both intimate and unforgettable. Ian Flanigan is a nationally touring singer-songwriter known for his soulful, gravel-toned baritone and standout performances on NBC’s The Voice, where he finished as a Top 3 finalist on Team Blake.

An enduring, singular masterpiece of cinema starring Academy Award®-winner Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed, KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption – and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell. Assembled from the original camera negative, this new 4K restoration presents Ken Russell’s definitive vision of THE DEVILS by referencing the edit he privately constructed in 2004. KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS is the uncut and unfiltered theatrical experience that Russell always envisioned – and the first time the film will be presented restored and in 4K.

followed by A Rare Linton Kwesi Johnson concert from 1985 Restored by the British Film Institute, Franco Rosso’s (Babylon) powerful documentary on legendary dub reggae poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson captures the cultural hero in active protest, in the recording studio, and reading his poetry live. Although the 1975 poem (of the same name as the film) is 50 years old, the film celebrating his verse has barely been seen in North America. It addresses the racial oppression, police brutality and the sociopolitical struggles of the African-Caribbean diaspora in Britain using dub-inflected rhythms. (dir. Franco Rosso, Jamaica/U.K., 1979, 49 min.)

a new ongoing series where live jazz, poetry, and film converge in real time. Led by Grammy-nominated bandleader J.C. Hopkins, the series brings together an evolving lineup of musicians, poets, and filmmakers in a dynamic exchange between sound, language, and moving image. At the center of the series is the J.C. Hopkins Quintet, featuring Malik McLaurine (upright bass), Max Barnes (tenor saxophone), Aaron Yanda (drums), and Desmond Teague (guitar, saxophone). Each performance unfolds as a living conversation—music responding to poetry, film reframing the moment, and improvisation tying it all together. The opening night features poets Sparrow, Lina Stoyanovich, Emily Hollander, Ella Blood, Dante Kanter, and Jonas Kyle, alongside filmmakers Alex Rappoport and Thelonius Hopson. Each installment of Music, Image & Word will present a new lineup of artists, making every evening a singular, unrepeatable experience. Rooted in a downtown tradition of interdisciplinary performance and shaped by the creative energy of the Hudson Valley, the series offers audiences a fresh encounter with live art in motion.

A definitive and unvarnished examination of the controversial and headline-making CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.

Join 90s grunge bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, of HOLE and Smashing Pumpkins fame, as she takes us on a grunge journey through her decade of road photographs. Courtney Love goofing around backstage, self-portraits from sold-out arenas, moody images that mirror the complex grief of losing friends to drugs, suicide and illness. Auf der Maur accidentally became a 1990s musical icon and originally meant to become a photographer, so her archive of this historical time period with her fellow cultural tastemakers is a sometimes brutal but always real slice of touring life.

Filmed at night from Tel Aviv rooftops, this investigative documentary examines the civilian casualties of Israel's military operations in Gaza and the systems behind targeted killings of Palestinians.

In January, 2003, Afropop’s Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre borrowed two movie cameras and headed to the Malian desert to attend the fourth Festival in the Desert. In the rolling white dunes outside Timbuktu, organizers constructed a sound stage and presented three nights of music from Ali Farka Touré, Oumou Sangaré, Lobi Traoré, Tartit, Lojo, Tinariwen and Robert Plant, among others. The Afropop team filmed intimate daytime performances in tents around the site, and spoke deeply with artists about that era’s newfound peace in northern Mali. The resulting film captures a moment of hope and solidarity not to be repeated in our time, not to mention spine-tingling performances by some of Mali’s greatest hidden talents. In subsequent years, as security conditions deteriorated, the Festival was moved into Timbuktu. Its final edition came in 2012, just as Tuareg and Islamist rebels seized control of the region, igniting conflicts that continue to this day. This film stands today as a record of a poignant but perilous time in this fantastically rich musical country. (dir. Banning Eyre and Sean Barlow, Mali/USA, 2003, 42 mins.)

The Hydrosphere is a one day festival exploring our water world in films, books and food; encouraging a dialogue about ocean health, ocean economy, and ocean as sustenance.

With a psychopath named Buffalo Bill murdering women and believing it takes one to know one, the FBI sends Agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to interview a demented prisoner: Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a cannibalistic psychiatrist whose fascination with the young agent is as great as his hunger for murder. As their relationship develops, Starling is forced to confront not only her own demons, but also an evil so powerful she may not have the courage to stop!

Using archival audio, rare footage, and nostalgic interviews with renowned DJs, musicians, and social activists, this story follows the radical underground radio station WBCN-FM. Riding the cultural and political wave of the late 60s and 70s, the young revolutionaries in Boston changed the face of radio, as shown in this time capsule of a documentary. (dir. Bill Lichtenstein, US, 2019, 119 min.) "Lingers in those halcyon days and lets them smolder. Long live the revolution. Long live rock." —Art New England

What I Want You To Know, executive produced by two veterans, is an intimate journey alongside Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as they share deeply personal stories from their deployments and explore truth and justice in the context of their wars. Interspersed with actual images and video from both wars, their stories present an intense and compelling picture of the post-911 wars and their cost to the men and women who fought, and to civilians on the ground.

Thirty-four days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss. From boundary-pushing directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim comes You Can See Everything.