Two southern Connecticut towns — Mystic and Ridgefield — host film festivals from Oct. 18 to 21 with a variety of independent movies, some of them shot in the state.
Mystic Film Festival
Mystic Film Festival makes its debut run with screenings at Mystic Luxury Cinemas, 27 Coogan Blvd., and Mystic Noank Library, 40 Library St. Library admission is a suggested donation of $5. Cinema admission is $17, $12 matinees.
Details, including short-film titles and schedules, panel discussions, awards ceremony, director Q&As and tickets: mysticfilmfestival.com.
Oct. 18, 7 p.m.: “Starfish,” a drama about grief, filmed in Westbrook. Preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a cocktail reception, at the cinema.
Oct. 19, 1:45 p.m.: “Stroop: Journey Into the Rhino Horn War,” a documentary, at the library.
Oct. 19, 2 p.m.: “The Song of Sway Lake,” a drama about a plot to steal a rare record album, at the cinema.
Oct. 19, 7:45 p.m.: “Long Lost,” a thriller, filmed in Greenwich, about a mansion full of mysterious people, at the library.
Oct. 20, at 11:15 a.m.: “120 Years,” a documentary about Scott Lewis of New Haven, who spent 20 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, at the library.
Oct. 20, 12:30 p.m.: Screening of pilot of series “Mystic,” filmed in town, followed by Q&A with producers and cast, at the library.
Oct. 20, 1:45 p.m.: “Rodents of Unusual Size,” a documentary about nutria swamp rats. Followed by Q&A, at the library.
Oct. 20, 3:45 p.m.: “Virgin Blacktop: A New York Skate Odyssey,” doc about a community of youths. Followed by Q&A with director Charlie Samuels.
Oct. 20, 8:15 p.m.: “Human Affairs,” a drama about a surrogate mother, at the library.
Oct. 21, 4 p.m.: “Lobster War: The Fight Over the World’s Richest Fishing Grounds,” a documentary, at the cinema.
Oct. 21, 4 p.m.: “The Iron Orchard,” a drama about a Texas oil field worker, at the library.
Ridgefield Independent Film Festival
The third annual Ridgefield Independent Film Festival will feature events at several venues in Ridgefield, including screenings, panel discussions, a dance party, a scavenger hunt, a pancake breakfast, parties, an awards ceremony and two movies called “The Guardians.”
It also will feature an presentation by actress Allison Williams (“Get Out”), a native of New Canaan, followed by a reception on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main St.
The showcase film will be Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. with the Connecticut premiere of “Wildlife,” a story of a marriage in 1960s Montana starring Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Wilton native Paul Dano. It will be at Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge.
Unless otherwise noted, admission to the Playhouse ranges from $10 to $20. Admission to Ridgefield Theater Barn, 37 Haplin Lane, is $12.50, $10 seniors, $7.50 teens. Admission to Keeler Tavern Museum, 132 Main St., and at Ridgefield Library, 472 Main St., is $7.50, $5 seniors and students, $2.50 for younger than 10. Admission to Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, 444 Main St., are $15, $10 18 and younger, $20 for the film and party. There are also multiple-film passes. For details, including tickets sales, short-film lineups, director Q&As and tickets, visit riffct.org.
The Schedule
Oct. 18, 10 a.m.: “Intelligent Lives,” a documentary about intellectual disabilities, at the library.
Oct. 18, at noon: “Mary Goes Round,” a drama about an alcoholic substance-abuse counselor, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 18, 1 p.m.: “Dawnland,” a documentary about Native American children forced to live with white families, at the library.
Oct. 18, 2 p.m.: “Wake,” a comic drama about a mortician given a strange gift, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 18, at 3 p.m.: “The Guardians,” a documentary about illegal logging in Mexico, at the library.
Oct. 18, 4 p.m.: “Dad is Pretty,” a Korean drama about a cross-dressing resort, at the Playhouse
Oct. 18, 6 p.m.: “Beauty Mark,” a drama about a poor woman at a crossroads in life, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 18, at 7 p.m.: “Danseur,” a documentary about boys who study ballet, at the conservatory, followed by party.
Oct. 18, 8 p.m.: “Wildlife,” the story of a marriage starring Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 19, at 10 a.m.: “Limits of My World,” a documentary about a nonverbal man, at the library.
Oct. 19, at noon: “From Seed to Seed,” a documentary about organic agriculture, at the library.
Oct. 19, at 2 p.m.: “Catching Sight of Thelma and Louise,” a documentary about how women see the world, at the library.
Oct. 19, at 3 p.m.: “Nostoros,” a friendship drama set during an election in Spain, at Keeler.
Oct. 19, at 4 p.m.: “The Guardians,” a documentary about elder financial abuse, at the library.
Oct. 19, at 5 p.m.: “For the Birds,” a documentary about animal welfare, at Keeler.
Oct. 19, at 7 p.m.: “The Devil We Know,” a documentary about water contamination by industrial giant DuPont, at Keeler.
Oct. 19, at 9 p.m.: “High Resolution,” a drama about a courtship filmed for posterity, at the theater barn.
Oct. 20, at 10 a.m.: “Tre Maison Dasan,” a documentary about children with parents in prison, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 20, at 11 a.m.: PBS host Richard Wiese will show clips from his show “Born to Explore” at the library.
Oct. 20, at noon: “The California No,” a comedy about a man’s open marriage, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 20, at 2 p.m.: “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland,” a documentary, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 20, at 3 p.m.: “Rise of the Warrior Apes,” a documentary about chimpanzees, at the library.
Oct. 20, at 3 p.m.: “The Divine Order,” a drama about women’s rights in Switzerland, at Keeler.
Oct. 20, at 6 p.m.: “Are You Glad I’m Here,” a drama about two women who accidentally become partners in crimes, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 20, at 8 p.m., “2030,” a documentary about futurism, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 20, at 9 p.m.: “Find This Dumb Little Bitch and Throw Her Into the River,” a drama about an online video, at the theater barn.
Oct. 21, at 10:30 a.m. “Vermont Fancy,” a documentary about maple sugaring, with a pancake breakfast, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 21, at noon: “Concerto,” a documentary about two brothers and their unstable father, at the Playhouse.
Oct. 21, at 2 p.m.: “This is Home,” a documentary about refugees, at the Playhouse.
