West Orange Classic Film Festival Will Return For 2024

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the West Orange Arts Council. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

In 2024, the West Orange Classic Film Festival will return for its 18th season with a slew of Oscar-honored dramatic films and hilarious comedy classics.

It all unspools from January 21 through March 3 in the town where Thomas Edison invented movies. The festival offers cinema lovers a chance to experience their favorite films as they were meant to be seen - on the big screen!

As a bonus, each film is accompanied by an introduction beforehand and an interactive Q&A afterward by noted guest speakers. There will also be fantastic raffle prizes available related to the films being shown.

All film screenings take place Sundays at the AMC Theatre in the Essex Green Shopping Center (495 Prospect Avenue, West Orange) at 2 p.m. (There is no screening on Super Bowl Weekend – February 11th).

Tickets are $15 per screening and must be purchased in advance on Eventbrite.

January 21: Chinatown (1974) with film historian, author, and critic Stephen Whitty. A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder. A seminal neo-noir dripping with atmosphere.

Starring Jack Nicolson and Faye Dunaway. Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture. 50th anniversary!

January 28: In the Heat of the Night (1967) with film historian, professor, and filmmaker Chriss Williams. African-American big-city police detective Virgil Tibbs finds himself tracking down a killer in rural Mississippi. making both enemies and unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Academy Award Winner for Best Picture.

February 4: Laurel & Hardy at Work (1930-33) with film historian, author, and comics and animation writer, Paul Castiglia. Four beautifully restored and hilarious Laurel & Hardy shorts featuring the classic comedy duo both on the job and being "handy" around the house.

Featuring BUSY BODIES, HOG WILD, TOWED IN A HOLE, and HELPMATES.

February 18: The Conversation (1974) with film historian, author, and critic Stephen Whitty. A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. Written, Produced, and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

With Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Cindy Williams, and Harrison Ford. Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture. 50th anniversary!

February 25: The Quiet Man (1952) with Author and Doctor of Letters in Irish Studies, Alan Delozier. After an accident in the ring, boxer Sean Thornton leaves America and returns to his native Ireland, hoping to buy his family's homestead and live in peace.

Chosen by West Orange Classic Film Festival attendees in a poll of Irish-themed films! Academy Award Nominee for Best Picture.

March 3: The In-Laws (1979) with Pop Culture Connoisseur John Chasse. On the eve of their children's wedding, newly-introduced in-laws Sheldon Kornpett and Vince Ricardo become immersed in a series of wild and wacky misadventures that just might get them killed before the vows are spoken!

Chosen by West Orange Classic Film Festival attendees in a poll of classic comedy films! Watch for legendary conductor Carmen Dragon leading the Paramus Philharmonic!

The West Orange Classic Film Festival is presented by the West Orange Film Society, part of the West Orange Arts Council, and is co-sponsored by the West Orange Recreation Department.

For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/the-2024-west-orange-classic-film-festival-2975549

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