10th Annual Nyack International Film Festival Starts Saturday

NYACK, NY — NIFF is back. Celebrating its 10th year, the Nyack International Film Festival presents five nights of fun, intriguing and thought-provoking films starting Aug. 14-18.

It all takes place at the Hotel Nyack — except for the final event, a free outdoor film screening of VIRGIN BLACKTOP: A New York Skate Odyssey, an uplifting and sometimes heart-breaking coming-of-age story about a funky crew of suburban kids from Rockland County. When they met in 1977, they had nothing in common except a passion for skateboarding. Despite their vastly different ages, races and economic backgrounds, they formed a competitive, traveling team of spirited outsiders called the “Wizards.” Over the more than 40 years since they first got together, their lives led them down widely diverging paths — from boardrooms to jail cells and much in between. But the bond of their early friendship remains unchanged to this day.

Artists from across the world were considered for this year's festival, which consists of 64 films. It promises to be an exciting one with the most eclectic collections of films ever seen in the area, organizers said.

Visit nyackfilmfestival.com for the full schedule of films and to buy tickets.

VIRGIN BLACKTOP: A New York Skate Odyssey will be shown in Nyack Memorial Park at 8 p.m. Aug. 19. Bring a blanket, or better yet, lawn chairs. Rain date: Aug. 20. There will be a Zoom film discussion with the director and other members of the Wizards Aug. 23. Check rivertownfilm.org for more info.