Glimmerglass Film Days set for November 11-15 in Cooperstown

Film festival will offer 28 film screenings exploring the theme “Second Nature” and includes a US Premiere

Cooperstown, NY – Glimmerglass Film Days, now in its 14th season, will present a slate of independent films—25 features plus 3 shorts programs— November 11-15 in multiple Cooperstown venues. A program of Otsego 2000, Film Days also will offer filmmaker talks, an art exhibit, parties, trivia, book tie-ins, lodging specials, and guided walks.

“To me, the energy of this year’s Film Days comes from the fact that we find such interesting extremes–from humor to deep sentiment to timeless reflection, back and forth–even within the span of a single film,” says Peggy Parsons, artistic director of Film Days and film curator emerita of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

The films reflect the theme “Second Nature” and were selected by Parsons and Xander Moffat, an independent film producer who serves as Film Days Technical Director and Programming Coordinator. Screenings will be held in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Grandstand Theater, the Fenimore Art Museum auditorium, and pop-up theaters in the Louis C. Jones Center at the Fenimore Farm & Country Village, Templeton Hall, and Cooperstown Coworks.

US Premiere

WATCHING PEOPLE WATCHING BIRDS (Michael Loeken, Ulrike Franke, 2026, Germany, 90 minutes) will have its US premiere at Film Days on Sunday, November 15 at 12:30 pm at the Fenimore Art Museum. Bird populations are declining dramatically just as more people are becoming birdwatchers. The film shifts the focus from the birds back to the people who inspire us with their love for birds and their devotion to nature. One of the featured birdwatchers is the author Jonathan Franzen, who says in the film that wild birds are important because “they represent our last, best connection to a natural world that is otherwise disappearing.”

Films at the Baseball Hall of Fame Grandstand Theater

“We are really lucky to have the Hall of Fame’s recently renovated Grandstand Theater among our local venues. The sound and image are truly on-par with the state-of-the-art experience you’ll find anywhere,” said  Moffat. “Especially if you are new to Film Days, I recommend starting with a film shown at the Hall of Fame.”

Each day at 5:30 pm, films will be shown at the Grandstand Theater at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Opening Film on November 11, WILD INSIDE (Penny Lane, 2026), tells the story of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl that escaped Central Park Zoo and captured the hearts of New Yorkers. On Thursday, November 12, the film at the Hall of Fame will be TIME AND WATER (Sara Dosa, 2026). The film by the director of FIRE OF LOVE which was shown at Film Days in 2022, features Icelandic poet and sci-fi writer Andri Snær Magnason and his work to preserve vanishing glaciers, departed grandparents, family memories, and flowing time in his personal archives, transforming loss into a time capsule.

On Friday, November 13, the 5:30 pm film is WHISPERS IN THE WOODS (Vincent Munier, 2026), celebrated wildlife photographer Vincent Munier, with his father and his young son, explores the mountain forests in eastern France and their shared fascination for wildlife. Saturday, November 14’s 5:30 pm film is THE BEND IN THE RIVER (Robb Moss, 2025) which chronicles five close friends over nearly 50 years, beginning with a 1978 clothing-optional rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. The friends reunite in 2003 in middle age, and again in 2025 as they are in their 70s, inviting candid reflections on what it means to live and grow old. Director Robb Moss will participate in a Q&A after the film. Moss has taught for 40 years in Harvard University’s Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies. His films toggle between the topical and the personal. He has been a creative advisor at the Sundance Institute’s Doc Edit Labs since their inception in 2004 and has served as a festival juror at Sundance and other film festivals.

The Closing Film on November 15 is DEREK VS DEREK (James Dawson, 2026, United Kingdom, 88 minutes). This award-winning documentary follows two implacably opposed neighboring farmers in England—both named Derek—who are driven by opposing perceptions of agriculture. One believes in intensive farming while the other is determined to create an oasis for nature. The result: a film about land use and farming as told by farmers that is equal parts funny, blunt, and heart-warming. Director James Dawson will participate in a Q&A discussion after the film.

Filmmakers and Speakers

Film Days is known for the chance to interact with filmmakers, along with Moss and Dawson, filmmakers coming include: Elizabeth Westrate (JIMMY AND THE DEMONS), Beth Howard (PIEOWA: A PIECE OF AMERICA), Jon Bowermaster (THE KEEPER), Mélissa Lefebvre and Paul Tom (BUBBLES), Byron Leon (SOUL PATROL), Evan Goodchild (THE PAINTED LIFE OF GREGORY GILLESPIE) and Mark Street (RIVER OF DAYS). Guzzy Grashow, who is featured in the film JIMMY AND THE DEMONS, and John Lipscomb, the film subject of THE KEEPER will be in attendance, as will Lipscomb’s dog and first mate Batu. Andrew Earle Simpson, one of the country’s foremost silent film accompanists and composers, will perform for the screening of the 1920 silent film THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. Filmmaker Peter Hutchison, who has had multiple documentaries screened at Film Days and who joined the Film Days Steering Committee this year, will host the Rutkoff Brunch on Sunday, which will explore a question that has run through much of his work: What happens to democracy when wealth and power become increasingly concentrated in fewer hands?  And, Jane Steuerwald, executive director of the Thomas Edison Media Arts Consortium, will present Selections from the Thomas Edison Film Festival.

Companion Art Exhibit and Related Events

The Film Days companion art exhibit, “The Dancer and the Dance,” opens November 7 at The Smithy in Cooperstown, and features works by Jenny Riffle, Zelda Smith, and Georgia b. Smith. Curated by Megan Adams Irving and Sydney L. Waller, the exhibit explores time and materiality through sculpture, dance, narrative, and photography. The exhibit will be on view November 12-15 from 12 pm to 5 pm, and a coffee with the artists will be held November 15 at 4:30 pm.  Other related events include Film Days Trivia at the Local Bird on November 13, a pop-up bookstore at the Fenimore Art Museum with titles related to the films for sale, hosted by Jim Havener of the Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta, and free guided walks on November 11, 14, and 15. The full schedule of 25 feature films, 3 shorts programs, and related events is available at glimmerglassfilmdays.org.
Tickets, Passes, and Free Films

This year, there are two free films, SALLIE’S ASHES on Friday, November 13 and MONSTERS, INC. on Sunday, November 15. Tickets can be reserved online.

Most other film tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. A Take Five Pass includes five film tickets for $35, a 30% savings off the door price. The screening of the 1920 silent film THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS with live piano accompaniment is $15. Tickets to parties and events range from $15-$50, when purchased in advance. A limited number of Glimmerglass Passes, which include entry to all films, the Opening and Closing Parties, the Taste of the Italian Riviera Mid-Festival Supper, and Sunday Rutkoff Brunch, are available for $295. Patron Passes, available for $495, include everything in a Glimmerglass Pass, plus a $200 tax-deductible donation to support the future of Film Days.  Passes and tickets can be purchased online at glimmerglassfilmdays.org or in person at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, 101 Main Street in Pioneer Alley, Cooperstown on October 31 and November 7 from 9 am – 2pm.

The Fenimore Farm & Country Village will have concessions for sale for films shown in the Jones Center. In addition, pre-order lunch boxes from Brimstone Bakery are available for delivery to the Fenimore Farm on November 12-15. “It’s a convenient option for people who are watching multiple films at the Fenimore Farm and/or the Fenimore Art Museum,” said Ellen Pope, executive director of Otsego 2000, who also noted that there will be cash bar available for the events at Templeton Hall.

Lodging Specials

Five hotels are offering lodging specials during Film Days.

“When we founded Film Days, one goal was to encourage people to visit Cooperstown during the shoulder season,” said Pope. “In 2025, our audience included people from across New York State and 15 other states, so along with our loyal core of locals, more people are traveling to come to Film Days.” She said details on the rates can be found at glimmerglassfilmdays.org.
Sponsors and Grants

Glimmerglass Film Days is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film Days also is funded by the Scriven Foundation and the Otsego County Government. Lion Level sponsors include Doreen DeNicola/DeNicola Design LLC; Five Star Subaru; and S. Tier French. Benefactor Level sponsors are: Bruce Caswell and Lauren Deichman; Faith Gay and Francesca Zambello; Robert Nelson and Van Broughton Ramsey; and Springbrook. Director Level sponsors include, Arkell Museum and Canajoharie Library, Blue Mingo Grill, Jay Bosley and Hudi Podolsky, Cooperstown Natural Foods, Eva Davy, Dominick and Georgina Fontana, Glimmerglass Festival, Raymond Han and Paul Kellogg Foundation, Patricia and Robert Hanft, Allison and Keyes Hill-Edgar, Alison and Tim Lord, Peter Regan and Aviva Schneider, David Strogatz and Rosalind Thomas, and The White House Inn. Additional sponsors can be found at glimmerglassfilmdays.org.

About Otsego 2000

Otsego 2000 is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1981 to ensure the Otsego Lake region remains a masterpiece of nature by protecting and supporting its environmental, scenic, cultural, historic, and agricultural resources as well as its economic well-being. Otsego 2000 accomplishes its mission through programs like Glimmerglass Film Days, the year-round Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, Otsego Outdoors, historic preservation initiatives, and environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.otsego2000.org.