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UNIVERSITY PARK -- The Centre Film Festival will open its eighth annual event with film screenings in State College and Philipsburg in November, while a new European Union-supported initiative at Penn State will expand the festival’s connections to international cinema and academic research.
The festival, scheduled for Nov. 2-8, will feature films, workshops, masterclasses and discussions with visiting filmmakers. Opening programs are planned for Nov. 2 at the State Theatre in State College and Nov. 6 at the Rowland Theatre in Philipsburg.
The full festival lineup will be announced at 2 p.m. Oct. 20 at 3 Dots Downtown in State College, which will serve as a festival venue and filmmaker lounge.
The State Theatre’s opening program begins at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 with “Kiloran Bay,” a musical short written and directed by Michael Bruce and starring Alan Cumming and Jack Wolfe.
Set in the Scottish Hebrides during a wedding celebration, the film follows a man who returns to Scotland with his partner and confronts memories from his past.
The short will be followed by “La Bola Negra,” a Spanish film directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. Screening ahead of its Netflix release, the film follows three men across generations while examining identity, historical memory and the consequences of silence.
A question-and-answer session will follow the screening.
The Rowland Theatre will open its festival programming Nov. 6 with “Jimmy,” a film about Pennsylvania native and actor Jimmy Stewart.
Directed by Aaron Burns and starring KJ Apa as Stewart, the film follows the actor’s career from Hollywood success through his service as a combat pilot during World War II and his return to acting.
The cast also includes Max Casella, Kara Killmer, Sarah Drew, Jen Lilley and Karolyn Grimes.
Presented in recognition of Veterans Day, the screening will be preceded by “Anodynus,” a short film directed by Luke Charles Fisher.
The film follows a young American veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder who repeatedly listens to the final voicemail from a fellow service member who died under suspicious circumstances. While attending his friend’s funeral, he meets a singer, and the two begin searching for answers.
Tickets are available for both opening programs at CentreFilm.org. The first 100 people to purchase tickets for “Jimmy” will receive a commemorative movie patch.
Tickets for veterans are sponsored through Vet Tix, with registration required at VetTix.org.
Beyond the screenings, the festival has received international recognition through a new academic partnership with Penn State.
The Centre Film Festival will help anchor a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, supported by the European Commission through Erasmus+, the European Union’s education and cultural exchange program.
Penn State is one of two U.S. institutions selected for the designation in 2026, according to festival organizers.
The three-year initiative will use cinema to connect European Union studies, academic research and public programming. It will bring together Penn State students and faculty, filmmakers, scholars and community audiences through screenings, discussions and educational activities.
The initiative will be introduced during the Nov. 2 opening program at the State Theatre.
Pearl Gluck, the festival’s co-founder and artistic director and an associate professor of film production at Penn State, said the recognition builds on the festival’s original mission.
“When the late Curt Chandler and I founded this festival, we wanted local films to have global impact and global films to have local impact,” Gluck said.
The center will support teaching, research and exchanges involving filmmakers and scholars, with an emphasis on European cinema, cultural policy and the creative economy.
The festival also provides opportunities for Penn State students to participate in filmmaking, communications, technology, design and other aspects of event production.
This year’s programming will include films by high school students and established filmmakers, family-friendly screenings, Pennsylvania-made films and selections recognizing Native American Heritage Month.
An America250 spotlight on Puerto Rico, presented with Happy Valley Latin Fest, will explore the island’s history, culture and creative traditions.
All festival programming is free for students.
Founded in 2019, the Centre Film Festival presents screenings and related events at Penn State’s University Park campus and venues throughout Centre County.
For tickets, schedules and additional information, visit CentreFilm.org.