VIRTUAL CINEMA SCREENINGS
The Downing Film Center remains temporarily closed.
However, a number of specialty distributors are partnering with us to provide access to their films online, so you can continue indulge your love of cinema—virtually—while we all remain safely at home. In addition, you’ll be supporting the Downing Film Center because a portion of each ticket purchase will go directly to the Downing!
The following films will be available beginning on Friday, April 3:
Bacurau
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
Saint Frances
Sorry We Missed You
The Whistlers
Note that to support the Downing, you must use the purchasing links in our eNews or the PURCHASE buttons on our website, which lead to the Downing’s designated purchase page for each film.
Click here for additional information about this program, and scroll down for details about the films.
Winner of Jury Prize for Best Film at the Cannes Film Festival
Bacurau
Not Rated
Directed by Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça
Starring Bárbara Colen, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira
In English and Portuguese with English subtitles
131 min | Action/Adventure/Mystery| 2019
A few years from now… Bacurau, a small village in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants (among them Sônia Braga) notice that their village has literally vanished from online maps and a UFO-shaped drone is seen flying overhead. There are forces that want to expel them from their homes, and soon, in a genre-bending twist, a band of armed mercenaries led by Udo Kier arrive in town picking off the inhabitants one by one. A fierce confrontation takes place when the townspeople turn the tables on the villainous outsiders, banding together by any means necessary to protect and maintain their remote community. The mercenaries just may have met their match in the fed-up, resourceful denizens of little Bacurau.
—Kino Lorber
Cost: $12 for 48-hour viewing access
A percentage of the purchase price will go to the Downing.
Once Were Brothers
Rated R
113 min | Documentary | 2019
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie alongside the four other men who would become hi brothers in music and who together made their mark on music history. Once Were Brothers blends rare archival footage, photography iconic songs and interviews with many of Robertson’s friends and collaborators including Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison Martin Scorsese, Peter Gabriel, Taj Mahal, Dominique Robertson, Ronnie Hawkins, and more.
—Magnolia Pictures
Cost: $12. Available to view for 30 days after purchase, and you’ll have 72 hours to finish once you’ve started watching.
A percentage of the purchase price will go to the Downing.
Saint Frances
Not Rated
Directed by Alex Thomspon | In English
Starring Kelly O’Sullivan, Charin Alvarez, and Braden Crothers
106 min | Comedy/Drama | 2019
Flailing thirty-four-year-old Bridget (Kelly O’Sullivan) finally catches a break when she meets a nice guy and lands a much-needed job nannying six-year-old Frances (played by a scene-stealing Ramona Edith-Williams). But an unwanted pregnancy introduces an unexpected complication. To make matters worse, she clashes with the obstinate Frances and struggles to navigate a growing tension between Frances’s moms. Amidst her tempestuous personal relationships, a reluctant friendship with Frances emerges, and Bridget contends with the inevitable joys and shit-shows of becoming a part of someone else’s family.
Cost: $10 for 48-hour viewing access
A percentage of the purchase price will go to the Downing.
Sorry We Missed You
Not Rated
Directed by Ken Loach | In English
Starring Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, and Rhys Stone
61 min | Drama | 2019
Ricky, a former laborer, and his home-attendant wife Abby-who lost their home in the 2008 financial crash-are desperate to get out of their financial distress. When an opportunity comes up for Ricky to work as his own boss as a delivery driver, they sell their only asset, Abby’s car, to trade it in for a shiny new white van and the dream that Ricky can work his way up to someday owning his own delivery franchise. But the couple find their lives are quickly pushed further to the edge by an unrelenting work schedule, a ruthless supervisor and the needs of their two teenage children
—Zeitgeist Films
Cost: $12 for 48-hour viewing access
A percentage of the purchase price will go to the Downing.
The Whistlers
Not Rated
Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Starring Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar
In English, Spanish, Romanian
97 min | Comedy/Crime| 2019
Not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off.
—Magnolia Pictures
Cost: $12 for 48-hour viewing access
A percentage of the purchase price will go to the Downing.
Future Possibilities
Our Sponsors
Who Are We
The Downing Film Center is 501(c)(3) member-supported nonprofit arts organization dedicated to presenting quality films, not always available locally, and providing cinematic programming from around the world in collaboration with and for the benefit of the Hudson Valley’s diverse communities. The Downing is a free-speech theater that neither censors nor endorses.
Where Are We
The Downing is located at 19 Front Street in Newburgh, New York, on the bottom floor of the former Yellow Bird Gallery building. Our entrance is directly across Front Street from Billy Joe’s Ribworks. Free parking is available in the Newburgh–Beacon Ferry lot, on Water Street, and in the lot behind the theater (access via Carpenter Street). On weekdays, you may find a spot on Front Street.
Seating
Although purchasing an advance ticket guarantees you a seat, it doesn’t guarantee you a particular seat or group of seats—seating is first-come first-served.
The Downing has only 55 seats, so arrive early for the best selection. The screening room opens 30 minutes before showtime. Please don’t save seats for members of your party who have not yet purchased a ticket.
Accessibility
The Downing Film Center is handicapped accessible. If you need our lift and elevator, please let us know in advance. We also ask that you arrive 35–40 minutes before showtime so that we can assist you before the theater gets busy.
We also have assistive listening technology (headphones and closed captioning glasses). Please see our FAQ for details.