UTICA – Utica University’s free Films on Thursday series returns this Fall with the following lineup:
AUG 27 Shari & Lamb Chop (2023, USA, dir. Lisa D’Apolito, 92 minutes)
Shari Lewis was a talented singer, dancer and magician, but she’s best known as the ventriloquist who brought sock puppets to life – especially one named Lamb Chop. The award-winning children’s television pioneer is celebrated in this documentary that traces her life and career with rare clips and insightful interviews.
SEP 3 All Night Long (1962, UK, dir. Basil Dearden, 91 Minutes)
Imagine Shakespeare’s Othello unfolding over the course of one evening in a sixties London jazz club as a singer and piano player find their first anniversary celebration disrupted by a jealous drummer. Add in rare on-screen performances by Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, and other jazz musicians and the result is a uniquely stylish noir film.
SEP 10 Late Shift (2025, Switzerland/Germany, dir. Petra Volpe, 91 minutes)
A nurse at an understaffed hospital surgical ward deals with relentless demands for her time and attention while trying to give her patients proper care in this fast-paced homage to the nursing profession that deftly documents the emotional and physical toll faced by frontline healthcare workers.
SEP 17 Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It (2024, USA, dir. Paris Barclay, 105 minutes)
A Grammy-winning superstar and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Billy Preston was a dynamic singer and keyboardist who played with The Beatles, Ray Charles, and The Rolling Stones. Using extensive archival footage, this documentary tracks Preston’s musical highs and the hidden personal struggles that derailed his life.
SEP 24 Eat Drink Man Woman (1994, Taiwan, dir. Ang Lee, 124 minutes)
Tao Chu is a widower and master chef who prepares elaborate feasts for his three daughters but struggles to communicate with them. Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, this enduring comedy about love, relationships, and yes, food, is filled with unexpected and hilarious twists.
OCT 1 Ghost Elephants (2025, USA, dir. Werner Herzog, 98 minutes)
This visually stunning documentary follows National Geographic Explorers and KhoiSan master trackers in their search of an elusive Ghost Elephant herd believed to be living in a remote section of Angola. Is the Ghost Elephant the living descendant of the largest land mammal ever recorded? Or is it just a myth?
OCT 8 Köln 75 (2025, Germany, dir. Ido Fluk, 117 minutes)
On January 24, 1975, Keith Jarrett recorded a solo piano concert that’s sold more than 3 million copies and influenced pianists across the globe. The little-known story behind the legendary performance is how Vera Brandes, an enthusiastic, irrepressible 18-year concert promoter, orchestrated the event and rescued it from almost certain failure.
OCT 15 To Sir, With Love (1967, UK, dir. James Clavell, 105 minutes)
Sidney Poitier stars in this classic drama about an out-of-work engineer from British Guiana who takes a position as a high school teacher in London’s tough East End. Faced with a group of unruly students that have little regard for their future, he must figure out how to make them believe in themselves.
All films are shown at 7 p.m. in Macfarlane Auditorium in Utica University’s DePerno Hall and are free and open to the general public.
More information about the Fall 2026 film series, including the campus map and parking information, is available at https://www.utica.edu/film.
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