Pickford Film Center makes the best movies accessible to wide audiences 365 days a year, including special events and festivals in addition to regular screenings. Each October the Pickford showcases Doctober—a month-long documentary film festival dedicated to one of Bellingham’s proven favorite genres, the documentary. Doctober is the largest documentary festival in the Northwest, screening over 40 films in one month. For this festival the Pickford partners with local organizations to bring important issues to the screen; many presentations feature special guests, filmmakers, pre-screening receptions, and guided group discussions.
This year the festival opens on Friday, October 1st and runs through October 28th. The festival schedule will be unveiled on September 17th and tickets for all Doctober films will be available for Pickford Film Center members at that time. Tickets will go live to the public on Monday, September 24th. Doctober is a very popular event, so for first access sign up to be a Pickford Film Center member! Members get discounts on tickets, special events, and popcorn, but members also play a vital role in keeping independent cinema alive and accessible in Bellingham.
Our opening night film is Torn, featuring the film’s director, Max Lowe (son of legendary climber and subject of the film, Alex Lowe), live for a post-film Q&A.
Torn description: On Oct. 5, 1999, legendary climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost alongside cameraman and fellow climber David Bridges in a deadly avalanche on the slopes of the Tibetan mountain, Shishapangma. Miraculously surviving the avalanche was Alex’s best friend and climbing partner, renowned mountaineer Conrad Anker. After the tragedy, Anker and Alex’s widow, Jennifer, fell in love and married, and Anker stepped in to help raise Alex’s three sons. Torn will deliver a profoundly intimate look at the Lowe-Anker family using never-before-released archival footage of the ill-fated 1999 expedition, early footage of Alex and Anker as young climbers, personal home videos and strikingly candid interviews with the Lowe-Ankers, the film will follow Max in his quest to understand his iconic late father as he explores family’s complex relationships in the wake of his father’s death.
Tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, September 24th. For more information visit pickfordfilmcenter.org.
