The Hudson Film Festival returns April 12-16, 2023 with a series of 13 critically acclaimed films at The Hudson Village Theatre, an English language performing arts venue within a restored historic train station built in 1890 that is located just a few steps from the Microbrasserie Cardinal taproom.

Conveniently, Cardinal is also this year’s official Hudson Film Festival Gathering Place. Come by for refreshments before or after your movie! We’ll be staying open late for those who want a place to go for drinks after the credits roll.

This year’s film lineup includes a number of music documentaries including:

• Ever Deadly, featuring concert footage from Tanya Tagaq along with Nunavut landscapes and stories (April 12 at 4:15pm)
• Buffy Sainte Marie: Carry It On, exploring the life, music, and activism of this legendary Indigenous singer songwriter (April 12 at 7:30pm)
• Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, (April 13 at 8pm), an admiring retrospective on one of the songwriter’s most iconic works

It’s not all music movies, of course. There are also lots of great documentaries, dramas, romances, and comedies. Here are a few that stood out to us:

• Sci-fi fable Viking, exploring the gap between our dreams and reality through the story of a society recruiting volunteers for the first manned mission to Mars (April 14 at 4pm).
• Peace by Chocolate, based on the true story of a young Syrian refugee who struggles to rebuild his family’s chocolate business in small-town Antigonish, Nova Scotia (April 14, 7:30pm)
• Drinkwater, a light coming-of-age tale described as “one of the most unapologetically Canadian films ever made” — complete with Zamboni, Tim Horton’s drive-through, Wayne Gretzky rookie cards, and a CanCon rock soundtrack featuring Loverboy and Doug and the Slugs (April 15 at 1:30pm).
• Geographies of Solitude, a multiple award-winning film about the wild horses of Sable Island and the uniquely rich and beautiful ecosystem that surrounds them (April 15 at 8pm).

In addition to the Leonard Cohen film, there are a couple more with a Québec connection:

• Falcon Lake, a sweet and sharp story about two teenagers who bond while on vacation at a lakeside cabin. (April 15 at 10am)
• North of Albany, about a mother who flees with her two children after her daughter severely injures a school bully and ends up stranded near a small town in the Adirondacks. (April 15 at 4:30pm)

Tickets for the films start at $11 each. There is also a six-film pass for $50 and an all-access pass for $75. We recommend purchasing in advance, as the 148-seat theatre will sell out for some shows.

The Hudson Film Society also presents other feature film events throughout the year, including Monday at the Movies (on the third Monday of the month from September to April) and a special opera series. Films are screened at the Hudson Village Theatre and occasionally at other local venues as well.