Media Contact:
Livia Millard, WVC at Omak multicultural coordinator/academic adviser, 509.422.7814
Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509.682.6436 (Mon. – Thurs.)

February 15, 2017

Wenatchee Valley College at Omak student government has partnered with Omak Theatre to present the 14th Annual Omak Film Festival from Feb. 16 to March 19. The films being featured include Manchester By the Sea, Loving, Jackie, Moonlight, Fences, Lion, Hidden Figures and two special films, Singing in the Rain’ and The ‘Burbs.

“The goal of the partnership is to bring films that would not make it to the Okanogan—films that are riveting, captivating, educational and entertaining,” said Livia Millard, WVC at Omak Multicultural Coordinator.

Manchester By the Sea (R) will play Feb. 16 through 18. The film features Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Kyle Chandler. An uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.

Loving (PG 13) will play Feb. 19 through 22. The film features Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton and Will Dalton. Loving is the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jackie (R) will play Feb. 23 through 25. The film features Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Greta Gerwig. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children and define her husband's historic legacy.

Moonlight (R) will play Feb. 26 through March 1. The film features Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp and Duan Sanderson. A timeless story of human self-discovery and connection, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

Fences (PG 13) will play March 2 through March 4.  The film features Denzel Washington, Viola Davis and Stephen Henderson. Fences is the story of Troy Maxson, a mid-century Pittsburgh sanitation worker who once dreamed of a baseball career, but was too old when the major leagues began admitting black players. He tries to be a good husband and father, but his lost dream of glory eats at him and causes him to make a decision that threatens to tear his family apart.

Hidden Figures (PG) will play March 3 through March 9. Based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, the film is about a team of African-American women mathematicians who played an important role in the early years of the NASA space program. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe star in this film.

Lion (PG 13) will play March 5 through March 9.  The film features Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara. It is a story about a five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

The festival will also feature two films as a special tribute to Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher:

Singin’ in the Rain (G) will play Feb. 18. Featuring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor, Singin' in the Rain is one of the greatest and most successful musicals ever filmed—filled with memorable songs, lavish routines and Kelly's fabulous song-and-dance number performed in the rain.

The ‘Burbs (PG) will play Feb. 19. The film features Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher. A family named the Klopeks move into an old house and act strangely. No one has ever seen them before, and the Klopeks come under suspicion when one of the neighbors goes missing. Ray Peterson (Hanks) and fellow neighbors decide to begin investigating to figure out what is really going on with the Klopeks.

Admission is $9 for adults and $6.50 for children under age 11. Discount matinees are $6.50 for all ages. A festival season pass is $36 and is good for one admission to each of the films. WVC at Omak students with current student ID will be admitted free with one guest to these films.

To determine which theater the films will be shown in, visit www.omaktheater.com or call the Omak Theater, 509.826.0860 or the Mirage Theater, 509.826.1615.

The film festival is sponsored by the Omak and Mirage Theaters and the Associated Students of Wenatchee Valley College at Omak. 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website at www.wvc.edu