Yellow Springs Film Festival adds ‘SNL’ alum Fred Armisen show, more events

The first Yellow Springs Film Festival will feature a conversation with "Saturday Night Live" alum Fred Armisen.

The first Yellow Springs Film Festival will feature a conversation with "Saturday Night Live" alum Fred Armisen.

The first official Yellow Springs Film Festival has added new events for film lovers headed to the festival in the fall.

The festival will welcome “Saturday Night Live” alum, comedian, musician and actor Fred Armisen Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. The event, dubbed “Fred Armisen: A Conversation On Music & Comedy,” will feature an intimate conversation with the comedian at The Foundry Theatre in Yellow Springs as he details how music has influenced and impacted his career in comedy.

Beyond acting, Armisen has delved into the music industry throughout his life and notably released a Grammy-nominated comedy special with Netflix called “Fred Armisen: Standup For Drummers.” Armisen also leads the house band 8G Band for “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” He recently announced a series of live shows that mix music with comedy for his “Fred Armisen: Comedy for Musicans” set.

The village's first official film festival will run Oct. 6-8. CONTRIBUTED

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Yellow Springs Film Festival plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Guided by Voices, the indie rock band that originated out of Dayton, with a retrospective screening showcasing the band’s legacy and longevity. The retrospective at The Foundry Theatre, 920 Corry St., on Oct. at 8 p.m. will blast the band’s music videos, live performances, interviews and home movies up on the big screen.

Guided By Voices was forced to cancel four year-ending shows in Evanston, Ill. after frontman Robert Pollard sustained a knee injury but on the upside, the group’s 37th album, “La La Land,” released on January 20.

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Another screening will give audience members an immersive sound experience as they watch director Sam Green’s “32 Sounds” documentary. The Academy Award-nominated director will be at the Yellow Springs Film Festival on Oct. 7 and will host a Q&A following the 8 p.m. screening at the Little Art Theatre.

Each featured event requires a ticket, which can be purchased online in advance or on the day of the festival. Tickets for the Fred Armisen conversation are $30 in advance, and any remaining tickets will be $35 on the day of the event. The Guided By Voices retrospective costs $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the screening. Tickets for the Sam Green Q&A and screening of “32 Sounds” is $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the screening.

The three-day film festival opens Oct. 6 with an opening night party at Wirrig Pavilion in the village. Throughout the weekend, documentaries will be screened across three locations. “The Cave of Adullam,” “Rather,” “Citizen Sleuth,” “We Are Fugazi From Washington, DC” and “Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd” are all part of the the inaugural film festival screenings.

The festival also features screenings of several short films from local creators and a retrospective exhibit on longtime Yellow Springs resident and Academy Award-winning director Julia Reichert, who died in December 2022.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit https://www.ysfilmfest.com/.

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