Borough Hall Screening, Performances to Celebrate ‘Universal’ Milestones

The Fort Lee Film Commission is presenting a 50th anniversary screening of the 1962 Universal Studios Academy Award-winning film To Kill a Mockingbird next week, in addition to two live productions of the drama in a setting befitting the theme—’s council chambers.

Film screenings in council chambers are not exactly new; the Film Commission started showing film series there about three years ago, said executive director Tom Meyers.

“We’re hopeful now with development coming [to Redevelopment Area 5], but we haven’t had a movie theater in Fort Lee since the late 80s, and certainly not since the inception of the Film Commission,” he said. “We get to use the [Palisades Interstate Park] a specific amount of times a year, but it’s very difficult to run a film festival anywhere else.”

The Film Commission first held a series in council chambers called “Politics in Film,” inviting members of the borough’s governing body to each introduce a film, a few years ago. Meyers remembers the mayor introducing The Last Hurrah, which he described as “a great political film starring Spencer Tracy.”

Building on the success of that series, Meyers said the Film Commission held a series of courtroom-themed films at Borough Hall the next year “because [council chambers] also serves as the Municipal Court.”

But this year is special because it marks the centennial of Universal Studios, which traces its roots to Fort Lee, and the Film Commission is working with the cinema giant to celebrate not only its 100th anniversary, but also that local connection.

Meyers previously worked with Universal to secure the rights to screen several films free of charge as part of the Film Commission’s annual “” series this summer.

“So in a sense, [the screening of To Kill a Mockingbird] will be our kickoff of a year-long tribute to Universal,” Meyers said. “This is a way to get the public involved in the celebration of Universal Studios and also to see a great film in a great setting. You’re seeing one of the great American courtroom dramas of all time in a municipal courtroom.”

He added that Universal recently came out with a “pristine print” of the film on Blu-ray.

“And what better place to see it than a municipal courtroom?” Meyers said, noting that the action in To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a local courtroom in the South.

“I think the combination of the venue and the film will make for a very special screening that you wouldn’t otherwise get that feeling if you were in a movie theater,” Meyers said.

Following the Friday evening free screening of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird, the Hudson Shakespeare Company will be performing the live version the next two nights, with proceeds from ticket sales going to the production of the musical, “” in May.

Meyers said the Film Commission got the idea from artistic director Jon Ciccarelli of The Hudson Shakespeare Company, which performs at Fort Lee’s annual “” series in .

“[Ciccarelli] wanted to explore the idea of doing a live production of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and I had suggested the courtroom again,” Meyers said.

With approval from the Fort Lee Mayor and Council to hold the event in council chambers and from Universal to add To Kill a Mockingbird to the list of films, that idea became a reality, and the special weekend event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the film and celebrating a part of the borough’s past was complete.

“It’s a great way to bring awareness to part of our history, to celebrate a great American film in a great Fort Lee historic chamber, and also a way to connect with our past,” Meyers said, adding that it’s also a great way “to do some good for the youth of Fort Lee in terms of supporting their activities.”

“It’s a lot of things coming together,” he said.

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The film screening of To Kill a Mockingbird takes place Friday, April 13 at 8 p.m. at Borough Hall, located at 309 Main St. in Fort Lee. The screening is free to the public, with about 120 seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Hudson Shakespeare Company’s live productions of the courtroom drama take place Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., also in council chambers. Tickets are $10 ($5 for seniors and students) at the door, with no advance ticket sales planned, Meyers said.

Fort more information, contact the Fort Lee Film Commission at 201-693-2763, or click here.