Pass the envelope please! Weehawken residents won’t have to wait until Oscar Night to get a taste of the best of the Academy Awards. As fans eagerly await the announcement of this year’s best picture, the Weehawken Free Public Library invites residents to refresh their memory with some past winners during their salute to the Academy Awards Film Series Festival.
Every Sunday, starting on Feb. 15 through April 5, the library will screen Oscar-winning films in the community room.
“This is the first year we are hosting the film series,” said Phillip Greco, library director. “We didn’t have anything scheduled for the month of January, [so to start off February’s activites] we thought it would be a great idea to invite the public to view movies.”
Weehawken Public Library hosts numerous monthly activities and events throughout the year to engage the community more with the library, especially children.
“These [activities] are funded from the proceeds that we receive from the Taste of Weehawken [fundraiser], which this year will be on Tuesday, April 28, and will be the ninth annual,” said Greco.
Oscar night Sundays
The Weehawken Library’s salute to the Academy Awards film festival will feature some of the Best Pictures, from classics such as West Side Story and The Godfather to more contemporary winners such as The Departed and Crash.
There will also be screenings of some of this year’s nominees, including the animated feature length film WALL-E and Clint Eastwood’s Changeling with Angelina Jolie.
“There are six films that are for adults and one for children,” said Greco. “The selection was just for Oscar winning films, but then we decided to add one for a family matinee, and that would be WALL-E.”
The films will be presented at the library free of charge on Sundays at 1 p.m., and patrons will receive complimentary popcorn. All the films – with the exception of WALL-E – are open only to adults, and no reservation is required.
“Just please come and enjoy,” said Greco. “For any senior that needs transportation to the library they can call the nutrition center for pick ups at (201) 319-6059.”
The schedule for the festival is as follows: Titanic on Feb. 15, Crash on Feb. 22, West Side Story on March 1 – featuring the award-winning choreography and former Weehawken resident Jerome Robbins – The Departed on March 8, Changeling on March 22, The Godfather on March 29, and WALL-E on April 5.
To complement the series, library books – from which big screen movies have been adapted – will be available at the Information Desk.
More things to come at the library
In addition to the film festival, the Weehawken Public Library has other events coming up for the month of February.
On Friday, Feb. 13, the library will present their “Black History Month Celebration.” From 4 to 4:45 p.m., children ages 5 to 7 will learn about newly-elected President Barack Obama, and draw pictures that will be sent to the White House. Then from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m., children ages 8 to 12 are invited to write a letter to President Obama.
On Friday, Feb. 20, the library will host a Mardi Gras Celebration from 4 to 5:15 p.m., where children ages 6 to 12 will be invited to hear Mardi Gras stories and make a craft. Seating for this event is limited to 25, so registration is required.
For further listings of upcoming events at the library visit www.library.weehawken-nj.us