TUNKHANNOCK — If audience reactions to eatrical trailers shown during the Dietrich Theater’s Winter Fest Preview Day are any indication of how movie-goers will respond to the 14 foreign and independent films slated for the upcoming winter film festival, the event is sure to be a hit.

“I thought they (the trailers) all looked really good, especially ‘Moonlight’ and ‘The Beatles,’” said Cheryl Sands, of Tunkhannock, on her way out of the theater following the Thursday afternoon Preview Day showings.

Winter Fest will kick off with an Opening Night Gala at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, featuring the films “A Man Called Ove” and “Loving.” Beer, wine, cheese and crackers, fruit and popcorn will be served at the start of the evening, with a brownie dessert in between the movies. Opening night tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling the theater at 570-996-1500.

The two-week-long event will continue through Thursday, March 2 with selections from a variety of genres – from documentary to drama. Tickets to each showing are $8.50 and can be obtained at the Dietrich ticket booth.

Preview Day attendee Gary VanVranken, of Tunkhannock, said he plans to see almost all the festival films.

“(Dietrich Theater film booker Ronnie Harvey) always does a great job at picking out the movies, as far as I’m concerned,” VanVranken said.

After viewing the trailers, VanVranken is especially looking forward to viewing “Hell or High Water” and “Moonlight.”

Jayn Montieth, of Tunkhannock, also in attendance at Preview Day, said after seeing the trailer for the documentary “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week,” she is especially excited to see that. She enjoyed Preview Day, which is a new event the theater added this year to help promote its annual film festivals.

“It makes it easy to make your schedule up for what you want to see,” she said.

Montieth added when she first read the synopsis for “The Brand New Testament,” she wasn’t interested in seeing the film, but after viewing its trailer during Preview Day, she decided to add it to her must-see list.

Harvey said experiences like this are what Preview Day is all about.

“It gave people a good idea of what the films are like,” he said, adding the trailers provide “visuals” and “emotion,” which can both play a role in changing viewers’ perspectives on a movie.

According to Executive Director Erica Rogler, the rest of the theater staff has similar experiences when viewing the trailers.

“After watching them, there was so much buzz among the staff, we thought the public would like this as well,” she said.

Among the top movies on her personal must-see list are “A Man Called Ove,” “Loving,” “The Brand New Testament” and “The Eagle Huntress.”

Winter Fest films and show times are as follows. Movies are shown in English, unless otherwise noted.

“The Beatles: Eight Days a Week”

Show times: 7 p.m. Feb. 18, 5 p.m. Feb. 19, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 21, 12 p.m. Feb. 24, 9:30 p.m. Feb. 25, 2:15 p.m. Feb. 27 and 4:30 p.m. March 2.

Rated: NR

Synopsis: On Feb. 9, 1964, four young men from Liverpool stepped onto the Ed Sullivan stage, changing culture forever. Seventy-three million people watched The Beatles perform that night, the largest audience in television history.

“The Brand New Testament”

Show times: 7:15 p.m. Feb. 20, 2:45 p.m. Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Feb. 27 and 2:15 p.m. March 2.

Rated: NR

Language: French with English subtitles

Synopsis: A dark comedic fantasy that follows the mundane life of God, a mortal who lives in a high-rise apartment in Brussels and never gets out of His pajamas.

“Denial”

Show times: 7:45 p.m. Feb. 19, 2 p.m. Feb. 23, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 27 and 2:30 p.m. March 1.

Rated: PG-13

Synopsis: A legal thriller based on the acclaimed book “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier,” “Denial” recounts the legal battle for historical truth against David Irving, who accused Deborah Lipstadt of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier.

“The Dressmaker”

Show times: 2:15 p.m. Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 12: p.m. Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 28.

Rated: R

Synopsis: The story of the beautiful and talented Tilly, who, after years of working as a dressmaker in exclusive Parisian fashion houses, returns home to a town in the Australian outback to reconcile with her mother.

“The Eagle Huntress”

Show times: 4 p.m. Feb. 18, 12 p.m. Feb. 21, 4:15 p.m. Feb. 25, 4:30 p.m. Feb. 28 and 12 p.m. March 2.

Rated: G

Language: English and Kazakh with English subtitles

Synopsis: “The Eagle Huntress” follows a 13-year-old girl as she trains to become the first female in 12 generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries.

“Embrace”

Show times: 5 p.m. Feb. 21, 12 p.m. Feb. 23, 2:15 p.m. Feb. 25 and 7 p.m. Feb. 28.

Rated: NR

Synopsis: A life-affirming documentary about one woman’s journey to accept her body just the way it is, “Embrace” follows body image activist Taryn Brumfitt’s crusade as she explores this issue of body loathing.

“Harry and Snowman”

Show times: 12 p.m. Feb. 18, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20, 7 p.m. Feb. 21, 12 p.m. Feb. 23 and 2:45 p.m. Feb. 28.

Rated: NR

Synopsis: Harry deLeyer journeyed to the United States and developed a transformative relationship with a broken-down plow horse he rescued from a slaughter truck. In less than two years, the pair went on to win the triple crown of show jumping, beating the nation’s blue bloods.

“Hell or High Water”

Show times: 9:45 p.m. Feb. 18, 5 p.m. Feb. 20, 7:15 p.m. Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Feb. 27 and 7:30 p.m. March 1.

Rated: R

Synopsis: The story of Texas brothers who come together after years apart to rob branches of a bank threatening to foreclose on their family land.

“Loving”

Show times: During the Opening Night Gala on Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. Feb. 21, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 24, 5 p.m. Feb. 26, 12 p.m. Feb. 28 and 7:15 p.m. March 2.

Rated: PG-13

Synopsis: “Loving” celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, who married and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family in their hometown. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court.

“A Man Called Ove”

Show times: During the Opening Night Gala on Feb. 17, at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 19, 12 p.m. Feb. 21, 4:30 p.m. Feb. 23, 7 p.m. Feb. 25, 7 p.m. Feb. 27 and 12 p.m. March 2.

Rated: PG-13

Language: Swedish with English subtitles

Synopsis: Stepping from the pages of Fredrik Backman’s international best-selling novel, Ove is the quintessential curmudgeonly old man next door. An isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, he spends his days enforcing rules and visiting his wife’s grave. Enter a boisterous young family next door who earn his special brand of ire.

“Moonlight”

Show times: 2:15 p.m. Feb. 23, 9:30 p.m. Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Feb. 26 and 12 p.m. March 1.

Rated: R

Synopsis: An emotional story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, set against the backdrop of a broken down and rough neighborhood in Miami.

“Peter and the Farm”

Show times: 2 p.m. Feb. 18, 12 p.m. Feb. 20, 12 p.m. Feb. 22, 12 p.m. Feb. 25 and 5 p.m. Feb. 27.

Rated: NR

Synopsis: Peter and the Farm follows the real life story of Peter Dunning, the proud proprietor of Mile Hill Farm, which sits on 187 acres in Vermont. The land’s 38 harvests have seen the arrivals and departures of three wives and four children, leaving Peter with only animals and memories.

“Queen of Katwe”

Show times: 12 p.m. Feb. 19, 5 p.m. Feb. 22, 7 p.m. Feb. 23, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and 5 p.m. March 1.

Rated: PG

Synopsis: The colorful and true story of a young girl from rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess. As a result of the support she receives from her family and community, she is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion.

“Seasons”

Show times: 12 p.m. Feb. 20. 5 p.m. Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Feb. 28 and 2:30 p.m. March 2.

Rated: PG

Language: French with English subtitles

Synopsis: “Seasons,” with its exceptional footage of animals in the wild, is the awe-inspiring and thought-provoking tale of the long-shared history that binds nature with the passage of time.

Guests at the Dietrich Theater’s Winter Fest Preview Day watch the theatrical trailers for the 14 films to be shown during the theater’s winter film festival, coming up Feb. 17 through March 2.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ABJ-Winter-Fest-1.jpg.optimal.jpgGuests at the Dietrich Theater’s Winter Fest Preview Day watch the theatrical trailers for the 14 films to be shown during the theater’s winter film festival, coming up Feb. 17 through March 2. Elizabeth Baumeister | Abington Journal

Dietrich Theater film booker Ronnie Harvey welcomes guests to the theater’s first ever Winter Fest Preview Day, Thursday, Feb. 2. The free event provided movie-goers a chance to view the trailers for the 14 foreign and independent films to be shown during the theater’s winter film festival, scheduled for Feb. 17 through March 2.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ABJ-Winter-Fest-2.jpg.optimal.jpgDietrich Theater film booker Ronnie Harvey welcomes guests to the theater’s first ever Winter Fest Preview Day, Thursday, Feb. 2. The free event provided movie-goers a chance to view the trailers for the 14 foreign and independent films to be shown during the theater’s winter film festival, scheduled for Feb. 17 through March 2. Elizabeth Baumeister | Abington Journal

The thriller ‘Denial,’ with Rachel Weisz, is the story of the legal battle for historical truth as to whether the Holocaust really occurred.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ABJ-Winter-Fest-3.jpg.optimal.jpgThe thriller ‘Denial,’ with Rachel Weisz, is the story of the legal battle for historical truth as to whether the Holocaust really occurred. Submitted photo

Set in Texas, ‘Hell or High Water’ is a story of two brothers who come together after years apart to rob the bank threatening to foreclose on their family land.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ABJ-Winter-Fest-4.jpg.optimal.jpgSet in Texas, ‘Hell or High Water’ is a story of two brothers who come together after years apart to rob the bank threatening to foreclose on their family land. Submitted photo

‘Harry and Snowman” is an inspirational tale of a man and his race horse.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ABJ-Winter-Fest-5.jpg.optimal.jpg‘Harry and Snowman” is an inspirational tale of a man and his race horse. Submitted photo

Winter Fest attendees will enter the musical world of the Beatles in ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week.’
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ABJ-Winter-Fest-6.jpg.optimal.jpgWinter Fest attendees will enter the musical world of the Beatles in ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week.’ Submitted photo

By Elizabeth Baumeister

ebaumeister@timesleader.com

IF YOU GO

What: Winter Fest, the Dietrich Theater’s winter film festival

Where: The Dietrich Theater, 60 E. Tioga St., Tunkhannock

When: Kicking off with an Opening Night Gala at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 and continuing with multiple show times through March 2.

Cost: Opening Night tickets are $25 each and all other film festival tickets are $8.50 each.

More info: Call the theater at 570-996-1500 or visit dietrichtheater.com.

Reach Elizabeth Baumeister at 570-704-3943 or on Twitter @AbingtonJournal.