Film Columbus Movie Club is staging its first-ever double feature this Saturday, October 3, bringing two independent filmmakers to the same Columbus stage for a single night of screenings and conversation. Joe Swanberg will present a 15th-anniversary screening of his film All the Light in the Sky at 5 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by Jenn Wexler's 2018 feature debut, The Ranger. Admission for both films costs $10.
The pairing marks a first for the club, according to Columbus Underground, which reports that Swanberg and Wexler will each bring a film and stick around afterward to discuss it with the audience. Columbus Underground's own Hope Madden is set to moderate the post-film Q&A, giving both directors a chance to unpack their work in front of local moviegoers. The event takes place at Gateway Film Center, located at 1550 North High St., Columbus, according to Film Columbus.
An Aging Star, a Changing Hollywood
Swanberg's All the Light in the Sky uses the story of a middle-aged Los Angeles actress worried about her future in the industry as a way of examining Hollywood itself, according to a description from the New York Times. The New York Times review also notes that the film folds in themes of rising oceans and global warming, using the metaphor of an aging star to talk about both Hollywood and the environment. The film was shot in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway, a filming location that was later destroyed by the 2025 wildfires, the outlet notes. It is not currently available to stream, per that reporting.
Saturday's screening marks the film's 15th anniversary, and Swanberg is expected to discuss intimate, character-driven filmmaking about important issues once the credits roll, per Columbus Underground's account of the evening.
Punk Rock Horror in the Woods
Wexler's contribution to the night, The Ranger, plants its horror premise in the woods of upstate New York, blending the vintage world of Smokey the Bear with a punk rock sensibility. The film stands as a tribute to 1980s punk horror movies, according to the same Columbus Underground report, and it marked Wexler's 2018 feature directorial debut. Wexler also served as co-writer, co-editor and producer on the project, according to her own filmmaker website, which notes the film earned a world premiere at SXSW and was selected for more than 50 film festivals worldwide.
Speaking with PopMatters around the film's release, Wexler described wanting to take a horror movie and infuse it with these kinds of colours, a visual approach that helped set The Ranger apart within the genre. Her career since has ranged well beyond that one film: her website notes she's directed for The CW's Pandora and TruTV's Late Night Snack, spanning directing, writing, editing and producing work.
A Return Visit for Wexler
Saturday isn't Wexler's first time working alongside Hope Madden. She previously took part in Femme Fatalities, a screening series showcasing female-directed horror films, and her appearance this weekend brings her back to Columbus to share The Ranger and discuss it with Madden once more, according to Columbus Underground's report. Wexler has also completed her third feature, a project made with a bigger team and footage shot on two continents, the outlet notes.
Both films have a documented history at the venue: Gateway Film Center's own listings show that All the Light in the Sky and The Ranger have each previously played there as part of Film Columbus Movie Night presentations, according to Gateway Film Center. Saturday's event folds both films into a single night for the first time, with tickets priced at $10 for the full double bill.
