This year’s film series at Tryon Fine Arts Center (TFAC), which has a theme of food and drink, takes a turn towards caloric indulgence with the charming 1984 comedy “Comfort and Joy” involving rivalry between ice cream vendors. It will be shown at TFAC on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m.

Directed by Bill Forsyth, the film is set in Scotland, as was his award-winning film “Local Hero.” Part of the charm of Forsyth’s movies is his use of real people in his films and this film is no exception, with two of the actors, brothers George and Peter Rossi, coming from a family of Ice cream vendors and having had experience as youngsters working on the family’s ice cream van. 

Critic Roger Ebert notes this characteristic of Forsyth’s directing, describing the film as “. . .one of the most engaging movies you are likely to see this year, and it comes from a Glasgow director who has made a specialty out of characters who are just as real as you and me, and nicer than me.” Forsyth was nominated for a BAFTA award for this film.

For the benefit of anyone in the audience who may not have spent enough time in the city of Glasgow to have learned the local dialect, the film will be shown with subtitles.

This film series is sponsored by the Tryon International Equestrian Center and features complimentary ice cream samples from Rogers Diner at Tryon Resort.

The TFAC lobby will open at 6:15 p.m. to allow members to enjoy a free ice cream sample from Tryon Resort prior to the movie.

The final film in this series, “Julie and Julia,” will be shown on May 2 and will be preceded by a gala reception featuring food from the recipes of Julia Child. Tickets to the gala are limited and should be reserved in advance by calling TFAC at 828-859-8322 or going online to tryonarts.org.

– article submitted by Michelle Fleming