UACCM TO HOST “A CONVERSATION WITH NATALIE CANERDAY” MOVIE NIGHT

The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM) will host “A Conversation with Natalie Canerday,” with a special showing of the feature film “October Sky” on Thursday, Oct. 19, in the college’s Fine Arts Auditorium. The presentation by Canerday will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the film will begin at 6 p.m. The film is rated PG and the event is free and open to the public. 

October Sky is the story of Homer Hickam, a child growing up in a 1950’s mining town whose only future appears to be a coal miner like his father. In Oct. 1957, when the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, goes into orbit, Homer becomes inspired to learn how to build rockets.

A native of Russellville and a graduate of Hendrix College, Canerday has appeared in 42 films, from big-budget, box office hits such as “October Sky,” “Walk the Line,” and “Biloxi Blues” to low-budget, critically acclaimed independent films like “Sling Blade,” “One False Move,” “God’s Not Dead 2,” and “Sweet Inspirations.”

In 1996, Canerday and the cast of “Sling Blade” were nominated for Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. In 2000, she was invited to participate in Robert Redford’s prestigious Sundance Institute Filmmaker’s Lab along with fellow actors Sally Field, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon.

Hendrix College presented her with the 2008 Odyssey Award for Lifetime Achievement in Artistic Creativity. She was named to the Advisory Board of the George Lindsey/U.N.A. Film Festival in 2009. That same year, she received the Best Actress award at the Gatlinburg Screen Fest for her work in the short film “Seed of Doubt.” One of her recent appearances was a multi-episode storyline in Season 3 of the television drama “True Detective.”

Canerday has appeared on stage in over 100 plays at venues from The Arkansas Repertory Theatre to Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. Since June 2023, she has starred in three comedic productions at Murry’s, including “‘Til Beth Do Us Part,” “Southern Fried Funeral,” and “Arsenic and Old Lace.”