5th Annual Electric City Film Fest & Expo Announced.
by Don Rittner
 
The Schenectady Film Commission and Proctor’s will be hosting the 5th
Annual Electric City Film Fest & Expo at Proctor’s GE Black Box Theater
on September 26th from 4PM to 10PM.
 
This year’s Film Fest & Expo will showcase independent films made in New
York State and will host the Paul Golding Retrospective as well as
demonstrate a working palaphotophone, a device invented in Schenectady
at General Electric in the early 1920’s that allowed the use of audio on
film that paved the way for motion pictures.
 
The Film Fest will open from 4 to 6 PM showing entries from selected
finalists and at 6 PM the Schenectady Museum will present a lecture and
demonstration of the palaphotophone with the original audio films that
include the voices of Thomas Edison and President Herbert Hoover.
 
At 7 PM, filmmaker and producer Paul Golding will discuss his early days
of filmmaking and his days at film school with George Lucas, his
classmate, collaborator on their first two movies.  Paul and George’s
early student films will be shown as well. Paul’s cult classic SCIFI
thriller Pulse will be shown after the awards are presented to the
winning film entries. (see PULSE trailer at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJzwG4Ee4c).
 
This year there is a $25 submission fee for filmmakers.  Tickets for the
event, which are on sale now, are $15 and are available at Proctor’s or
on their web site at www.Proctors.org. Seating is limited to 438 people.
 
For more information, contact Don Rittner, Schenectady Film Commissioner
at drittner@aol.com, or visit the Schenectady Film Commission Facebook
Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=331593038242
 
This year’s Film Fest & Expo coincides with Proctor’s Hall of Fame award
that is held the previous day on September 25th.
 
Proctors, the region’s performing arts center in Schenectady,
established the Capital Region Entertainment Hall of Fame two years ago
and the list of honorees is impressive.  Their first inductees included
the first television and radio stations in the country (once tied to
General Electric), Kirk Douglas, Monty Woolley, Maureen Stapleton and
John Sayles. Last year saw the induction of Maureen O’Sullivan, Bruce
Jordan & Marilyn Abrams, producers of Shear Madness, and Gregory
Maguire, author of Wicked.  With a nod to the future of entertainment,
they honored Vicarious Visions, the company established by Guha &
Karthik Bala, developers of world-renowned video games.
 
Proctor’s goal is to honor and celebrate those people or institutions
with a significant tie to the 11 counties of the Capital Region who have
made important contributions to the arts and entertainment.  The Hall of
Fame is sponsored by Martin, Harding & Mazzotti, LLP, Attorneys at Law
in partnership with the Albany Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce and
the Chamber of Schenectady County.
 
This year’s induction to the Capital Region Entertainment Hall of Fame
will take place on September 25, 2010 at Proctors in conjunction with
their season opening Gala event.
 
CONTACT:  Don Rittner, Commissioner, Schenectady Film Commission
 
Phone: 518 378 9256
 
Email: drittner@aol.com
 
Web: www.electriccityfilms.com