Editor

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 FilmFest will open from 4 to 6 PM showing entries from selected finalists and at 6PM 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 SCIFIthriller Pulse will be shown after the awards are presented to the winning film entries.

This year there is a $25 submission fee for filmmakers.  Tickets for the event, whic hare on sale now, are $15 and are available at Proctor's or on their web site athttp://www.proctors.org/. Seating is limited to 438 people.

CONTACT:  Don Rittner, Commissioner, SchenectadyFilm Commission

Phone: 518378 9256

Email: drittner@aol.com

Web: www.electriccityfilms.com   

For more information,contact Don Rittner, Schenectady Film Commissioner at drittner@aol.com, or visit the Schenectady FilmCommission Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=331593038242

This year'sFilm Fest & Expo coincides with Proctor's Hall of Fame award that is heldthe previous day on September 25th.

Proctors,the region's performing arts center in Schenectady, established the CapitalRegion Entertainment Hall of Fame two years ago and the list of honorees isimpressive.  Their first inducteesincluded the first television and radio stations in the country (once tied toGeneral Electric), Kirk Douglas, Monty Woolley, Maureen Stapleton and JohnSayles. Last year saw the induction of Maureen O'Sullivan, Bruce Jordan &Marilyn Abrams, producers of Shear Madness, and Gregory Maguire, author ofWicked.  With a nod to the futureof entertainment, they honored Vicarious Visions, the company established byGuha & Karthik Bala, developers of world-renowned video games.

Proctor'sgoal is to honor and celebrate those people or institutions with a significanttie to the 11 counties of the Capital Region who have made importantcontributions 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 RegionalChamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Schenectady County.

Thisyear's induction to the Capital Region Entertainment Hall of Fame will takeplace on September 25, 2010 at Proctors in conjunction with their seasonopening Gala event.