State Capitol Building, Hartford

This newly established website will bring national and international readers information on all things visual in the state of Connecticut. But first a few basic facts......Connecticut is a state in the New England region of of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south.

Southwestern Connecticut is part of the New York metropolitan area, with one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. Many of New York's movers and shakers in the worlds of finance, business and the arts call Connecticut their home.

Connecticut has only 3.5 million residents, but is one of the most densely populated in th US. Called the Constitution State and the Nutmeg State, Connecticut has a long history dating from early colonial times and was influential in the development of the federal government. Connecticut's first European settlers were Dutch.

The first major settlements were established in the 1630s by the English. Thomas Hooker led a band of followers overland from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and founded what would become the Connecticut Colony. Connecticut was at the forefront of the Revolutionary War in the 1770s, when the original Thirteen Colonies revolted against British rule.  in the American Revolution. Connecticut offers a mix of terrains in a rather small area. To the south, there is the long coastline with the Long Island Sound. This access to waters gave the state a strong maritime tradition. With mountains to the north and several major cities (including Hartford, New Haven, Stamford and Danbury) with historic architecture and modern communities.  New Haven, home to Yale University, is a major college destination for young people across the globe.

The diverse physical terrain, concentration of universities and high median income has put Connecticut on the forefront of attracting businesses and beefing up the technical and audio visual sector. The state hosts many first-class cultural events in the arenas of film, music, dance, fine arts, theater and performing arts.

The state's Office of Film, Television and Digital Media has been at the forefront of creating training programs and attracting production via generous tax incentives (more on this in future articles). Connecticut is now poised to be one of the major centers for new media development and integration of old and new media forms.

This blog site will bring the national and international community more information about the resources, the initiatives and the potentials of this fascinating state, beginning with in-depth coverage of the region's biggest film, new media and music event, the Connecticut Film Festival (www.ctfilmfest.com), which runs from May 4 to 9 in the Danbury area.

Check back on this blog site for coverage of the Connecticut Film Festival and other media and cultural happenings in the state.

Sandy Mandelberger, Film Connecticut Editor

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