Saratoga Film Showcase bringing a local taste of Hollywood

It’s lights, camera, action for the Capital Region, and it could lead to more films and shows coming to the area.

The Saratoga Film Showcase is happening Friday, January 17 and Saturday, January 18 in Saratoga Springs.

Crowds will be packing into Putnam Place to see the locations and people of the upstate New York area like never before. The Saratoga Film Showcase is highlighting the hard work and creativity of dozens of local artists, actors, and filmmakers. There are unique films of different genres for everyone, organizers said.

There will also be a special screening of the major motion picture, “Paint,” starring Owen Wilson. The film’s writer and director, Brit McAdams, is taking part in a question-and-answer session.

You can also find an exclusive interview with Brit McAdams on the Destination Saratoga: All Access Podcast.

Organizers of the Saratoga Film Showcase are hoping it will transform the region into the next big movie production hub of the cinema world.

“I mean, you can beat the environment and the production value that we have here,” event Organizer Spencer Sherry said. “We have so much different stuff, with different locations, different settings. You can shoot at a historic music hall, you can shoot at a 100-year-old plaza, or you can shoot at a beautiful state park and battlegrounds.”

“I’m hoping this puts Saratoga on the map,” Saratoga Film Commissioner MacKenzie Zarzycki said. “I really hope we really become one of the local East Coast festivals that people want to come to and see films. I hope more production companies reach out to us.”

For more information on the Saratoga Film Showcase and for tickets, you can head to www.Saratoga-arts.org“

There is no set cost for tickets; they’re just asking for a donation to a local art camp for kids, Camp Stomping Ground.