The Putnam County Film & Video Festival is sponsored by Putnam Valley Arts and held at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center in Putnam Valley, New York.  It has been a great success these past four years.

        The 5th Annual Film Festival is open to the whole world!  Surprisingly, in the past the vast majority of films still originated from within Putnam and Westchester County, showing a strong presence of filmmakers in the area. 

        The Taconic Outdoor Education Center main lodge has a nice homey feeling - huge dark timber-trusses above, an enormous stone fireplace and round tables and chairs for the viewers to relax by as they watch films on a 9 foot high by 12 foot wide screen.  The screening room is dark enough for the XGA video projector to show beautiful high-res Betacam and digital video images. Live-feed television monitors are in the adjoining conversation rooms where snacks and refreshments are sold all day, including fresh hot popcorn.  Some folks prefer to watch the films on these live TV monitors as they chat and network with other filmmakers by displays and artwork.  Filmmakers are encouraged to promote themselves by bringing printed materials and flyers for display on the PR table.  You just never know what connections you can make.

        The trademark tradition of the Putnam County Film & Video Festival is to bring together artists of all types to see the films, meet each other and try to make connections with other filmmakers, musicians, graphic and fine artists, actors, writers, producers, directors and potential film crew personnel who usually work far from home.  This film festival is geared to help the artists connect with each other and to encourage emerging talent in a non-threatening country atmosphere.  The film festival has helped to spawn a year-round gathering of talent called The Mid Hudson Film & Artists Group (www.MidHudsonFilm.com).  

THIS EVENT IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, WITH PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS' DECENTRALIZATION PROGRAM.  IN PUTNAM COUNTY, THE DECENTRALIZATION PROGRAM IS ADMINISTERED BY THE PUTNAM ARTS COUNCIL.