Apr 25, 2013 — The movie world is changing the way it makes films. Hollywood studios are going digital and later this year will no longer release films on film. Movie projectors are disappearing during this digital revolution. For most small theaters, the price to upgrade to digital equipment can be staggering, and the change is putting many in a very difficult financial situation -- upgrade costs are as high as $100,000.

The Adirondack Film Society and Adirondack North Country Association are kicking off a campaign Friday night at the Palace Theatre in Lake Placid to raise money to help local theaters complete the digital upgrades needed to continue to operate. Todd Moe has more on the Go Digital or Go Dark world premiere.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Sep 19, 2012 — The new director's cut of the local Adirondack film, Small Farm Rising, will be shown at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Lake Placid this weekend. The 10th annual festival, hosted by the Placid Lake Foundation, will be held at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on Friday and Saturday. Todd Moe talks with Placid Lake Foundation Executive Director Christian Weber, who says the film series is the largest environmental film festival in North America.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Sep 06, 2012 — NCPR is media sponsor for Adirondacks: A Place to Dream, a three-day event in Lake Placid this weekend. Arts and cultural organizations from throughout the region will gather to explore the power of place that, for more than 150 years, has drawn some of the world's greatest artists, photographers, musicians, filmmakers and writers to the mountains. The multi-media weekend will include some of the most important voices in the Adirondack arts and culture community.

Todd Moe talks with Gary Smith, one of the co-organizers of the event, who says the free series of lectures and conversations will cover music, art, storytelling, writing, films and photography.  Go to full article

South Glens Falls, NY, Aug 08, 2012 — A South Glens Falls man opened a small movie theater earlier this summer and says he's not worried about the film industry's decision to switch distributing first run features from film to digital. Jerry Aratare says his single-screen Cinematheque shows foreign and first-run movies, though usually a couple of weeks later than the larger movie theaters.

The 82-year-old Aratare got his first movie theater job as a projectionist in 1951 in Vermont. He's opened about a dozen small theaters in the region over the years. He told Todd Moe that his newest theater has 66 seats, a decades-old projector he's dubbed "the old workhorse", and a "hometown" atmosphere.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jun 12, 2012 — The 12th annual Lake Placid Film Festival opens Wednesday, with new stars, new movies and a panel discussion on the future of small town theaters. This year's festival will feature screenings of films from local, national and International filmmakers, special guests and events such as the North Country Shorts and the return of the 24 hour student film-making competition, "Sleepless in Lake Placid."

Todd Moe spoke with Tim Brearton, the festival's project specialist. He's helped out since the inaugural forum in 2000. He calls it an event that brings people together, supports local artists and allows film students from area colleges to learn about the rigors of the film industry.  Go to full article

Mar 22, 2012 — In 1919, two intrepid cameramen left New York City to trek across the Canadian North. Traveling by foot, canoe, dog sled and icebreaker they filmed scenes from Hudson's Bay Company communities for that sponsor's upcoming 250th anniversary.

The finished two-hour movie was seen in Canada the following year. But once "talkies" took hold, interest in silent film faded. The original footage ended up tucked away in England, largely forgotten.

A collaborative project has been working to recover the film's source material for Canadians and the world. Some of the best segments will be shown April 3rd in a screening booked at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

To learn more, Lucy Martin reached filmmaker and event organizer Kevin Nikkel in Winnipeg.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Oct 24, 2011 — A locally-produced film gets its premiere tonight in Potsdam as part of the weekly "Cinema 10" series at the Roxy Theater (7:15 pm). Dissection of an Olive was written, filmed and produced in the Potsdam area and includes a cast and crew composed of local residents and students, faculty and staff at the four local colleges.

Todd Moe talks with writer/director Summer Dorr, who says Dissection of an Olive is a quirky film about a young screenwriter and the protagonist in her story. In the film, characters struggle with issues like intimacy, stability and grieving. Dorr says the film is only remotely autobiographical.  Go to full article

Vermontville, NY, Sep 30, 2011 — Scenes for the upcoming feature film "The Place Beyond the Pines" were shot in a farm field near Saranac Lake on Monday. Local residents say a large film crew was working all day near Norman Ridge Road in Vermontville filming several scenes for the movie.

The "Place Beyond the Pines" stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes and was mostly filmed this summer in the Schenectady area. As Chris Knight reports, this wasn't the only film shoot in the Saranac Lake area this week.  Go to full article

Madrid, NY, Jul 26, 2011 — Our occasional series, "Moving the World" continues with a conversation with two St. Lawrence county men who are producing a documentary about water relief in Uganda.

Ben Hull and Joshua McGrath leave for Africa this week to begin filming the documentary that will focus on efforts to install rainwater collection tanks on community buildings to provide safe, accessible drinking water. Todd Moe spoke with them earlier this summer as they prepared for the trip.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Mar 03, 2011 — The North Country has the largest industrial wind farm East of the Mississippi, on the Tug Hill Plateau. There are also several in various stages of planning from Cape Vincent to Plattsburgh.

Many have been held up for years by battles over the pros- and cons- of wind power.

A new documentary sets out to warn about the potential negatives - aggressive power corporations, conflicts of interest for lawmakers, the noise, height, and setbacks of the turbines, and more.

Windfall tells the story of the little town of Meredith, near Oneonta, and how wind power divided the place. It's shown at the Toronto Film Festival and several other major festivals around the country.

Director Laura Israel brings Windfall to the Clayton Opera House this Saturday. She told David Sommerstein she bumped into the issue when she moved into a cabin in Meredith.  Go to full article