For immediate release
Sept. 21, 2023
Contact: Miriam Weisfeld: [email protected]
Adirondack Film Festival Postpones 2023 Event, Voices Support for Striking Entertainment Workers
Festival will return at a future time.
GLENS FALLS — Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) has postponed the eighth annual Adirondack Film Festival, voicing support for the historic double strike of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA).
ATF Managing Director Tracey Sullivan explained, “We have carefully considered the implications of the strike on our ability to celebrate an excellent lineup this year, as well as rising costs and various other factors. Although we are encouraged by this week’s resumption of talks between WGA and AMPTP, at this time no further talks have been scheduled with SAG-AFTRA. Together with our Board of Directors and Film Festival Committee, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the festival.”
ATF Producing Artistic Director Miriam Weisfeld elaborated, “This year, we received some truly exceptional submissions to the film festival. We are reviewing ways to welcome these artists and share their work, after a fair deal has been reached for all.”
The WGA strike began in May 2023 and since July 2023 has coincided with the SAG-AFTRA strike. Among other demands, the striking writers and actors are seeking to prevent their jobs from being replaced by artificial intelligence, as well as greater economic transparency and residuals related to streaming metrics. The strike prohibits most screenwriters and actors from appearing at film festivals or promoting their recent work.
Said Weisfeld: “Adirondack Theatre Festival stands with union writers, actors, and all professional artists who seek fair wages and respect for the uniquely human work of art-making. The Adirondack Film Festival is the nation’s only film festival produced by a professional theatre company. As such, we feel doubly responsible to advocate for those who write and perform new work for a living.”
Added Sullivan: “We appreciate the ongoing strategic discussions with regional arts and tourism leaders to plan future opportunities. We will provide further updates as they become available. In addition to the film festival’s contribution to the vitality of our region, the event is a key fundraiser for the Adirondack Theatre Festival. We are immensely grateful to the Queensbury Hotel, Downtown Social, The Glen at Hiland Meadows, Hudson Headwaters Health Network, and our other sponsors and partner organizations for their support during this complicated moment in the entertainment industry. Individuals wishing to support ATF during this postponement may visit our website or call our offices at 518-798-7479. Additionally, we encourage those who wish to support the striking workers to contribute to the Entertainment Community Fund.”
Contributions to ATF may be made by visiting:
www.atfestival.org/support/contributions/
Contributions to the Entertainment Community Fund may be made by visiting:
About Adirondack Theatre Festival
Martha Banta and David Turner, along with a 12-member founding committee, created the Adirondack Theatre Festival in 1993 and presented its first 18-day season of new and contemporary theatre at the French Mountain Playhouse within the Lake George RV Park in 1995. Today ATF is the leading professional theatre in New York’s Capital Region dedicated to emerging artists, new plays and new musicals. Each summer ATF produces a nine-week season at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls. The organization operates under a Small Professional Theatre Agreement with Actors’ Equity Association (the union of professional actors). The actors seen on the ATF stage, as well as the designers and directors, have worked regularly on and off-Broadway, on television and in movies.
