PREVIEW: Saratoga Film Showcase
1/23-1/25 @ Putnam Place & Saratoga Arts Center
Photo from 2025’s Showcase by Joe Putrock
“Other people around town were excited about independent film and wanted to see something done here because we all agree that Saratoga is a perfect town for something like a film festival.”
If you know me, you know I’m not much of a film buff – it doesn’t take all that much to please me on the silver screen. Luckily for me, fellow writer Corey Dempsey does have valiant film expertise. Thus, we’ve teamed up to lend our diametrically opposed voices to one great cause: letting you all know what to expect at the upcoming Saratoga Film Showcase during the weekend of January 23-25.
To get the run-down, Corey chatted with Spencer Sherry of Saratoga Arts, one of the founding partners of this nonprofit endeavor, alongside Discover Saratoga and 518 Film Network. Little did I know, Saratoga is a prime location to hold a film festival. (Turns out, they can happen beyond France and Utah!)
In talking with folks from other organizations, Sherry agreed “other people around town were excited about independent film and wanted to see something done here because we all agree that Saratoga is a perfect town for something like a film festival. It's very walkable. We have a lot of different venues and a lot of different restaurants, bars, and spaces [to gather].”
The excitement was palpable, so much so that, for the first edition of the Saratoga Film Showcase in 2025, organizers secured Brit McAdams as a special guest speaker following the release of his 2023 movie with Owen Wilson, Paint, a rom-com filmed in Saratoga Springs. While undoubtedly invigorating, the addition of a big-time name wasn’t just for clout; it was strategic to support smaller films. Sherry explains this further, stating:
The intention was to use that big ticket item to draw attention to and support for the independent filmmakers that were part of the shorts program that we did. We did three blocks of shorts and all the proceeds went to Camp Stomping Ground for scholarships for local youth and teens to attend Arts Fest in the summertime. Trying to perpetuate the cyclical, big successful movie helps the smaller short films, which all in turn helps to get more young people interested in art.
While the 2026 schedule may not have any Hollywood stars, it’s a testament to the film community taking root in our own backyard. From edgier, not-safe-for-work shorts on Friday night at Putnam Place, to several debuts of horror-adjacent films on Saturday night at the Arts Center, Sherry says they’re “leaning into connecting people celebrating independent films, celebrating these up-and-coming filmmakers and giving them the biggest stage possible to show off their new stuff.”
If there’s anything I’ve learned from listening to Corey, it’s that there are some incredible filmmakers in the 518 that I’ve been naively oblivious to, and it’s likely you might be, too. Saturday night’s “speakeasy” event intrigues me for just that reason, allowing us a sneak preview of what could be the rave-review indie film. Viewers will “secretly” arrive at the Arts Center at 10 p.m. on Saturday night to view, for the first time, horror-adjacent films about to enter the festival circuit.
For the more experienced horror film fans and directors, there’s a unique opportunity to hear from RJ Young, who Sherry calls “a mad scientist of a low budget special effects artist. He is going to come and do a demonstration of some sort of horror gag on someone and actually use somebody as a model, then build a whole gimmick on them…as well as talk on a panel about how to add special effects to your films at any level with any budget.”
Aside from horror and the edgier nighttime films, there will be an abundance of carefully crafted, thoughtful shorts that will be shown throughout the weekend, with something sure to be of your liking. Since the full schedule has yet to be released as of publishing this article, it’d be wise to follow the organization’s Instagram to stay in the loop: @thesaratogafilmshowcase.
