This year’s film festival seems to be a booming success, as the streets are filled with film buffs, and celebrities. The energy is high, in the theaters (which are packed!), all the restaurants, cafes, bars, pizza parlors and pastry shops. The hotels and B&B’s are full, and the air is festive and exciting. This is such a happy event, always welcomed, but especially now, in these troubled times. Films of all genres are such a great entertainment, escape and diversion from the harsh realities we are constantly bombarded with via all forms of media. It’s true that some of these films depict those tough times, but there is such a tremendous and diverse offering that one can easily choose from an assortment of genres across the board: from comedies, dramas, and love stories, to foreign and domestic tales of all kinds , including educational and documentary films.

One of our very own residents, Reggie Life, is an award winning filmmaker, and his latest film, the ‘Cocktail Party’ will be screened in Chatham this afternoon. The film takes place in Japan, a place Reggie knows a great deal about as he began his post-graduate study in filmmaking there when he was accepted to an illustrious 6 month program, in 1989. (He graduated from NYU with a Master of Fine Arts degree from its School of Arts). He currently serves as a commissioner with the Japan-United States Friendship Commission.

Reggie found Columbia County more than 30 years ago, and divides his time between NYC, Boston, Japan and Canaan, NY. He’s one of a fairly large number of incredibly creative individuals who have established roots here, and  who bring their tremendous talents to our very doorstep. It sure does add a rich blend to the beautiful tapestry that makes up the Hudson Valley.