U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is urging the organizers of the Hoboken International Film Festival to hold it in Middletown’s historic Paramount Theatre this year.
Schumer, D-NY, sent them a letter Thursday, touting Middletown’s advantages of being close to major highways and Hudson Valley attractions, and saying that local groups will work with them to make sure it’s a success.
The festival’s head, Ken Del Vecchio, recently finished filming the horror movie “Captured Hearts” at the Paramount, and he said he is considering holding the 2013 festival here. The festival has been held in New Jersey for the past eight years but is looking for a new home now that its old one in Jersey City was flooded in Hurricane Sandy.
For a bit more background, here’s a story I did a couple weeks ago:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130112/NEWS/301120317&cid=sitesearch
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Organizers of the Hoboken International Film Festival:
I write to you today to urge you to consider the Paramount Theater in Middletown as the location for the next annual Hoboken Film Festival, as you consider a new location for the event. As you know, this theater has a rich and unique history and has recently been renovated to be the destination for many upcoming events within the region. The recent renovations and location of this theater, which is settled within the heart of the Hudson Valley, would be ideal for such a wonderful festival. In addition to the unique qualities of the Paramount Theatre, the Hudson Valley region has emerged as a leader for film, TV production and post-production operations for a variety of world class projects. Most recently, Hyde Park on The Hudson, starring Bill Murray, was filmed in the Hudson Valley and proved that the region is fit to produce high caliber movies. The Hudson Valley is also a unique tourist destination attracting visitors from all over the world to experience the unique cultural, recreational and historical destinations. Should you choose Middletown as the location of your next film festival, attendees would be able to enjoy everything the Hudson Valley has to offer while participating in your growing film festival.
The Paramount Theatre, opened in 1930, has been a key historic site in downtown Middletown for many years. The theater has played host to various concerts, community events, film showings and headlining acts. Middletown is city which is situated in a prime location, near Interstate I-87 and Route 17, allowing tourists from the tri-state area to easily attend the festival. Additionally, access to many treasures of the Hudson Valley including a number of the valley’s great restaurants, shops and historic sites will help to promote tourism within the region, attracting a wide variety of attendees. Officials from various economic development agencies, tourism groups and film promoters have pledged to work with you to ensure your event has everything it needs to be successful in Orange County and will partner with you to market, grow and improve upon your recent festivals.
I urge you to consider Middletown as the home of the next annual Hoboken Film Festival. The Hudson Valley has many great amenities to offer and would be a spectacular place to bring such a monumental event. I look forward to working with you to bring this wonderful film festival to Orange County and offer my assistance in making this film festival a tremendous event for residents of the Hudson Valley, attendees and all the film producers involved with the film festival.
