TLDG: The Saratoga Film Showcase

Missed last weekend's inaugural mini-festival? Here's the TLDG (too long didn't go).

Paint Director Brit McAdams speaking during the Shooting Upstate panel at the Saratoga Film Showcase. (Photography by Zach Skowronek)

Watching the 2023 Owen Wilson movie Paint in a dark theater this past Saturday, it was somewhat difficult to discern where the fictionalized city of Burlington ended and the all-too-real city of Saratoga began. Both Burlington, where the movie is set, and Saratoga, where the movie was filmed, have abundant natural scenery (perfect for painting landscapes), residents who love to meddle in other people’s business, and, perhaps most notably, dedicated communities who care deeply about the arts. Case in point: I was joined on Saturday night in Wilton Mall’s Scene One Cinemas by dozens of supporters of the Capital Region’s film industry who had come out to experience the inaugural Saratoga Film Showcase.

The screening of Paint was the penultimate event of the two-day showcase, which was spearheaded by 518 Film Network President Spencer Sherry in partnership with Saratoga Arts and Discover Saratoga. It raised money—more than $11,000, thanks to a sizable donation made by Saratoga Living chairman Anthony Ianniello—for ArtsFest, a two-week summer arts camp for young people of all backgrounds and income levels held at Middle Grove’s Camp Stomping Ground. “I was so impressed with both Spencer and Laura, the founder of the camp, that I decided to give them a donation,” Anthony told me. “I hope others seek out this wonderful organization and provide support, whether money or time. Introducing young children to the arts will enrich their lives.”

For an inside look at how 'Paint' film crews captured scenes amid Caroline Street chaos, the NSFW film that actually probably isn’t safe to watch in most public settings, and Owen Wilson's special talent, read on.