Schenectady County invites attendees to experience cinema at the intersection of Science, Fantasy and Science Fiction at our second annual Sci:Fi Schenectady Film Fest.

Why SciFi, Fantasy and Science together? We are Schenectady, The Electric City, the home of General Electric and it’s storied history of pioneering electronic tech. So pioneering in fact that the line between science, science fiction and fantasy must have seemed paper thin. Generators, X-ray technology, illumination, artificial diamonds, recording, amplification and nuclear research. We are also the birthplace of over- the-air broadcast television, with the first dramatic televised “The Queen’s Messenger” broadcast in 1928.  Schenectady can also boast of being the home of the first regularly scheduled TV programming and news broadcasts by WRGB, the oldest continually operating TV station in the world. Really. 

Schenectady is synonymous with some of the greatest scientists of all time, then and now. Innovation is in our blood! To see some of that history miSci, Schenectady's museum of science and technology preserves and displays much of our history. 

Just across the street from the GE Theatre at Proctors is Jay Street Marketplace, a vibrant pedestrian district of locally-owned businesses replete with charming eateries and one of a kind shopping experiences. 

MiSci is within walking distance of the GE Theatre at Proctors, as is the Stockade Historic District with homes dating back to the early 1700's. Maintained beautifully, the charm and historic appeal of that iconic neighborhood attracts tourists from the world over as well as major motion picture studios. Two seasons of HBO's "The Gilded Age" have shot there! 

A short drive from the theater is Central Park with its famous volunteer-maintained Rose Garden, and near it, the GE Plot, where stately homes were built for the top GE engineers of bygone years. For nature lovers, the Mohawk hugs and defines the western edge of downtown Schenectady and a promenade and bike path make it highly accessible.

Science fiction giant Harlan Ellison, when asked where he got the ideas for his books would say, flippantly that the ideas came from Schenectady. Author Barry Longyear, much bemused named a book of short stories, IT CAME FROM SCHENECTADY in his honor. It was not wonder that 18 years ago, the IT CAME FROM SCHENECTADY film programming team began at Proctors and for those who love to celebrate fringe cinema, genre classics, cult favorites and out of the ordinary celluloid events. Their theater? The very same GE Theatre at Proctors that is home to this year’s Sci:Fi Schenectady Film Fest. In fact, two of our team members are founding fathers of ICFS!

From its inception, the film industry and the world’s viewing public have embraced the wondrous genre of Science Fiction. From Georges Méliès “Trip to the Moon” and Fritz Lang’s “Woman in the Moon” to Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”. Every decade served up Science Fiction and Fantasy classics for each generation of eager viewers, to capture new imaginations and encourages us to dream of science yet to come. And, just as science fiction cinema predicted, satellites ring the earth, radio waves beam television signals, human genes are being edited, humanoid robots are available for the price of a family sedan, and the discovery of exoplanets hint at the fact that we are truly not alone.