State Parks: Free summer movie night

New York state and New York City today announced a free outdoor movie night for families in Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and NYC as part of a statewide celebration of filming in New York.

Together, the Governor's Office for Motion Pictures and Television Development, the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and New York City Parks are hosting screenings of the movie "Big" on Saturday, Aug. 15, in four popular parks.

The 1988 film, with scenes filmed both in New York City and upstate New York, will be shown at the locations below. Screening locations and start times at the three state parks and the New York City Park are:

• Buffalo Harbor State Park in Buffalo at 8:15 p.m.;
• Green Lakes State Park near Syracuse at 8 p.m.;
• Thacher State Park near Albany at 8 p.m.; and
• St. Nicholas Park in New York City at 8 p.m. 

"The film and television industry is a key component of New York state's economic development strategy, injecting billions of dollars into the economy and creating thousands of industry jobs for New Yorkers," Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky said. "New York is a major hub for the film industry, and our free outdoor movie night series is an excellent way to applaud the success of film in the Empire State while screening iconic films in our state's great parks."

"From the magic of Niagara Falls, to the energy of mountain ranges that decorate our skylines, we're fortunate to be surrounded by varied and picture-perfect landscapes in New York state, many of which have been the backdrops for various television shows and films," State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said. "The Governor's Office for Motion Pictures and Television Development continues to be a spectacular partner in featuring our state park system, assisting with our goal of encouraging everyone to get outside and explore. I'm pleased to partner with them this year to offer families a chance to enjoy our great state both on the movie screen and with a night in our beautiful parks."

"New York state's film industry creates a huge economic footprint, and by working with local communities throughout the state, productions have the opportunity to film at a variety of locations all across the state," said Gigi Semone, office of motion picture and television development executive director. "This is our third time partnering with State Parks and, screening the beloved film 'Big,' an iconic filmed-in-New York movie, perfectly illustrates all that New York has to offer."

Many major film productions have touted New York state's film production tax credit program as a major factor when choosing the Empire State as the location to film. Since 2004, 1,243 film and television projects have participated in the program and are estimated to have generated more than 967,000 new hires and over $19 billion in new spending in New York. In 2014 alone, 194 film and television projects applied for the program and are projected to spend approximately $2.7 billion while hiring more than 165,000 individuals in New York.

For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com.

For more information on filming in New York or the film production and post-production tax credit programs, visit www.nysfilm.com.