After three years of virtual programming, the Art Effect’s PKX Reel Exposure Teen Film and Photography Festival will once again bring its annual showcase of work by the next generation of media-makers to downtown Poughkeepsie. In honor of the event’s 10th anniversary, this year’s festival will be bigger and brighter than ever, with three days of events in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery that celebrate the creativity of young artists from the Hudson Valley and around the world.
The Reel Exposure festival will take place Friday, May 5 through Sunday, May 7, and will be free to the public with a suggested donation. In addition to its traditional photography exhibition and film screenings, this year’s festival will feature a “film race” where teens compete to produce the best five-minute film in 24 hours, a public art installation, community art making, food trucks, and a “Breaking into the Business” media industry panel and brunch.
This year’s jam-packed weekend has been curated by the teens at the helm of the Art Effect’s PKX Festival, a youth-led festival that celebrates teenage creative expression and community art making that debuted last fall. The PKX Festival is part of the Art Effect’s ongoing development of a Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) in downtown Poughkeepsie, which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant.
“We are so excited that Reel Exposure is returning in person this year. We had such great community turnout and enthusiasm at the PKX Wonderland Festival last fall—combining the teen film and photography showcase with family-friendly community events for PKX Reel Exposure is an amazing opportunity to celebrate an international network of young artists and hyperlocal creativity,” says The Art Effect’s Executive Director, Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt.
Helping youth experience, explore, and excel in the arts has been the cornerstone of The Art Effect’s mission since the organization’s inception in 2018. To that end, the Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit has developed a robust array of initiatives—from art classes to a youth workforce development program, summer camps, regular art exhibitions, and more—as part of its goal to help young people develop their creative voices, shape their futures, and bring about positive social change.
A Three-Day Celebration of Young Artists
This year’s Reel Exposure festival offers the community an exciting glimpse at the creativity and artistic perspectives of young artists in the Hudson Valley and around the world, with several opportunities to get involved themselves.
The weekend will kick off on Friday, May 5 at 5pm with the orientation for the 24-hour Film Race. The competition will be open to youth ages 14 to 21, who can work individually or team up in groups of up to five to create a five-minute film by 5pm on Saturday, May 6. Cost to enter the competition is just $5. Entries will be screened at 2pm on Sunday, May 7th at The Trolley Barn Gallery, with the winner of a cash prize selected by an audience vote.
Also taking place on Friday will be the opening reception at 6pm for the festival’s annual youth photography exhibition at the Trolley Barn Art Gallery. Professional and youth jurors selected photographs from submissions from teens ages 13 to 19 from the US as well as countries across the world. The exhibition will remain on display from May 5 through June 16. At 7:30 pm, there will be a featured artist talk from Hudson Valley-based photographer and filmmaker William Koenig-Vinicombe, followed by the unveiling of a public art installation.
Saturday, May 6 will play host to a full day of events. From 12 to 3pm, there will be a community art making activity, as well as local vendors and food trucks. From 5 to 8pm that evening, the festival will screen the entries in its juried film contest. Viewers can expect to see a mix of film genres, including animations, documentaries, dramas, horror, and comedies from teen filmmakers around the world. The screenings will be followed by the film award presentation and a Q&A.
Burgeoning filmmakers won’t want to miss the industry insider panel event, “Breaking into the Business: Insider Info from Film and Media Professionals,” on Sunday, May 7, from 12 to 4pm.
The panel will be moderated by The Art Effect alumna and reporter, Ester Wells, and will feature panelists with experience in all facets of the media industry, including Mary Stuart Masterson, actor, director, and founder of Stockade Works and Upriver Studios; Nile Clark, video journalist and founder of local media company the Goodie Drop; filmmaker Hezues R.; Jasmine Garvin, an alumna of The Art Effect who was recently featured in Peacock’s Poker Face; and Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson, the Vice President of News Programming at Nickelodeon and Executive Producer of Nick News.
After the industry panel Q&A, the festival wraps up with its final events, the 24-hour Film Race screenings and audience choice awards.
The Art Effect’s PKX Reel Exposure Teen Film and Photography Festival will take place Friday, May 5 through Sunday, May 7. Tickets to the festival are free with suggested donation. Pre-registration for the screening on Saturday and the industry panel Q&A on Sunday is required. Register in advance at Pkxfestival.org.
