Film produced by FLCC, Bristol Hills Historical Society wins regional award

The film features animations of original watercolor images by Rochester artist Anna Overmoyer that depict local history.

“History and Mystery: The Folklore and Legends of the Bristol Hills” received a first-place honor in a film competition for community media stations in the northeastern U.S.

Finger Lakes Community College produced the 35-minute film in cooperation with the Bristol Hills Historical Society as a video companion to its popular book of the same title.

The Alliance for Community Media Northeast Region announced its annual Nor’Easter Video Festival Awards on Dec. 8 in Northampton, Mass. The awards recognized programming by community media stations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.

The “History and Mystery” video was developed by the college and initially broadcast on Finger Lakes TV, the public access station based at FLCC’s main campus. Finger Lakes TV is available on Spectrum cable channel 1304, Roku, the Cablecast app for Apple and Android devices, and a 24/7 web stream at fingerlakestv.org.

Watch "History and Mystery" without ads on the Finger Lakes TV archive.

The film, entered in the arts and culture category, features animations of several original watercolor images by Rochester artist Anna Overmoyer from the historical society’s book.

Jay Gillotti, production specialist for Finger Lakes TV, was recognized for his work animating the images, recording interviews, and editing the final piece. Lenore Friend, FLCC director of PR and communications, served as co-producer with John Holtz, a former longtime board member of the historical society. Holtz conceived the idea for the book and served as general editor. Geoff Smith, professor of music, and 2025 FLCC graduate Landon Ingersoll, recorded the original soundtrack of music by the Rochester-based Marion Band, and by organist and former Bristol Town Supervisor Bob Green at the college’s studio.

The film continues to run as part of Finger Lakes TV’s morning programming at 7 a.m. daily and occasionally during History Sundays, a weekly film festival of local historical society programming at 4 p.m. Sundays. It is also available through the historical society.

The book is available for sale through the Bristol Hills Historical Society. Learn more about the book and video at bristolhillshistory.org.