Cindy Letro
Buffalo, New York – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, celebrating its tenth season, will honor Cindy Abbott Letro with its Local Service Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the Buffalo-Niagara film industry. Buffalo Dreams runs for seven days, from Friday, August 18th – Thursday, August 24th at Dipson’s Amherst Theatre, 3500 Main Street in Buffalo. Eighty-one films will screen, including 16 features and 66 shorts, a record 30 produced in Western New York.
Cindy Abbott Letro is a community volunteer with an impressive history of supporting arts and culture in Western New York and has played a key role in growing the Buffalo-Niagara film industry. She serves as the chair of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission, a position she has held for almost twenty years, and hosts Behind the Camera, an online program which spotlights filmmakers and other figures committed to developing and promoting the Buffalo-Niagara film industry.
Ms. Letro will receive her award at Buffalo Dreams’ in-person Dreamer Awards presentation in the Amherst Theatre at 5 pm on Sunday, August 20th. Former recipients include Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark, Buffalo Film Office Director of Operations Rich Wall, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, former NYS Fim Commissioner (and current NYC Film Commissioner) Pat Kaufman, Off Beat Cinema co-producer and WBBZ TV station manager John Di Sciullo, and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Cindy Abbott Letro
Cindy Abbott Letro is the current chair of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission, a position she has held for nearly twenty years. During that time, she has helped gain government support from state, county and city sources for the areas developing film industry.
She is the current chair of the region’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Visit Buffalo Niagara, and the Chair of the Western District of New York State Parks. She is a past chair of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Board and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. She is consistently listed in Business First’s top 200 Women of Influence and was listed in its top ten Women of Influence in 2022.
Ms. Letro is Business Manager of her husband’s law firm, Francis M. Letro Attorneys at Law and makes her home in the City of Buffalo.
She has a B.A. in English Literature from The College of Wooster, and a M.S.in Communications from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School.
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