Empire Fiber Internet, a leading fiber optic internet service provider serving communities across New York and Pennsylvania, has been named the presenting sponsor for the 2026 Finger Lakes Film Festival in downtown Geneva, NY. The festival is hosted at the historic Smith Center for the Arts and continues to gain momentum as a regional hub for independent film.

Empire Fiber Internet has served the Geneva area since 2023 and is The Smith’s internet provider. The company has also supported local arts programming, including classic productions like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, while its 100% fiber service now reaches thousands of residents and businesses across the Finger Lakes.

“The Finger Lakes Film Festival is a rapidly growing event, both in scope and in profile,” said Tim Banach, Deputy Director of the Rochester/Finger Lakes Film Commission and Festival Organizer. “The hundreds of submissions we received for our 2026 festival represent over a third of the total submissions the festival has received since its inception in 2022. We are thrilled to welcome Empire Fiber Internet, a company whose strong reputation and growth mirror our own, as the presenting sponsor of the 2026 Finger Lakes Film Festival. We look forward to working with Empire in the years to come, as our festival continues to expand as a premier cultural event in New York’s world-renowned Finger Lakes region”.​

The 2026 festival will be held on February 28 in downtown Geneva, with short films from around the world screening throughout the day and evening. Programming begins at 10:30 AM at The Dove Block Project on Exchange Street, then moves to The Smith Center for the Arts on Seneca Street for nighttime screenings.

“We’re very excited to support the Finger Lakes Film Festival,” said Kevin Dickens, Empire Fiber Internet CEO. “Our mission is all about connecting communities, not just online, but to the experiences they love, including arts and film. We are proud of our relationship with the Smith Center for the Arts, and look forward to growing this partnership and supporting the festival’s continued success”.

To learn more about Empire Fiber Internet, visit www.empireaccess.com.