BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Budding auteurs and artisans in the craft of moviemaking will showcase their art at The Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival this weekend.
The event, at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas in the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 21, with a free student showcase featuring the works of The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts.
It will be followed Saturday, March 22, by a series of three adjudicated blocks highlighting the films of the Lehigh Valley’s finest filmmakers.
More than 27 short films will be put on display.
"In a creative and modern twist, the films are specifically designed to be shot on smartphones with a no budget/high concept expectation where writing and vision are key."ArtsQuest release
The event will conclude Saturday night with an awards ceremony to honor the standouts.
The cinema serves as an apt place for the festival, as it often shows pivotal classics beloved by cinephiles, independent releases rarely seen elsewhere, and special features of fun and schlocky B-movies.
Friday’s student showcase is expected to run about 90 minutes.
Students in the Literary Arts curriculum at The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts study screenwriting, film studies and advanced film theory during their four years.
Under the direction of instructor Heath Mensher, students in the program produce various projects, including the “Ciné-Roman,” the “One-Shot Film” and the final culminating "Final Short Film Project" from the Senior Class.
In a creative and modern twist, the films are specifically designed to be shot on smartphones with a no budget/high concept expectation where writing and vision are key.
Daytime Saturday programming
Saturday’s event will start at 2 p.m. with Block One. Tickets cost $11, with the program running 97 minutes. Content for the films is equivalent to an R-rated movie.
(Note: Films for each block are listed alphabetically by the creator’s last name, and may not be featured in that order.)
- "Ad-Lib," cinematographer Rachel Alexander
- "Banana Tree," director Sarah Bui
- "A Coward's Legacy," director Derek Rahm
- "Eva & Fern," director Daniel Paashaus
- "Happy Sadurday," director Hannah Mittermeier
- "It Drops at Midnight," director Raymond Ceres
- "A Wednesday in Hershey," director Matt Ward
Block Two follows at 4:30 p.m., with the same ticket price, and a run time of 96 minutes. Content for the films is equivalent to an R-rated movie.
- "exception(al)," director Michelle Bossy
- "In Sickness," director Daniel de Bruyn
- "NORJAK," director Mason Leaver
- "Our Shared Curse," director Eve Polek
- "Rivercobble," director Burls & Bramble
- "Rubbing Sticks," director Raymond Ceres & Charalampos Bakirtzis
- "Terra Luna," director Scott Lentz
- "The Trunk," director Tony Susi
- "Who's Crazy Now?," director Samantha R Kennedy.
Saturday night programming
Block Three will follow at 7 p.m., with the same ticket price, and a run time of 98 minutes. Content for the films is equivalent to an R-rated movie.
- "My Hair," director Alison Loeb & Sam Guncler
- "The War is Over," director Andrea Kramer & Dave Lamm
- "Gardener of the Galaxy," director Nick Natalicchio
- "ON THIN ICE," director Chelsea Komorowski
- "Remembrance," director Colin Lawville & Aiden McKee
- "Simmer," director Joshua Afiriyie
- "The Capsaicin Clash," director Mason Leaver
- "Weighted Blanket," director Jeffrey Harvey
The award ceremony will start at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, and is free to attend.
Awards for Best in Show comes with a $500 cash prize. The GLVFF Jury also will present accolades for Best Director, Best Performance, Best Editing and more.
