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25+ Short Films Showing at Lehigh Valley Festival in March

25+ Short Films Showing at Lehigh Valley Festival in March

BETHLEHEM PA – More than 25 short films, directed by area film-makers and film students, will be the focus of the Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival scheduled for late March in Bethlehem PA.

Screenings will be held March 21 (Friday) beginning at 7:30 p.m.; and also March 22 (Saturday) in three separate blocks beginning at 2 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 7 p.m. All will be presented at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, in the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem PA. The center is a 34-mile drive northeast of Pottstown.

Viewers are invited to attend Friday’s films for free. Tickets for the three Saturday blocks cost $11 per block. As an alternative, those who attend can also buy an all-access festival pass for $24.

The student films represent a showcase of talent from the literary arts curriculum at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. Students in the program study screenwriting, film studies and advanced film theory over four years, and produce film projects under the direction of instructor Heath Mensher.

Student films are specially designed to be created using smartphones, with “no budget, high concept” expectations. The learners’ writing and vision skills “are paramount,” promoters say. All will be shown during a 90-minute period Friday.

Being Shown Saturday at 2 p.m.

Films to be shown Saturday in Block One at 2 p.m. cumulatively run for 97 minutes. The selections, listed below, are in alphabetical order and not necessarily the order in which they will be screened:

  • Ad-Lib, by cinematographer Rachel Alexander;
  • Banana Tree, directed by Sarah Bui;
  • A Coward’s Legacy, directed by Derek Rahm;
  • Eva & Fern, directed by Daniel Paashaus;
  • Happy Sadurday, directed by Hannah Mittermeier;
  • It Drops at Midnight, directed by Raymond Ceres;
  • Mother Earth Mother Death, directed by Thom Peeler; and
  • A Wednesday in Hershey, directed by Matt Ward.

Scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Films being screened Saturday in Block Two at 4:30 p.m. run for 96 minutes. Its alphabetized selections are:

  • exception(al), directed by Michelle Bossy;
  • I Love Monroe, directed by Steven Liiro;
  • In Sickness, directed by Daniel de Bruyn;
  • NORJAK, directed by Mason Leaver;
  • Our Shared Curse, directed by Eve Polek;
  • Rivercobble, directed by Burls & Bramble;
  • Rubbing Sticks, directed by Raymond Ceres and Charalampos Bakirtzis;
  • Terra Luna, directed by Scott Lentz;
  • The Trunk, directed by Tony Susi; and
  • Who’s Crazy Now?, directed by Samantha R. Kennedy.

Finally, Films Saturday at 7 p.m., and an Awards Event

Films being screened Saturday in Block Three at 7 p.m. run for 98 minutes. Its alphabetized selections are:

  • My Hair, directed by Alison Loeb and Sam Guncler;
  • The War is Over, directed by Andrea Kramer and Dave Lamm;
  • Gardener of the Galaxy, directed by Nick Natalicchio;
  • ON THIN ICE, directed by Chelsea Komorowski;
  • One Night, directed by Ryan Tocci;
  • Remembrance, directed by Colin Lawville and Aiden McKee;
  • Simmer, directed by Joshua Afiriyie;
  • The Capsaicin Clash, directed by Mason Leaver; and
  • Weighted Blanket, directed by Jeffrey Harvey.

All Saturday films are determined to carry a Motion Picture Association film rating equivalent of “R.”

The festival wraps up Saturday at 9:15 p.m. with a free awards ceremony honoring its standout selections. In addition to the Best in Show Award and a $500 cash prize, the festival jury will present accolades for Best Director, Best Performance, Best Editing, and other achievements.

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash, used by Travels With The Post under license