ReadingFilmFEST2024 by Hoffmann Publishing Group

ReadingFilmFEST

Presented by: Imagine Berks

Welcome to the 2024 ReadingFilmFEST! With immense pride, I reflect upon the incredible progress our festival has embarked upon.

The ReadingFilmFEST has grown to embrace the community in a way that goes beyond showcasing outstanding films to incorporate a richer experience. Whether you are an avid cinephile, a budding filmmaker, or someone who simply appreciates the power of storytelling, there is truly something for everyone at this year’s ReadingFilmFEST.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to an incredible staff whose commitment and tireless efforts are truly the driving force behind the success of this year’s festival season. To our devoted board of directors, loyal volunteers, discerning judges, insightful moderators, and generous sponsors, we owe a debt of gratitude that words alone cannot express. Without your unwavering support and love for the art of film, this extraordinary festival would not be possible.

Warm

regards,

Cammie Harris Executive Director, ReadingFilm Office

Friends, Filmmakers, and Film Fanatics, Welcome to the 10th Annual ReadingFilmFEST in the heart of Reading, Pennsylvania! It is with great enthusiasm that I applaud the Reading Film Office for their contributions to the Commonwealth’s creative communities, as I extend my deepest gratitude to all of you for supporting and celebrating this very special milestone event.

Whether you call Reading home, or are discovering it for the first time, I hope you experience something new. May you witness compelling cinema, shake hands with new friends, taste the local flavor, and perhaps find time to breathe in the view from the Pagoda.

Film Festivals do more than provide a platform for artists to display their cinematic work. They unite communities through the power of story. Stories can inspire us, teach us, activate us, make us laugh, cry, think, and wonder why. Despite our many differences, we all have a story to tell. Thank you to the filmmakers for sharing your stories with Reading. And thank you Reading for embracing independent film.

Happy 10 years young ReadingFilmFEST! Make a wish!

With Gratitude, Gino Anthony Pesi

Film Commissioner | Executive Director

PA Film Office | Department of Community & Economic Development

Get Your Collectible Poster

ReadingFilmFEST

The 2024 ReadingFilmFEST collectible poster was designed by local artist Chris Smith. Chris is an illustrator and designer based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Illustration and specializes in vector designs. His art reflects his identity as a quarter Pueblo Native American, sports fan, and pop-culture enthusiast. The 18 x 24 prints were provided by Sir Speedy.

A limited number are available for $12.

William Blumer Matthew Brushwood Eden Bucher Timothy Dietrich Susanna Fultz Thad Gelsinger Zachary Griffith

Charles Haws Beth Kohl Benjamin Leisawitz Matthew Mayer Sarah McCahon Michael Mixell Keith Mooney

Kevin Moore Frederick Nice Brian Ott Brandon Pack Charles Phillips Troy Rider Rachael Shaw

Latisha Bernard Schuenemann Allen Shollenberger John Speicher Silas Ruiz-Steele EmmaRose Strohl Paul Troisi Gregory Young

READING FILM FEST SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10,

6:00 PM

6:30 PM

5-Min FilmFEST BCTC Blades

My Life with Diabetes

You Are BCTC Awards

Bela Jailene Mini-Concert

7:00 PM International StudentFEST (2:15:00)

Race Against Extinction Fetch

Frail Ground

Pidgin Kaua’i Style

Q&A BREAK

Dancer in the Mundanity

Guiding Light

Perfect Casting Home

Q&A

Awards

Ray – Sponsored by:

(2:40:00)

You Think Although You Are Not Bay for Blood

3 weeks ago

Year 10

The Gray, The Black Q&A BREAK

Your Last Wishes

READING FILM FEST SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12,

• The Splint

• Demi-Goddesses

• The Cage

• Mail Myself to You

• Aniamus

• The Sprayer

• Pump

• Q&A

Millie’s Care Free Day

The Journey of Malcolm Miracle and Dave

As Easy As Closing Your Eyes Q&A

7:30

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2024

TIME GoggleWorks IMAX 1

12:30 PM Environmental Docs (1:35:00) Single Use Planet Coral Gardeners Q&A

1 PM Made in Reading Block (1:45:00) Ember Sleeping Breakfast of Champions Love Is Afoot Q&A BREAK The Trunk Naive Streetcar Stories Between Us People Q&A

2:45 PM Special Presentation (30:00) Award Ceremony

3:15 PM Party (1:15:00) Wrap Party

A 10%

on your Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner during Reading Film FEST 2024!

Show your tickets when dining at the following participating Restaurant Sponsors to receive your discount.

3rd & Spruce Drafthaus

238 S 34d Avenue, West Reading, 11:30am-11pm Thurs, 11:30am- 1am Fri+Sat 10am11pm Sunday (Lunch, Dinner, Late Night)

The American Diner

411 Penn Avenue, West Reading, 7am-9pm (All-Day/7 days)

Brewers Bar and Grill

103 S 34d Avenue, West Reading, 11am-12:30am- next day (Lunch, Dinner, Late Night/7 days)

Cheers American Bistro@The DoubleTree by Hilton, 701 Penn Street, Reading, 6am-11pm (All Day, Late Night/7 days)

DeCarlo’s Bar and Grill

240 Penn Street, Reading, 5pm-2am (Dinner, Late Night/7 days)

G.N.A. Ristorante

421 Penn Avenue, West Reading, 11am-9pm Sunday/ Thursday, 11am-10pm Fri+Sat (Lunch and Dinner)

Judy’s on Cherry

30 S 4th Street, Reading, 5-9pm (Dinner Wed-Sat only)

Mi Casa Su Casa

320 Penn Street, Reading, 7am-2pm Wed-Sat (Breakfast/ Brunch)

Peanut Bar

332 Penn St, Reading, 4-8pm Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday)

Saucony Creek Franklin Station BrewPub

100 S 7th Street, Reading 11am-9pm Tues-Thurs, 11am-11pm Fri+Sat, 10am-7pm Sunday (Lunch and Dinner) 2017 location for the This is Reading installation!)

The Ugly Oyster Drafthaus 21 S 5th Street, Reading 11:30am-9pm Thurs, 11:30am-10pm Fri+Sat (Lunch and Dinner, closed Sunday)

PROUD TO SPONSOR READING FILM FEST

READING FILM FEST SUPPORT

Centro Hispano

Sweet Streets

The Holleran Fund

Alvernia University

Kimberton Whole Foods

WCR Center for the Arts

SPECIAL EVENTS

READING

FILMFEST GALA

WCR

Friday, 5:00-6:45 PM

Welcome to this years VIP Gala where filmmakers schmooze with VIP guests and friends, and walk the red carpet! Celebrate the kickoff of the 2024 ReadingFilmFEST with art, food, and entertainment! Event open to the filmmakers and VIP Pass Holders.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Finger Laced Crown GoggleWorks

Friday, 7:30-9:20

Lemon Drop, a hip 27-year-old artist struggling to navigate her place in this world, is haunted by recurring dreams of a harrowing past relationship. These visions compel her to create a new painting and sets her on the challenging path of self-discovery all why maneuvering work/life balance, new found success and the influence of an alcoholic mother.

INDUSTRY SPEAKER SERIES

With Actor Taylor Handley and Writer/Director John Hindman

GoggleWorks

Join us for a Saturday morning chat with Actor Taylor Handley from Paramount

Saturday, 10:00-11:45 AM

+’s smash hit, “Mayor of Kingstown” as well as the feature films: “Jack Frost” opposite Michael Keaton, “Battle Los Angeles”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning”, “Chasing Mavericks” with Gerard Butler and “Bird Box” with Sandra Bullock. Also speaking will be Writer/ Director John Hindman, who’s latest screenplay, “Unstoppable”, was produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The film will be released this December. He is also the writer and director of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize Nominee, “The Answer Man” starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham. His latest script “Savage”, is set to go before cameras later this year.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Pitch Perfect – Audience

Sing-A-long Goggleworks

Saturday, 3:00-5:00 PM

The Berks County Chorus will lead a rousing audience sing-a-long of the 2012 American jukebox musical comedy, PITCH PERFECT. You don’t need to know the words as the lyrics will appear on screen!

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

War Game

GoggleWorks

Saturday, 5:00-7:00 PM

Join us for the docu-drama, “War Game” where United States officials simulate a coup post a disputed election. Insurgents take the capital, questioning the president’s military control. Countering disinformation is vital, highlighting bipartisan defense of democracy.

Following the film there will be a panel discussion with the film’s Emmy Award winning director, Tony Gerber, Former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Jack Tomarchio and Lt. Col (ret) Alexender Vindman former U.S. National Security Council.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Rocky Horror with Shadow Cast

GoggleWorks

Saturday, 10:00-11:40 PM

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the ultimate cult classic that brings out the weird in everyone. Featuring an all-star cast, a kooky storyline, and amazing music, the film by itself is great fun. But when you add the audience antics, it’s an event worth staying up late for… Join ReadingFilmFEST with Live Shadow Cast Performance and Interactive Audience Participation.

SPECIAL EVENTS

AWARDS CEREMONY

GoggleWorks

Sunday, 2:45-3:15 PM

ReadingFilmFEST presents awards to films judged best by our celebrity judges, in the following categories: Best Feature, Best Short, Best Documentary, Best Animated, Best Film by a Woman Filmmaker, Best Actor/Actress, Best Use of Music, Best Made in Reading and the People’s Choice Award!

SOCIAL EVENTS

FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY!

505 Penn St. Friday, 10:00-12:00 PM

Featured artists: Alex Kline, Noah Hislop, Andrew Pochan, Nadia Pochan, Anna Schweigert, Jessica Turner, Daniella Yacono and more!

Music by the Legendary John Williams

Date: Tuesday December 31

Time: 7:30 PM

Location: Reading Symphonay Arts Center

For more Information and Tickets Visit: Readingsymphony.org

Andrew Constantine, Conductor

The Reading Film Office is partnering with the Reading Symphony Orchestra for an exciting New Year’s concert featuring John Williams' iconic film scores. Enjoy classic movie scenes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones. Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration!

We’re thrilled to partner with the incredible community of artists of Take 505 to bring you this vibrant and immersive event of Party Vibes, Fine Art, Live Music, Projections, Installations and Game Show Fun!

Filmmakers and VIP guests of the festival get free entry with your FESTIVAL PASS. Open to the public starting at 7pm for just a $5 cover.

SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY!

Pagoda Brewery Saturday, 10:00-12:00 PM

Savor delicious lite fare and our exclusive signature ReadingFilmFEST cold beer while enjoying a complimentary beer tasting and an exciting tour of the brewery facility. Whether you’re chatting with creative minds or connecting with fellow film lovers, this is the perfect chance to network in a laid-back atmosphere.

Filmmakers and VIP guests receive free entry with your ReadingFilmFEST pass!

WRAP PARTY!

GoggleWorks Sunday, 3:15-4:30 PM

Enjoy lite fare, music and celebrate our awesome filmmakers, sponsors, volunteers and VIP guests!

This event is open to all VIP Passholders, Volunteers and Filmmakers.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTFEST SCREENING

October 10, 2024 • R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX • 6:00-9:00 pm

RACE AGAINST EXTINCTION

An engineering student meets a time-traveling dinosaur who recruits him to stop the extinction of mankind.

Director: Katie Collins, Sarah Simon 13:13 minutes

FETCH

While playing fetch, a boy’s dog disappears into an open sewer. The boy follows after him, only to learn they are not alone.

Director: Joaquin Soto 4:58 minutes

FRAIL GROUND

A girl wakes up in an unfamiliar world, trying to understand how she got there and how to escape.

Director: Abby Tarpey 19:50 minutes

PIDGIN KAUA’I STYLE

“Pidgin Kauai Style” is a short documentary that explores the distinct dialect and accent differences of Hawaii Creole, also known as “Pidgin,” as spoken on the Island of Kaua’i.

Director: Erica Byers 7:20 minutes

DANCER IN THE MUNDANITY

A dancer struggles with following her own dreams – and what others expect from her.

Director: Xiaotong Lin, Zirui Wang 20 minutes

GUIDING LIGHT

Student filmmaker India Mitchell, a teen growing up in the same town some thirty years after the infamous Polly Klass murder; brings a fresh perspective to the legacy of this case.

Director: India Anne Mitchell 5 minutes

PERFECT CASTING

A skilled costume designer struggles to collaborate with an asocial creature actor who is scarily good at playing his monster character.

Director: Autumn English 4:40 minutes

HOME

In ‘Home,’ Eve, personified as a house, establishes a connection with a man. Through subtle visuals, their relationship evolves, but neglect takes its toll, leading to unforeseen consequences.

Director: Wilandy Castelin 11:12 minutes

SHORTS WITH A TWIST

October 11, 2024 • R/C

Reading Movies 11 & IMAX - Theater 1 • 7:00-9:40 pm

YOU THINK ALTHOUGH YOU ARE NOT

A happily married couple find an unusual way to stay together when life events separate them. Adapted from an Iranian short story written by Navid Farrokhi. Director: Salaheddin Noori 11:47 minutes

BAY FOR BLOOD

Two friends are hiding out in isolation to work on their disturbing relationship. The situation worsens when an acquaintance gets involved.

Director: Harry Waldman 18 minutes

THE GRAY, THE BLACK

Two young business owners run a café together but everything is jeopardized when one of them begins eavesdropping on customers.

Director: Ashkan Sepehr 20 minutes

BROKEN HEART

A true crime enthusiast, goes through a breakup and suspects a pizza delivery driver may be a serial killer.

Director: Ryan Zimmerman 12 minutes

3 WEEKS AGO

A couple receives life-changing news three weeks before the birth of their child.

Director: Amir Hossein Dibaj 15 minutes

YOUR LAST WISHES

Following the death of his best friend, a young man vows to follow through on his friends Last Wishes. Director: Mason Beck 19:57 minutes

YEAR 10

Every year on a poignant anniversary, two girls reunite outside their old elementary school.

Director: V. Leigh 6:18 minutes

MOTEL ROOM

A teenage boy befriends a prostitute that his father hired to take his virginity. Based on a true story.

Director: Bradford Lipson 20:03 minutes

THE SEA

In a small English village, circa 1952, a young farm girl sees a painting of the sea in a shop window, and falls in love with it. Her efforts to buy it lead to an unforeseen encounter.

Director: Ian Bartholomew 7:18 minutes

INSPIRATIONAL

ULTIMATE CITIZENS

As a guidance counselor in Seattle Public Schools, Mr. Jamshid’s best work takes place out of the building and on a playing field with “his kids,” the children of refugees and immigrants.

Director: Francine Strickwerda 52 minutes

RELIGHTING THE FLAME

Relighting the Flame tells the story of how a new generation of workers are defying enormous odds to rebuild and grow America’s steel industry, right in the Industrial Heartland.

Director: Carl Kriss

25:49 minutes

TEN TIMES BETTER

Driven by his refugee mother to be “Ten Times Better” in white America, George Lee is the quintessential invisible immigrant with an extraordinary past. The 88-year-old Vegas blackjack dealer, who grew up in Shanghai studying ballet with Russian emigres, went on to have a successful career on Broadway — an early Asian American Pacific Islander dancer who was largely forgotten. Until now.

Director: Jennifer Rita Lin 29:52 minutes

WOMEN & FILM BLOCK

October 12, 2024 • R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX - Theater 1 • 12:00 - 2:25 pm

A QUIET SUMMER

A 17-year-old girl faces social pressures from her conservative circle while she pursues her first summer romance. Things take a turn for the worst when her carefree cousin arrives in town.

Director: Sis Gurdal 12:05 minutes

I AM A WOMAN

A woman struggles with heartache, truth, acceptance and revenge under the shadow of misogyny.

Director: Sahar Mahmoudi 13:50 minutes

BROWN BABIES

When an aspiring black writer dies from a medical error while giving birth to twins, her loyal husband must pick up the pieces of their life.

Director: Zaire Davis 16:13 minutes

THE FOLLY OF PARIS, OR, THE ORIGINAL SNUB

A darkly comic feminist re-telling of the Greek myth “The Judgement of Paris,” in which a royal wedding guest list perpetrates an unforgivable snub, no one listens to Hera because she’s a woman, and Paris awards a golden apple allegedly to the Goddess he deems most beautiful, but really to whoever offers the most tantalizing bribe.

Director: Laura Lionetta 12:24 minutes

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Caught in the web of an emotionally manipulative and abusive relationship, a woman grapples with her inner voice as she confronts the echoes of her own turmoil.

Director: Bailey Reanne Roman 16:24 minutes

DON’T FALL FROM GRACE

When Grace’s body is puppeteered by a mysterious entity, her Mother is desperate to break her from the trance.

Director: Carley Byers 10:52 minutes

SAFETY STATE

In the dystopian near future, a gay and a lesbian couple form an unlikely friendship as they flee the midwest for safety in a new State.

Director: Jeanette L. Buck 15:37 minutes

WITNESS

While trying to save her father’s life, a young woman wanders in the difficult dilemma of choosing between fear and conscience.

Director: Aida Tebianian 15 minutes

CREATIVE ARTS DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

NOTHING LEFT UNDONE: THE ART OF G

As Philadelphia artist G Kellum prepares for an upcoming gallery exhibition, he reflects on his artistic origins, life philosophy, and complicated relationship with success.

Director: Matthew Ober

18:30 minutes

SHADOW AXE

ONE WORLD IS WRITING

Writer Shirley Jackson was known for transforming her daily fears and anxieties into literature full of menace and shadowy dread. The line between fiction and reality blurs as the filmmaker channels Jackson with masks, mirrors, and whispered voices, finding stories that overlap eerily with her own life.

Director: Samantha deManbey 22 minutes

Yaron Deutsch is one of the world’s leading electric guitarists who bridge classical and contemporary music. This documentary is a portrait of the artist, and an exploration of the guitar’s evolution in music and electricity. Combining interview, master class, concert, and movie clips, the film asks what it means to interpret a composer’s work, and how legacy thrives in shadows of greatness.

Director: H. Paul Moon

39 minutes

ANIMATION BLOCK

October 12, 2024 • R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX - Theater 1 6:00-7:00 pm

THE SPLINT

A utility worker is robotically replacing wooden power poles with concrete ones, which upsets the local birds.

Director: Mehdi Sedighi 5:27 minutes

DEMI-GODDESSES

‘Demi-Goddesses’ is conceived as a surreal anti-patriarchal thought experiment and raises important questions about gender, power, and social change, prompting us to reflect on how historical patterns of discrimination and oppression might be either repeated or overcome in a reversed gendered world.

Director: Martin Gerigk 7:25 minutes

THE CAGE

All the citizens of a small village are unaware that they have a cage on their head, until one individual recognizes the restriction and brings it to the attention of others.

Director: Hamideh Motavali Zadeh 3:34 minutes

MAIL MYSELF TO YOU

“Mail Myself to You” is an experimental animated documentary which explores the legacy and future of the Oberlin College Mail Art Collection and the medium of mail art as a whole. The film asks what it truly means to send art and find community through the mail, and how we can preserve the memory of art that resists convention.

Director: Imogen Pranger 16 minutes

ANIMUS

Driven by a desire to avenge her fallen comrades, a young huntress battles to slay a dragon but at the price of reigniting a cycle of vengeance.

Director: Kai Wen Gon 3:00 minutes

THE SPRAYER

In the land occupied with the Sprayers Army, no one has the right to grow plants. Most of the people and even the soldiers don’t know how a plant grows or what one looks like. Until one day, one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust.

Director: Farnoosh Abedi 8:45 minutes

PUMP

Rusty the Robot finds himself working at the local sleepy gym. While the manager steps out, Rusty takes charge of the music and turns up the tempo with thrilling results! .

Director: Alan Rosenfeld 2:46 minutes

6580 Perkiomen Ave

Birdsboro, PA 19508-1016 610-582-2352

SHORTS ON SATURDAY

October 12, 2024 • R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX - Theater 2 7:00-9:20 pm

STOPWATCH

A strange man advertises that he will pay for an American visa and cover all travel expenses to move to America to anyone who can convince him why their problems are so great that they must leave Iran. The catch is they only have one minute to do it.

Director: MohammadReza Sattari 14 minutes

CANVAS

A Vietnam War Veteran, uses his art to work through his trauma and PTSD.

Director: Logan McCurry, Mitchell Workman 10 minutes

JOHN DOE

While waiting to meet his client in a park, a single Real Estate Agent assumes the woman greeting him is his new client – while the woman mistakenly believes that he is her blind date. After an awkward exchange, they realize they are not there to meet each other; but they can’t deny a certain chemistry. When the woman’s actual date shows up, she suddenly finds herself conflicted.

Director: Rebecca Faulkenberry 10:22 minutes

TIME ALONE IN FEAR & SADNESS

A woman walks through her traumatic reality in isolation, will she find her path toward a new hope?

Director: Derek Patterson 15 minutes

SIMMER

A black high school student’s English teacher pushes him to get involved in a poetry showcase and develop his talents, but a racist bully and an avoidant father operate against him. Over the course of the story, the conflict blends both real and imagined spaces parallel to the teen’s evolution from repression to expression.

Director: Joshua Afiriyie 15 minutes

MILLIE’S CARE FREE DAY

Weighed down and despondent from crushing depression, Millie tries to escape the daily grind by deciding today will be different. However, she must first confront her trauma before it consumes her.

Director: Michael Licisyn 9:10 minutes

THE JOURNEY OF MALCOLM MIRACLE AND DAVE

The Journey of Malcolm Miracle and Dave is a mockumentary-style drama that chronicles a former inmate and a corrections officer that make a deep impact on each other’s lives. This film is an urban fantasy that deals with second chances, hard changes, prison, and pro-wrestling! .

Director: J. Anthony Roman 17 minutes

AS EASY AS CLOSING YOUR EYES

Academy Award-nominee Abigail Breslin presents: As Easy As Closing Your Eyes. The story of a grieving mother who battles her addiction to a black-market drug that gives her life-like dreams about the son she lost.

Director: Parker Croft 21:43 minutes

ACTION SHORTS

October 12, 2024 • R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX - Theater 1 • 7:30-8:30 pm

LAST NIGHT IN SEOUL

After successfully assassinating the CEO of a major corporation, a contract killer stumbles into a suicidal stranger and learns that he and the stranger have more in common then they think.

Director: Yoh Komaya 18:15 minutes

EXIT

Unwavering religious adherence collides with the urgent need for survival during a natural disaster, questioning whether rigid beliefs should override the instinct to remain alive.

Director: Reza Abiyat 4 minutes

THE SPRAYER

Director: Farnoosh Abedi 8:45 minutes

REVV

REVV is a slow-burning revenge drama that follows John “Revv” Revere on his last day on earth… or so he thinks. Upon his release from prison, Revv is a shotgun blast of raw emotion and determination as he sets out on the suicide mission he’s planned for seven years.

Director: Taylor Handley 18:10 minutes

ENVIRONMENTAL DOCS

October 13, 2024 • R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX - Theater 1 • 12:30-2:05 pm

SINGLE USE PLANET

Plastic is vital in so many ways to our modern way of life and well-being — but not all forms of it. In search of why more and more single-use plastic debris enters the ocean despite all efforts to recycle, Single-Use Planet goes upstream to where millions of tons of raw plastic are being made amidst the ruins of America’s bygone steel industry in Pennsylvania.

Narrated by Peter Coyote.

Director: Steve Cowan

59 minutes

CORAL GARDENERS

Coral Gardeners follows a novel experiment in the Maldives to regrow coral reefs, which offer protection, food and income.

Director: Jon Bowermaster 21 minutes

MADE IN READING BLOCK

October 13, 2024 • GoggleWorks Boscov Theatre • 1:00-2:45 pm

EMBER

A young man asks his fiancee’s father for his blessing to marry, but before the young man can propose, a horrific family secret is revealed.

Director: David Ogrodowski 14 minutes

SLEEPING

Singer/songwriter Rai discusses her upcoming EP and hiatus from music in this intimate documentary short.

Director: Jacob G Welsko

4:33 minutes

THE TRUNK

A determined woman struggles to offload a large, mysterious, and suspiciously heavy trunk without attracting too much attention.

Director: Tony Susi 7:47 minutes

NAIVE

Singer/songwriter, Bella Jailene directs her music video, Naive, which is the first single off her debut album. 3:56 minutes

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

When a bar becomes a battleground between a bartender and a saleswoman, the clash uncorks an exploration of ethics, social duty, and the quest for meaningful change.

Director: Andrew Shemin 11:23 minutes

LOVE IS AFOOT

A behind-the-scenes look at the musical play, “Love is Afoot!”, which premiered at the Miller Center for the Arts in Reading, in August of 2023.

Director: Dave Speace 15 minutes

BETWEEN US PEOPLE

A chance encounter between two strangers at a train station leads to a conversation that reveals internal struggles that close the space Between Us People.

Director: Jonathan Alexander Pensado 13:55 minutes

STREETCAR STORIES

Come ride along on a streetcar through the vibrant, culture-rich city of New Orleans. Hear five different stories from visitors as they share their experiences with the dynamic music, tasty food, and the friendly people.

Director: Danielle Hannah Radosh 4:58 minutes

FEATURES

October 11-12, 2024 • Goggleworks & IMAX - Theater 2 • 12:00 - 2:25 pm

FINGER LACED CROWN

Finger Laced Crown is a sexy, LGBTQ coming of age drama based in the modern and changing world of fine art, musing the work of spray paint artist Tyrone Webb.

Director: Brandon C. Lay 92 minutes

Friday 7:30 - 9:20 pm

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Albert and Eunice Boscov Theatre

8 CONFESSIONS IN LA

Through an unexpected lens, eight people each have an experience that shatters their perception of who they are. They must confront the truth about themselves in order to truly live for the first time.

Director: John Hindman, John Frost

60 minutes

Saturday 12:00 - 1:15 pm

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Albert and Eunice Boscov Theatre

ORGANIC RISING

Organic Rising demystifies organic agriculture. U.S. consumers are confronted with the U.S.D.A. organic label on a daily basis however only a small fraction of them know what it represents. To understand what organic is, it is necessary to understand what organics is not. Therefore the film takes a close look at conventional agriculture and its’ pesticides through the voices of farmers and renowned scientists. The research presented by these scientists, on the human and the environmental effects of synthetic pesticides, is profoundly disturbing and unprecedented.

Director: Anthony Suau 129 minutes

Saturday 2:00 - 4:40 pm IMAX 2

TO FALL IN LOVE

When a woman estranged from her husband meets with him as a lastditch effort to save their marriage, they grapple with psychologist Arthur Aron’s famous relationship tool, “The 36 Questions TO FALL IN LOVE,” and she must decide whether their love is enough to keep them together.

Director: Michael Lewis Foster 87 minutes

Saturday 7:30 - 9:15 pm

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Albert and Eunice Boscov Theatre

READING FILM FEST JUDGES

ANN LEMON

Best Animated Film - Judge

Ann Lemon is the Executive Director of the Amos Lemon Burkhart Foundation and is an internationally recognized multidisciplinary designer, educator and advocate for artists. Ann has taught writing, design, and design history at the university, high school, and middle school levels. She holds an MFA in design, an MS in Secondary Education, and is currently earning an MA in Counseling. Ann has worked with amazing animators including Imaginary Forces, Simon Blake, and the Oscar winning director Michael duDok de Wit to create commercials and short films for companies like AT&T, Crayola, Huggies and Stouffer’s. She has written two books about advertising and has a popular YouTube series on global graphic design history. She is the mother of the artist and animator Amos Lemon Burkhart (1998 - 2018).

KEVIN KASHA

Best Short - Judge

Kevin Kasha has been a key player in the entertainment industry for more than two decades, overseeing acquisitions, production and programming for some of Hollywood’s leading independent studios. Kasha most recently served as Head of Acquisitions at Starz, where he oversaw film, television series, and digital acquisitions for all of the Starz businesses including Starz Networks, Starz Worldwide Distribution, Starz Digital, and Anchor Bay Entertainment. Previously, Kasha served as Executive Vice President, Worldwide Acquisitions & Co-Productions for Anchor Bay. Prior to joining Anchor Bay, Kasha held the senior posts at New Line Home Entertainment as well as Miramax Home Entertainment.

SCOTT BASTEDO

Best Made in Reading - Judge

Scott Bastedo is an Associate Professor at Kutztown University where he teaches Cinematography, Lighting, Scriptwriting, Writing for Narrative Television, and Live Event Production. Scott is also an accomplished writer whose creative works have been selected for over a dozen national and international film festivals and screenwriting contests.

TAYLOR HANDLEY

Best Actor - Judge

A veteran in the world of film and television, Taylor Handley has built an impressive acting career over the last 25 years. Some of Taylor’s big-screen credits include Curtis Hanson’s surfing chronicle CHASING MAVERICKS with Gerard Butler, Netflix mega-hit BIRD BOX with Sandra Bullock, New Line Cinema’s TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING, Columbia’s BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, indie drama SKATELAND, which premiered in the Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, and Handley’s film debut at age 13, JACK FROST, opposite Michael Keaton.

But it’s Handley’s current role as “Kyle McLusky” in Taylor Sheridan’s hit series MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN, where Handley stars alongside Jeremy Renner and Dianne Wiest, that is truly showing Handley’s range as an actor and artist. Handley has recently backed this up with his performance in the Netflix limited series GRISELDA.

Handley recently completed his directorial debut, the thrilling short film “REVV”, which premiered at the 2024 Beverly Hills Film Festival.

LISA EICHHORN

Best Actress - Judge

In a career spanning four decades, Lisa Eichhorn has starred in theatre, feature films and television in both the US and the UK. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and shot to fame with her first feature film, YANKS. She received two Golden Globe nominations for her performance. The Europeans, co-starring Lee Remick, for Merchant-Ivory followed and earned her a British Academy of Film and Television Award [BAFTA] nomination. CUTTER’S WAY followed that and won her Best Actress at Deauville, American Division.

She made her West End debut in Golden Boy at the Royal National Theatre, London; her New York stage debut Off-Broadway in THE COMMON PURSUIT, costarring Nathan Lane, and her Broadway debut in THE SPEED OF DARKNESS, with Robert Sean Leonard, Len Cariou and Stephen Lang.

A Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio since 1987, Eichhorn has taught Method acting to directors, animators, and actors at the School of Visual Arts in New York City; USC, DreamWorks, Disney, the National Film and Television School in London. She has taught master classes Italy, Kosovo, and Latvia and coached privately for several decades. Eichhorn has co-produced and written for film Defenders of Riga/Latvia) as well as directed for the stage.

KRIS LOWREY

Best Narrative Feature – Judge

Kris has been teaching in higher education for more than 15 years, and is currently an assistant professor of communication at Alvernia University. At Alvernia, she teaches a number of courses related to media, communication, and rhetoric, including

READING FILM FEST JUDGES

“Gender, Sex, and Identity in the Media.” Her research foregrounds the voices of marginalized communities with a special emphasis on recovering historical women’s voices in Reading, Pennsylvania.

DR. MIKE D’ERRICO

Best Use of Music– Judge

Dr. Mike D’Errico is the Director of Music Technology & Composition, as well as the Chair of the Music Department at Albright College, where he teaches courses in the music business, music technology, songwriting, and sound design. Mike is a DJ, music producer and digital music artist and has worked as sound designer for virtual reality art installations and experimental video games. His recent book is entitled, Push: Software Design and the Cultural Politics of Music Production. Dr. D’Errico holds degrees in musicology, music and music education from UCLA, Tufts University and the University of New Hampshire.

KELLY DEVINE

Best

Documentary–Judge

Kelly Devine has served as the Artistic Director for the Global Peace Film since 2006. Connecting story to community in action, GPFF supports and amplifies the work of Central Florida civic, faith, educational and activist groups by curating film and media events to raise awareness and catalyze audiences. She has consulted on impact projects for award-winning documentaries such as BULLY and HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE.

JOSEPH ANDRIEUX

Best Student Film –Judge

Best Student

Animation – Judge

Best Student

Documentary – Judge

Dr. Joseph Andrieux is a dedicated educator with 17 years of experience at Reading Senior High School, specializing in Computer Programming, Game Development, and Digital Media. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Reading Area Community College, where he teaches Data Analytics, Data Science, and Ops Network Development. Dr. Andrieux holds a PhD in Teaching Technology, as well as Master’s degrees in Teaching English Language Learners, Digital Media & Game Design, and Secondary Education.

MICHELE SANCHEZ

ARTEAGA

Best Short by a Woman Filmmaker–Judge

Michele Sanchez Arteaga is currently Vice President of Program Acquisitions at Starz. In this role, she meets with major studios, producers, distributors, and film representatives to source premium content and negotiate acquisition deals on behalf of Starz. Her responsibilities include attending all major film/ TV markets and acquiring films and series for Starz.

Some of her more recent acquisition highlights include: The upcoming Starz Original Series SWEETPEA, CITY OF LIES (starring Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker), and GOD IS A BULLET (starring Maika Monroe and Jamie Foxx), among others.

Prior to joining Starz, she worked at Anchor Bay Films in acquisitions and New Line Cinema in finance and then later in acquisitions and production. She is a graduate of Fordham University in New York, NY.

THE READING FILM OFFICE

The Reading Film Office was founded to promote the region as a location destination for film and media production. We aim to develop a thriving regional film industry, and build community pride through events, educational programs and economic development. The City of Reading and Berks County provide a rich assortment of location options for filmmaking. This area offers historical sites, urban, suburban, and rural locations that enable filmmakers to recreate any period in history to present day. The expansive landscapes and rich cultural diversity can support a variety of films that cannot be easily produced elsewhere. The area is easily accessible and affordable as a film location. Visit us at: https://readingfilm.org.