Film festival to be held at W&J Saturday
Notice: Undefined variable: article_ad_placement3 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/single.php on line 128
The price of attending the Cannes Film Festival next month may be a bit too dear for most of us, considering the four-figure airfare and the cost of hotels on the French Riviera.
There is a much less pricey option on tap in Washington Saturday, however, when the fourth annual Washington, Pa., Film Festival gets under way.
It will be at The Hub, 60 S. Lincoln St., on the Washington & Jefferson College campus, starting at 1 p.m. and continuing through 7 p.m. A variety of films will be shown from local and regional filmmakers, with running times as short as two minutes and as long as 90 minutes.
“It’s a chance to showcase local talent,” said Fred Fleet, president of the Highland Ridge Community Development Corp. The festival, which previously unspooled at such locations as The George Washington hotel and Life Church, is a benefit for the nonprofit community development organization, which last year raised about $4,000.
There will be competition entries from several different filmmakers, including a seven-minute short made by members of Washington Area Senior Citizens Center called “Help! We Need an Elevator.” Comedies, dramas and documentaries will be represented.
Fare that is more family-friendly will be at the start of the festival. Bill Cameron, a professor in the communication arts department at Washington & Jefferson College, will be a judge.
Gordon Plancon, one of the festival’s coordinators, said the festival will provide an opportunity for people to screen their work when they otherwise might not have the chance. Also, “this is an opportunity to give back to our community and reach out to people and get them interested in the film industry.”
The guest at this year’s festival is Charlie Humphrey, the executive director of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, who will be discussing the Pittsburgh regional film scene at 3 p.m., and how it has evolved during his tenure with the organization. Humphrey will also be screening some films made by students who took classes with Pittsburgh Filmmakers.
“My wife and I love making films, so we thought it would be a great fundraiser for HRCDC,” Fleet said. He pointed out that a screenwriter friend who lives in Philadelphia participated in the first year, and another friend who works in Hollywood sent a film in the festival’s sophomore year.
Information is available at www.washingtonpafilmfestival.com or by calling 412-979-3268.