W&J hosts film festival on campus
Independently made films from as far away as Sweden and as close as St. Clairsville, Ohio, will be represented in the Washington PA Film Festival from 1 to 6 p.m. today at Dieter-Porter Hall on the Washington & Jefferson College campus.
Forty short films will be shown in the festival, with diverse subject matter crafted by a diverse set of filmmakers.
The Washington & Jefferson Film Club contributed one film, “The Butcher,” a conversation between a prison inmate and his guard, while other offerings have come from filmmakers who work in the local film or television industry and create short films on the side.
“We have a great mix of quality films,” said Gordon Plancon, the festival’s coordinator. “We’ve grown so much in the last five years.”
The festival raises funds for Highland Ridge Community Development Corp., the Washington nonprofit organization that, among other things, tries to combat blight and promotes projects like community gardens. While admission to the festival is free, those attending will have the opportunity to make a donation, Plancon said, and they are hoping to reel in about $5,000 this year.
Previous film festivals had featured guest speakers talking about the regional and national film industries, but not this time around. “We were so overwhelmed with the amount of entries, we didn’t have the time to schedule a speaker. Otherwise, we would have been there all day.”
Awards will be given at the conclusion of the festival. Other spots on the map that will be represented in the festival include Washington, State College, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, France, Spain, Germany and Russia.
The running times of the films range from five to 20 minutes. Fare that is more family friendly will be screened earlier in the day.
For information, go online to www.washingtonpafilmfestival.com or call 412-979-3268.