Reading FilmFest to feature films from near and far

Oct. 23—The eighth annual ReadingFilmFEST will showcase over 70 films from around the corner and across the globe starting Thursday and running through next Sunday at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Eunice and Albert Boscov Theatre and R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX Theater.

This year's festival includes independent and student films, LUNAFEST (a traveling festival featuring films by and about women supported by Reading AAUW), a presentation of Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow-cast, special programs at Alvernia University CollegeTowne and Penn State Berks and the return of Pulitzer Prize-winner and Tony nominee Lynn Nottage and Emmy winner Tony Gerber to the Miller Center at RACC with a screening of the documentary "This Is Reading," and a discussion of the impact of the arts on community development.

The festival is the crowning effort for ReadingFilm's season, and just part of the mission of the organization, according to ReadingFilm Executive Director Cammie Harris.

"Since last year's festival, ReadingFilm has presented over 15 film screenings and educational events in collaboration with multiple organizations including Reading School District, NAACP, Jewish Federation of Reading, Reading Parks and Recreation, Berks County Veterans Administration, Berks County Mental Health, Alvernia University, Albright College, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Kutztown University, Penn State Berks and RACC," Harris said.

ReadingFilm began six year ago when Santo D. Marabella, screenwriter Letty Hummel, and the late actor Michael Constantine sought to attract film production to the region, provide support to local and visiting filmmakers and build the local production community through educational, networking and promotional events.

"Many people don't realize that Berks County has a significant film production community, but we do," said Tracy Schott, ReadingFilm board president and creative director, who has been producing projects in the region for over 20 years. "We know that the architecture of Reading and the beauty of our wild spaces is a draw for filmmakers who visit."

A festival highlight will be a screening of "This Is Reading" next Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Miller Center for the Arts at RACC, followed by conversation with Nottage and Gerber.

In 2017, Nottage and Gerber created a multimedia art installation called "This Is Reading" at the once-abandoned Franklin Street Train Station in Reading. Dance, theater, music and film filled the station and attracted more than 3,400 people over its three-weekend run. The documentary recaptures the excitement of that time.

Five years later, the abandoned train station is home to a thriving microbrewery and restaurant. And, the work Nottage did to create "This Is Reading" gave rise to the birth of her second Pulitzer prize-winning play, "Sweat," which shared the story of Reading's past.

According to Santo Marabella, former ReadingFilm commissioner and co-producer of "This Is Reading": "There is a more subtle, albeit deeper impact — optimism and hopefulness are palpably present. And, I believe that 'This Is Reading' helped inspire a Reading renaissance — a re-birth, in the truest sense. Because Lynn, through 'This Is Reading,' embraced our community as an old friend who saw who we are and what we could be. We are better for it."

The festival's Closing Night Celebration at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts next Sunday at 7 p.m. will feature some of the original dance performers from "This Is Reading," plus performances by WH Dance Academy and Barrio Alegria.

On Saturday and next Sunday, two documentaries and four short films by Reading based filmmakers will be showcased as part of the "Made in Reading" series.

Among the four shorts being show Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at R/C Reading Movies 11 will be "The Sticklet Weaver," a film that premiered in January at the prestigious Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and went on to Canada and Australia, as well as all over the United States, including a screening at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The filmed focuses on Brent Brown, a studio artist at the GoggleWorks, who shares how art helped him cope with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and learning disabilities as a child. Brown is an untrained artist who makes handmade cardboard puppets that are connected not with adhesives but with a washer/peg system he created and named "Sticklet Weaving."

This film is part of a series by filmmaker James Hollenbaugh about inspiring outsider artists like Brown. Hollenbaugh's films are shot in a non-traditional documentary style on Super 8mm film, giving them a vintage feel and texture that cannot be achieved with modern video technology.

While "The Sticklet Weaver" has its roots in Berks County, other films in the festival come from around the globe, including shorts from Africa, Ecuador and the Middle East.

"The best way to experience all the FEST has to offer is with a VIP Pass," Harris said. "The VIP Pass allows for exclusive access to private events where you can mingle with Filmmakers and Producers, attend exclusive parties, plus access to all of the films included for just $100."

For more information including the complete schedule and ticketing options, see readingfilmfest.com.