State Theater Shorts

Midnight Carnival

Midnight Carnival

Director: Chung-Wei Huang
Runtime: 19 minutes

Midnight Carnival tells the story of Andrea Lin, a confused Taiwanese girl in her late teens struggling to find her place in the world. In search of the adventure that is missing from her life, she takes a summer job in America working for a traveling carnival, where she is confronted with the harsh realities of life as a migrant worker. After struggling to connect with her “carney” co-workers, including Julio, a young, free-spirited Mexican man, she must come to terms with her feelings of wanting to belong, yet never feeling at home.

website | watch trailer | facebook

My Dad and Bob Todd

My Dad and Bob Todd

Director: Mark Clauburg
Runtime: 13 minutes

Rebecca is supposed to meet her father for a quiet dinner to catch up, but things take a turn when he brings a guest.

website | watch trailer

Escucha (Listen)

Listen (Escucha)

Director: Ernesto González Díaz
Runtime: 6 minutes

A couple of sound engineers have stopped paying attention to each other. During a film shooting they see themselves in the actors who play the scene, which makes them understand the importance of listening to one another.

watch trailer

Odyssey

Odyssey

Director: Serge Delpierre
Runtime: 3 minutes

Penelope’s rideshare home becomes quite the odyssey as she encounters a panoply of passengers along the way.

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Bryce and Liam Go to Space

Bryce and Liam Go to Space

Director: Bryce Padovan
Runtime: 5 minutes

Two best friends take the extraterrestrial adventure of a lifetime, all starting one night in Bryce and Liam’s back shed in Melbourne, Australia.

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Quiver film

Quiver

Director: Shayna Connelly
Runtime: 14 minutes

Suzanne’s grief transcends the boundaries of the natural world and arouses a primordial being. She courts this ghost, using intellect and desire to forge a union between them. Quiver melds horror and passion with Virginia Woolf’s idea of a woman requiring a ‘room of her own’ in which to uncover her true identity. Can Suzanne force a rift into the supernatural realm to build a space where she can coexist with what haunts her?

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Screening Info

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 6:30pm
Venue: Boyertown State Theater
Address: 61 N Reading Ave, Boyertown
Tickets:  $10

2018 Schedule is Up!

2018 Schedule of Films and Events!

Start planning your weekend now! There’s so much to do – parties, concerts, panels, discussions and of course great films, Better rest up, no time to sleep November 1st – 4th!

Film Schedule

Awards Ceremony & Reception

Join the filmmakers as we provide awards for best films, actors, music and more! 

Awards followed by reception and an opportunity to chat with winners and judges!.

Open to VIP Passholders and Filmmakers only.

StudentFEST Event: Conversation with a Filmmaker

StudentFEST: An Intimate Conversation with Filmmaker Erik Bloomquist

Erik Bloomquist, writer, director and actor, will present to  High School and College students on November 2nd at the GoggleWorks Cafe Belly Kitchen at 9AM. Erik will speak about his journey as an indie filmmaker, followed by a Q&A with the audience. The event is free and open to students across Berks County.

Erik is a two-time New England Emmy® Award winner, eight-time nominee, and former Top 200 Director on HBO’s Project Greenlight. His nationally syndicated television series, The Cobblestone Corridor (for which Erik serves as showrunner and lead actor) is the winner of three New England Emmy®Awards and recipient of nine nominations.

Erik’s debut feature Long Lost is an official selection of ReadingFilmFEST (see schedule for details) while his short She Came from the Woods has played festivals worldwide.  Film and television acting credits include The Cobblestone Corridor, The Mystery of Matter (PBS) and Sorority Nightmare (Lifetime). Theatre acting includes the U.S. premiere of Calendar Girls and the world premiere of Rear Window (starring Kevin Bacon and directed by Tony-winner Darko Tresnjak). Erik has also directed at prominent regional theaters including Ivoryton Playhouse, Ozark Actors Theatre, Priscilla Beach Theatre, and Union County Performing Arts Center.

Erik has served as adjunct faculty, Artist-in-Residence, or Visiting Artist at Trinity College, Clark University, Avon Old Farms, Miss Porter’s School and Saint Andrews School (where he delivered his TEDx talk). He graduated cum laude from Trinity and is an alumnus of the London Dramatic Academy.

Event Info

Date: Friday, November 2, 2018 at 9am
Venue: The GoggleWorks Center for the Arts cafe Belly Kitchen
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading

This program is free to high school and college students. For more information contact Cammie Harris at charris@readingfilmfest.com

Actor’s Seminar

An Interactive Seminar for Actors

An interactive Actor’s Seminar will be presented by Golden Globe Nominee Lisa Eichhorn. Ann Gillette, who has worked in casting and production for over twenty years, will moderate the workshop.

The Actor’s Seminar will focus on helping theater actors make the transition from stage to screen. Participants will learn valuable tips by observing audition exercises (performed by actors from the Reading Theater Project) to demonstrate how their performances read in the close up medium of film and television.  Feedback on these exercises will include valuable ‘insider tips’ on what casting directors and directors are really looking for at auditions and on set.  In addition, the seminar will include information about how to navigate our local regional market as well as the larger markets of NY and LA.   Participants will also be invited to participate in a Q & A session at the end of the seminar.

Presenters

Reading native Lisa Eichhornis a two-time Golden Globe and BAFTA Nominee with over 50 film and TV screen credits. Known for her roles in YANKS (opposite Richard Gere), THE EUROPEANS, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and CUTTER’S WAY, Lisa also has extensive experience as a stage actor, writer and producer. Lisa has recently returned from the U.K. and is excited to share her experiences with the ReadingFilmFEST audience.

Ann Gillette has worked in casting and as a producer on over 600 projects including: feature films, television, commercials, industrials and live productions.  Ann is also a highly-respected commercial/TV/ film acting and media coach.  Her coaching style focuses on the practical and ‘real-life’ aspects of auditioning as well as the realities and expectations required of an actor in the business.

Event Info

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 10am
Venue: The GoggleWorks Boscov Theater
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading
Tickets: $10 (Free for All Pass Holders)

Berks Arts Council presents Justin Kauflin

 Jazz Pianist, Justin Kauflin will be our very special closing act of the 2018 ReadingFilmFEST on Sunday, November 4th, at 7:30 PM at the WCR Center for the Arts. The concert and a “meet and greet” with the artist will be free to ReadingFilmFEST VIP passholders.

Concert only tickets will be available online and at the door for $30/each. Seating is limited. Reservations recommended. The concert is being presented by Berks Arts Council.

Justin and his relationship with the late jazz trumpetist, Clark Terry are featured in the 2014 documentary, KEEP ON KEEPIN ON which will screen as this year’s Special Presentation on Sunday, November 4th at 3 PM at the Reading Movies 11 & IMAX Theater (available to passholders or to the public for $10.) The film was described by the New York Times as “a rare musical mentorship, captured heart and soul” (2014).

Justin himself has been called by producer Quincy Jones, “a simply beautiful cat…you can feel it in every note he plays”. He is an award-winning American jazz pianist, composer, producer, educator and Quincy Jones Artist. Justin performs worldwide solo or with his trio, recorded or appeared on 31 albums, composed the film score for KEEP ON KEEPIN ON On and promotional videos, published 29 original compositions, and produced 3 albums under his own label, Justin Kauflin Music.

Born in Silver Spring, MD with a rare degenerative eye disease and totally blind by age 11, Justin adjusted by learning 5 grades of braille and cane mobility while simultaneously taking AP courses in Physics, Music Theory and English, attending the Governor’s School for Performing Arts and graduating at the top of both classes. He began performing jazz professionally by age 15, attended the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency, Vail Jazz Workshop, won the VSA International Young Soloist Award, voted Veer Jazz Artist of the Year, semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and graduated Summa Cum Laude from William Paterson University.

Through his friendship with Cee Tee, Justin met and was signed for management by music icon, Quincy Jones who brought him on a couple world tours, as well as co-produce his second album, “Dedication,” DownBeat magazine’s Editor’s Pick and #1 on JazzWeek Chart.

Special thanks to Berks Arts Council and John Ernesto for bringing Justin to this year’s ReadingFilmFEST!

website: https://www.justinkauflin.com

Event Info

Date: Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 7pm
Venue: WCR Center for the Arts
Address: 140 N 5th St, Reading
Tickets: $30

Special Film Presentation: Keep On Keepin’ On

Keep On Keepin' On

Special Film Presentation:

Keep On Keepin’ 

KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON  depicts the friendship of music legend and teacher Clark Terry, 89 and Justin Kauflin, a 23- year-old, blind piano prodigy. Kauflin, who suffers from debilitating stage fright, is invited to compete in an elite Jazz competition, just as Terry’s health takes a turn for the worse. As the clock ticks, we see two friends confront the toughest challenges of their lives.

Terry was also Quincy Jones’ first teacher, and mentor to Miles Davis. He is among the few performers ever to have played in both Count Basie’s and Duke Ellington’s bands. In the 60’s Terry broke the color barrier as the first African-American staff musician at NBC – on “The Tonight Show.”

Shot over the course of five years, KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON is crafted with great affection by first time filmmaker Al Hicks, who is a drummer and former student of Terry’s.

Paula DuPre’ Pesmen (behind the Academy Award winning THE COVE and the Oscar nominated CHASING ICE) produced the film with seven time Academy Award nominee Quincy Jones who also counts Terry as his mentor.

website

Screening Info

Date: Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 3pm
Venue: Reading IMAX Theater
Address: 30 N 2nd St, Reading
Tickets: $10

Latino Block

Outside Time

Outside Time (Afuera Del Tiempo)

Director: Marco Velez Esquivia
Runtime: 90 minutes

A man returns to the past to stop his girlfriend from ending their relationship before he can propose to her but every time he comes back she breaks up with him giving him a different excuse. Now he has to change according to her so he can marry her.

website | watch trailer | facebook

Escucha (Listen)

Listen (Escucha)

Director: Ernesto González Díaz
Runtime: 6 minutes

A couple of sound engineers have stopped paying attention to each other. During a film shooting they see themselves in the actors who play the scene, which makes them understand the importance of listening to one another.

watch trailer

Diegesis

Diegesis

Director: Gabriel Angulo
Runtime: 7 minutes

A couple of college students are in the car. They finished their night walk of the day. When the girl is about to say goodbye, the boy interrupts her and says that she cannot say goodbye, because he have something to confess: they are fictional characters inside a movie.

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Screening Info

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 6pm
Venue: Reading IMAX Theater
Address: 30 N 2nd St, Reading
Tickets: $10

Friday Night Shorts

Cycle

Director: Christopher Romano
Runtime: 14 minutes

A single mother and recovering drug addict is given the chance to use heroin again, after being clean for 8 months.

website | watch trailer | facebook

Tubgate: Cunningham's Scrap

Tubgate: Cunningham’s Scrap

Director: Fraser Murdoch
Runtime: 16 minutes

Troopti and Benjy of Tubgate Council are each toiling with the case of Cunningham Scrap – where Bab Cunningham has been running things since his father took ill.

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erson

erson

Director: Don Swanson
Runtime: 6 minutes

He ran. She stayed. A brief meeting with Trevor, home to bury his mother, offers Evelyn a chance to make things right.

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Play What You Love

Play What You Love: Antoun and Family

Director: David J Hall
Runtime: 7 minutes

Marked by his words, “pianos are to harmony, as drums are to rhythm, and every home should have both; to create, and to sing, and to celebrate, and to dance, and inspire just a joyous lifestyle,” Ramy Antoun, driven by a strong sense of family camaraderie, inspires community not only in his team while creating luxury, vintage-based drums; but also, in anyone who simply enjoys to “play.” On a mission to bring back the “music room,” see how a group of people, once lost in their journeys, bound together and grew together through the love of music and building drums. Illustrating throughout this piece, a resonating theme that when one takes a chance and gives to the community, even unexpectedly, one can take back and further influence a culture. “We’ve ended up with some of the most amazing, beautiful people.”

website | watch trailer

My Dad and Bob Todd

My Dad and Bob Todd

Director: Mark Clauburg
Runtime: 13 minutes

Rebecca is supposed to meet her father for a quiet dinner to catch up, but things take a turn when he brings a guest.

website | watch trailer

Odyssey

Odyssey

Director: Serge Delpierre
Runtime: 3 minutes

Penelope’s rideshare home becomes quite the odyssey as she encounters a panoply of passengers along the way.

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Cover

Cover

Director: J.Y. Chun
Runtime: 12 minutes

A struggling sculptor and wig-wearing pianist keep running into each other. When he goes searching for the music that breaks his creative block, he follows her colorful trail and soon discovers that there is more than meets the eye.

website | watch trailer | facebook

Screening Info

Date: Friday, November 2, 2018 at 7:30pm
Venue: GoggleWorks Theater
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading
Tickets: $10

Encore Screening Info

Date: Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 2:30pm
Venue: GoggleWorks Theater
Address: 201 Washington St, Reading
Tickets: $10

Made In Reading

Thank You For Supporting 80 Years of Mingus Magic

Thank You For Supporting: 80 Years of Mingus Magic

Director: Ryan Adamowicz
Runtime: 45 minutes

The enchanting story behind a magic shop in Reading, Pennsylvania that has been in operation for eight decades. Learn about the history, the culture and the community that has kept the magic alive in Reading for so many years. It’s far more than just a place to buy magic. This is the Mingus Magic Shop.

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Midnight Carnival

Midnight Carnival

Director: Chung-Wei Huang
Runtime: 19 minutes

Midnight Carnival tells the story of Andrea Lin, a confused Taiwanese girl in her late teens struggling to find her place in the world. In search of the adventure that is missing from her life, she takes a summer job in America working for a traveling carnival, where she is confronted with the harsh realities of life as a migrant worker. After struggling to connect with her “carney” co-workers, including Julio, a young, free-spirited Mexican man, she must come to terms with her feelings of wanting to belong, yet never feeling at home.

website | watch trailer | facebook

On The Right Track

On the Right Track

Director: David Speace
Runtime: 10 minutes

This is a behind the scenes film of the making of a tv pilot call Franklin Street Station. The producers, director, director of photography and actors are interviewed.

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Traffic Opera

Traffic Opera

Director: Andrew Pochan
Runtime: 18 minutes

It’s an opera. In traffic.

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Screening Info

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 12:30pm
Venue: Reading IMAX Theater
Address: 30 N 2nd St, Reading
Tickets: $10