Winners Announced for the 4th Annual Greater Reading Film Festival

See all the films here.

READING, PA – The Berks Arts Council is proud to announce the lineup of films selected to screen in the 4th Annual Greater Reading Film Festival (GRFF), and to introduce this year’s winning films. In addition to the four competition categories, the festival will present several special screenings and events. The 2009 Greater Reading Film Festival runs Thursday, Nov. 5, to Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 in Reading at the RC Movies 11 & IMAX in Entertainment Square.

“This year we have a great schedule of compelling independent films of all types” said Connie Leinbach, Executive Director. “Film is one of the most influential of all the arts, and we hope the community comes out to view these offerings from all over the world. To see the variety of films in our festival, a film buff has to go to a nearby big city. Now, with the GRFF, we can see all kinds of films heretofore unavailable to us. It’s one more reason for citizens to stay here in Reading and enjoy the arts.”

For the 2009 GRFF competition, 19 feature-length and nine short films were selected, representing six countries. Cash awards are given annually to the top three feature films, and to the top short films in three award categories: Adult/Post-College Short, College Short, and High School Short. This year’s first place feature film winner of $1000 is Euforia, a humorous drama from Mexico, directed and produced by Alfonso Corona. Euforia will play Saturday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m., and is sponsored by the Javier Ortega Insurance Agency. It will include a panel discussion following the screening.

The other feature films in the top three receiving cash awards are, in second place and winning $600, Home (USA), a drama about a women surviving breast cancer in the late 1960’s, starring Marcia Gay Harden and directed, produced and written by Lancaster filmmaker Mary Haverstick. Home will screen Friday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m., and will be followed by a panel discussion including Ms. Haverstick. In third place, winning $400 is The Nature of Existence (USA), a documentary about our place in the universe, directed by Roger Nygard. The Nature of Existence will screen Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion.

Winning short films each receive a $250 cash award, and all of this year’s short films will screen Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2:45 p.m. The 2009 short film winners are: Adult/Post-College - Socarrat (Spain), directed and produced by David Moreno; College - Prayers for Peace (USA), directed and written by Dustin Grella, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY; and High School – Squabble (USA), directed by Evan Berger, Alexander Hamilton Senior High School, Los Angeles, CA.

“We were very pleased with the number of submissions we received for the festival this year,” said Festival Director Matthew Serio. “It was very difficult to decide what to program due to the high quality of the independent films we accepted. In the end we came up with a well-rounded selection that has something for everyone in the community.”

Several special events are planned during this year’s festival, including an Opening Reception, held Thursday, Nov. 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the RC Theatres, which includes hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, hosted by the Greater Reading Film Commission. Tickets to this event are $15, and also include guest choice of one of two opening screenings, The Nature of Existence or The Prince of Broadway. This year’s Closing Reception is being held in partnership with the Reading Public Museum and their exhibit, “The Magic of Hollywood: The Gene London Costume Collection” on Sunday, Nov. 8. A screening of one of Hitchcock’s classics, Rear Window, (3 p.m., in the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences Main Auditorium) will be followed by the festival’s official Closing Reception in the Museum’s Atrium (5:30 – 8 p.m.) The exhibition (including one of the dresses worn by Grace Kelly in the film,) and a meet and greet with Gene London will be included in the $20 ticket. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Single ticket pricing for individual films and discussions is $7. A festival All-Access pass, which includes the Opening and Closing Receptions and admission to all films and discussions, is $50. Tickets for all screenings and events will be available beginning Oct. 5, at www.fandango.com. The complete screening schedule and event information can be found at www.readingfilmfestival.com, or by calling 610-898-1930.

The Berks Arts Council presents the VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest, the Bandshell Concert Series, Greater Reading Film Festival, the Pagoda Awards, the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Re-Granting Program, and provides art exhibition and marketing opportunities for member artists. Visit them at www.berksarts.org.

 

<< Return to news page