Film Festival Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The Berkeley Springs Film Festival is showcasing both local projects and international movies in the Eastern Panhandle this weekend.

The festival will feature 28 films over three days, including narrative features, documentaries and foreign films that were submitted by independent filmmakers. Ten of the films being screened were made regionally.

Managing Director Brett Hammond says he and a friend started organizing the event after not being satisfied with other options.

“A lot of organizations, nonprofits, will run a film festival just as a fundraiser,” Hammond said. “They’re not really all that interested in helping the filmmakers. And so we wanted to do a festival by filmmakers, for filmmakers.”

This year’s festival also comes as the state’s film office tries to boost the film industry workforce. The state’s film tax credit went into effect in July, and the office is sponsoring a practical makeup workshop at the festival Saturday to help prepare for a boost in film productions.

That seminar, scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, is being hosted by John Caglione, Jr., who won an Academy Award for 1990’s Dick Tracy and is the personal makeup artist for Al Pacino.

An earlier seminar is scheduled at 8 a.m. for aspiring filmmakers to learn cinematography and how to get their films selected for other small festivals.

“We get a lot of entries where the filmmakers make the same mistakes over and over again, like poor audio,” Hammond said. “And there’s certain things that don’t take a whole lot more work, but dramatically increase your chances of being accepted to a film festival.”

The festival is scheduled for Friday through Sunday at the Berkeley Springs Star Theater. Day and weekend passes are available online.

A short film festival is returning to Morgantown this weekend, providing attendees with an opportunity to see films from outside the mainstream.

After a three-year hiatus, the eighth West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival will bring more than 100 short films from across the world to Morgantown.

The festival will showcase not only traditional movies across several genres, but also experimental pieces that push the boundaries of visual storytelling.

“It’s really a collection of independently made films and animations and videos,” said Gerald Habarth. He is an associate professor in West Virginia University’s School of Art and Design, and the film festival’s founder and director.

“Generally, we’re exposed to what we get through our streaming media, or what we see in our local theater. This is an attempt to bring to the community a much wider and richer perspective on this type of cultural production,” he said.

Habarth said the shorter format of the films on display allows visitors to see a wider variety. It also means more films can be shown.

The festival is also international, with submissions from as far away as Peru. Habarth said that allows him to curate a unique viewing experience, one where local Appalachian stories can be in concert with those from Iran or Taiwan.

“That’s the kind of magic that happens in a film festival,” Habarth said. “That is not gonna happen by the kinds of choices that we’re likely to make through just poking through our digital streams.”

Despite its international reach, the festival is still very much about giving a venue to smaller local filmmakers, like WVU junior Seth Nardo.

“Not every type of medium has to be a giant blockbuster,” he said. “Not everything has to be a multibillion dollar thing to enjoy. Some people can do something with a handycam, and it can still be an enjoyable watch.”

One of the things that Nardo said he is most looking forward to is being in the room, engaging in a viewing experience with like-minded creators.

“As a filmmaker, it’s cool to meet up with other filmmakers,” he said. “Submitting a short film, there’s a lot more process and a lot more art and thought put out to it. I feel like that’s important, to surround yourself with like-minded people.”

Habarth said that although the festival could have gone online during the pandemic, he chose to wait to be able to share the viewing experience again in person with passionate creators like Nardo.

“I like to think of the film festival as a sort of a collective experience, both a collective expression on behalf of the artists and the filmmakers and also, the idea of a collective experience in the audience,” Habarth said. “I see the film festival as kind of a gathering of people who are interested in this content to go to experience this, as a group, I think that’s critical.”

There really is something special about coming together in a darkened theater to share an experience with friends and strangers alike, something that is lost between smartphones and social distancing.

So maybe this weekend, heed Nardo’s advice: Get your friends and family, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the afternoon.

Tag: Film Festival

Berkeley Springs Film Festival Showcases Cinema

Festival Brings Short Films From Across The World To Morgantown