By Student Contributor, Amelia Fortunato, Alvernia University
Many people in Reading, Pennsylvania, are shocked to find that the city hosts its own film festival each year. 2025 will be Reading FilmFEST’s 11th year hosting the event. The festival is held by the Reading Film Office, a nonprofit organization. However, the Reading Film Office (RFO) does so much more than just hosting a film festival.
So, what does the RFO do? On their website, it says their vision is to “…stimulate economic growth and prosperity by promoting film production, art, culture, and entertainment in the region.” The RFO accomplishes this by doing things such as offering resources on their website for filmmakers, including a film permit form to help people seeking to shoot films in Reading. In addition to the Reading FilmFEST, the RFO also hosts a Five-Minute Film FEST, intended for Berks County high school students, who can win prizes and have their film screened at the R/C IMAX theater located in downtown Reading.
Their website also features information about incentives offered through the state. Pennsylvania offers a 25% Tax Credit to films that spend at least 60% of their total production budget in the Commonwealth. This is further encouragement for those seeking film locations to choose Pennsylvania, and specifically Reading and Berks County.
The Reading Film Office is located within the Goggleworks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St., Reading, PA. The staff includes Cammie Harris, the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the RFO, and David Buelow, Creative Director of the RFO. There is also a Reading Film Office Board of Directors, which includes people such as Alvernia’s own Kris Lowrey, who is an assistant professor of communication at the college.
The Reading FilmFEST invites people to volunteer every year. Volunteer duties include selling tickets, registration, and various tasks throughout the festival. Additionally, the Reading Film Office is always looking for interns. Alvernia’s O’Pake Institute partners with them as a client. This is a great opportunity for students looking to work in the film industry to get experience.
The Reading FilmFEST is held in October every year, and this year will be the 11th year of the event. The FilmFEST features more than just movies – last year, they had a sing-along for Pitch-Perfect, and they hold a special social event for filmmakers to mingle. The festival is held at the Goggleworks Center for the Arts and the R/C IMAX in Downtown Reading every year. Categories for the festival include shorts with a twist, international student filmmakers, inspirational documentaries, women and film, creative arts documentaries, animation, shorts, action shorts, and more. The RFO is supported with the help of donations and sponsors. There are different tiers of sponsorship available, including friend ($100), patron ($500), community impact ($1,000), supporting role ($2,500), director ($5,000), executive producer ($10,000), visionary ($20,000), and beacon ($50,000). For those passionate about supporting local film, the RFO is a great organization to support.
For content creators, filmmakers, and creatives, the RFO accepts any type of film. To submit a film, visit filmfreeway.com/ReadingFilmFEST.
The post Inspiring Local Film: The Reading Film Office appeared first on BCTV.
Source: bctv
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