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Historic 19th Street Theatre / 3 locations / wide variety of indie films / Gala Reception. Welcome to Allentown Film Festival! Combined with filmmakers from all demographics, the festival is true New York style in the Lehigh Valley.
Variety includes a competition (K-12 and College) and highlights Lehigh Valley filmmakers (Homegrown Films: Local Shorts). Don't let general genres be deceptive, you will be surprised at each film block. Main locations (19th St. Theatre / Theatre 514) feature everything from Horror / Romance / hard to categorize. Allentown Art Museum features What is Art block (Spanish with subtitles). As the festival continues to evolve, hopefully, a different language / culture will be featured each year.
One aspect that kind of surprised me. No film blocks dedicated to cutting edge / films reinventing entire industry. In imagination / technology use / breaking every rule. There may be some in different film blocks, but these areas need to be highlighted in all areas of art. Widening potential submissions and giving us a glimpse of the future in films / movies. Encouraging people who may not be great at physical / in-person. Rather "This is what I can do with a camera / computer."
What about the cost to attend? Definitely within most budgets! Planning on more than 4 blocks / features? $40 gets you an all-access festival pass. Interested in less than 4? Go for individual at $10 / block or feature. Either way, definitely affordable. Best way to figure it out? Scroll down / check out films and trailers. Leading to an interesting challenge.
Conflict of schedule. Even though the festival appears to be scaled back this year, it may be hard to make film you want to experience. 2 main locations are across 19th street. You can cut one short to experience the other easily. Previous coverage, great theory, reality: yeah right!!!
Family aspect? The festival does an excellent job balancing films kids will love vs. more adult only. Examples: K-12 Competition / Dad Genes or Horror & Gory / Psychological Thriller Shorts.
Allentown Film Festival is highly recommended to attend any year. It is one of only a few, Lehigh Valley events, that make the high priority list every year. 2025 exception for personal / professional reasons (complete exhaustion / burnout among primary). New York City (mainly Manhattan) is the home of FireCity Illusion. The festival is on an extremely short list (Lehigh Valley) I mention in the city.
Honestly, Lehigh Valley is caught between ghost town and broken record (constant repetition down to same bands. Hopefully, Allentown Film Festival will evolve in new and industry redefining ways. Something the area desperately needs to bring it into this millennium / century / decade.
Variety includes a competition (K-12 and College) and highlights Lehigh Valley filmmakers (Homegrown Films: Local Shorts). Don't let general genres be deceptive, you will be surprised at each film block. Main locations (19th St. Theatre / Theatre 514) feature everything from Horror / Romance / hard to categorize. Allentown Art Museum features What is Art block (Spanish with subtitles). As the festival continues to evolve, hopefully, a different language / culture will be featured each year.
One aspect that kind of surprised me. No film blocks dedicated to cutting edge / films reinventing entire industry. In imagination / technology use / breaking every rule. There may be some in different film blocks, but these areas need to be highlighted in all areas of art. Widening potential submissions and giving us a glimpse of the future in films / movies. Encouraging people who may not be great at physical / in-person. Rather "This is what I can do with a camera / computer."
What about the cost to attend? Definitely within most budgets! Planning on more than 4 blocks / features? $40 gets you an all-access festival pass. Interested in less than 4? Go for individual at $10 / block or feature. Either way, definitely affordable. Best way to figure it out? Scroll down / check out films and trailers. Leading to an interesting challenge.
Conflict of schedule. Even though the festival appears to be scaled back this year, it may be hard to make film you want to experience. 2 main locations are across 19th street. You can cut one short to experience the other easily. Previous coverage, great theory, reality: yeah right!!!
Family aspect? The festival does an excellent job balancing films kids will love vs. more adult only. Examples: K-12 Competition / Dad Genes or Horror & Gory / Psychological Thriller Shorts.
Allentown Film Festival is highly recommended to attend any year. It is one of only a few, Lehigh Valley events, that make the high priority list every year. 2025 exception for personal / professional reasons (complete exhaustion / burnout among primary). New York City (mainly Manhattan) is the home of FireCity Illusion. The festival is on an extremely short list (Lehigh Valley) I mention in the city.
Honestly, Lehigh Valley is caught between ghost town and broken record (constant repetition down to same bands. Hopefully, Allentown Film Festival will evolve in new and industry redefining ways. Something the area desperately needs to bring it into this millennium / century / decade.
