One of the Lehigh Valley’s longest running film festivals is set to return this week in Bethlehem.
The SouthSide Film Festival will resume for its 17th annual event on June 15-19. The festival hit a hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The annual, five-day event features International films, guest filmmakers, juried selections, locally-produced films, seminars, and networking opportunities for filmmakers and fans of independent film. The festival is a program of The SouthSide Film Institute, a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization promoting the art of the independent filmmaker.
This year, the festival is returning with new director, Jenn Cotto; a fresh slate of films, and screenings in beloved institutions across Bethlehem’s SouthSide.
“... the festival’s triumphant return signals a renewed commitment to bringing quality independent films from across the globe to your backyard,” organizers said.
The cancellation of last year’s festival was unfortunate, Cotto added, but it brought renewed effort into continuing the annual event.
“We’ve all missed sitting in a theater with friends laughing until we cry or getting teary-eyed at a heartfelt documentary,” she went on to say. “We’re so happy that, with the community’s vaccination efforts, and the tireless efforts of our frontline workers, that we’re able to experience movies in a theater again this year.”
Festivities will kick off on Tuesday with the festival’s opening night party, hosted at Color Me Mine, along 25 E. 3rd St.
Fest-goers can then head to the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts for a slate of opening night movies, including “Women of Steel,” a feature-length documentary from director Robynne Murphy. The movie chronicles the struggles of women to gain employment in New South Wales’ steel industry, with obvious ties to the Lehigh Valley.
“It’s hard to think of a more fitting movie to bring Australia to Bethlehem,” said Glenn Koehler, vice president of the festival and director of marketing and public relations at the National Museum of Industrial History. “The trials and tribulations of women at Bethlehem Steel, and the important work they did to help build our nation, have seen new light in recent years. This important work shows that even halfway across the globe, their struggles were not unique.”
The movies continue throughout the week at Touchstone Theatre; Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts; and the National Museum of Industrial History. Other events include the “Late Night” screening, featuring “Bad Candy.” The fictional flick follows New Salem radio disk jockeys Chilly Billy and Paul as they relive and recount the town’s “most twisted and “bloody” Halloween tales.
Other films with regional ties include:
- “Betting on Bethlehem,” a look at the social and economic impacts of a casino on the community.
- “A Recipe for Tofu Scramble,” an animated short by Northampton Community College graduate Alex Fink.
- “Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa,” a documentary following abortion helpline workers in Philadelphia.
- “Small Town, Big Canvas,” featuring “Dripped on the Road,” an artist outfit responsible for numerous murals across Bethlehem and the Greater Lehigh Valley.
- “Frank Parese, A Jersey Shore Veteran Story,” directed by area filmmakers Jennifer Suwak and Steve Abruzzese.
- “REVERB/ERATIONS,” which takes a look at the DIY/Indie music scene in Bethlehem.
The festival concludes on Saturday with a closing screening of “Vinyl Nation” and the annual closing party.
Vinyl Nation is a feature-length documentary focusing on the resurgence of records and old technology’s connection to music and each other in a divided time. The closing night party kicks off immediately after the screening at Color Me Mine, on East Third Street.
Tickets to all screenings and parties are $10 per person, per screening. All-access passes, granting unlimited admission for one individual to films and parties, will be available at venues and at the festival’s headquarters at Deja Brew, 101 W. 4th St., Bethlehem for $50.
A full list of films, descriptions, events and times can be found here.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
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June 14, 2021 at 12:05AM
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