2023 Allentown Film Festival Schedule
(* indicates award-winning film)
Friday, April 1, 2023

LGBT Shorts
3:30 PM · Sat, Apr 1, 2023 · Admission FREE (Click to RSVP)

Bradbury-Sullivan Center, 522 West Maple Street, Allentown, PA 18101

Rainbow Speed Dating (2 min) WORLD PREMIERE Jay tries his luck with a gay online speed dating service service. 

Kath Duncan -The Untold Struggle for Civil Rights (6 min) A documentary about Scottish lesbian Kath Duncan, one of the UK's most important civil rights leaders. 

DEADNAME: Sid (9 min) Estranged from his religious father, Sid refuses to back down in this gritty documentary about determination.

A Feast That Never Comes (6 min) Four characters inhabit cycles within cycles of contentment, discontentment, inertia, movement, desire, and betrayal.

For I Am Dead (18 min) Oscar, a wealthy but lonely middle-aged man who lives in a chateau, confesses his love to the gardener. 

Brief (7 min) A tight-laced business man meets an unlikely stranger who reminds him how to love in a quirky encounter.

Green Bamboo (3 min) The sweet moments experienced by two women moving in together reveals the ways we are all alike.

Identibye (15 min) A man works against the clock to achieve his goal, confident that his true identity is what matters most.

MeTube: August Sings 'Una Furtiva Lagrima' (8 min) Intergalactic music nerds August and Elfi conquer the stage and orchestrate their final adventure.

Lunch Tattoo (11 min) Roksana and Nico want tattoos. Their parents, not so much.

Rose Levine: She Does Me (5 min) WORLD PREMIERE Bob Levine discusses his drag, which he began in 1955.

*** Bob Levine, aka Rose Levine, and Allentown filmmakers Carla Passos and Leila Lins will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

Shorts Competition Finalists: K-12, College, & LV Filmmakers
12:30 PM · Fri, Apr 14, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!) 

Theatre514, 514 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

K-12 Finalists

Get Bugged * (5 min) Pollinators face problems. How can we help?

Beyond Your Nightmares * (5 min) James is having nightmares. Or is he...

The Sassy Show (3 min) Sassy the dragon interviews Blue the Bird.

The House (5 min) A reclusive woman allows a stranger to stay the night. Unfortunately, the House doesn't approve.

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket (1 min) A young girl skips through life -- and a learning experience.

Phone Addiction (2 min) Phones can be addictive

The Soulsman (4 min) Local salesman Tex Johnson recruits new workers.

Never Alone Again (5 min) A guileless consumer is unaware that he is being tracked by portable speaker technology.

don't fall asleep (2 min) A young woman fights insomnia and her demons.

College Finalists

The Nerves Reminded Me * (2 min) A man contemplates his life in poetry.

The Brief Case (5 min) Private investigator Michael Montero takes on a new client, who isn’t at all what he appears to be.

The Visitor (3 min) Someone arrives at the wrong house.

Farewell Dad (2 min) A struggling first-year student desperately seeks her father's support.

Angel in Light (2 min) A young man reflects on a past relationship

Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Finalists

Don't Touch That Wheel (1 min) A driver changes each time she touches the steering wheel of a vintage car.

GIRLS SMOKING * (3 min) A reflection on how the media reinforces cultural phenomena such as moralizing behaviors and gender stereotyping.

Immaterial (5 min) One woman rescues another from the early 20th century.

The Budgie (2 min) An animated poem from John Lennon’s The Spaniard in the Works spring to life.

The Haunted Table (2 min) An haunted antique store offers a table for sale.

10 EUROS (3 min) An American tourist in "France" tries an Uber

Jam Goes to Hell (5 min) A lonely young man ends up in Hell after a fatal accident -- but he won't give up.

The Exchange (5 min) Mafia hitmen negotiate a high-stakes deal with two suburbanites who have nothing to lose.

Sunday (3 min) A couple faces a crisis.

Nothing But a Dreamer (5 min) Unable to make a friends, a young woman dreams them up.

*** Filmmakers will be honored in the post-screening ceremony. ***

Lucky Doug and Other Wacky Comedies
2:30 PM · Fri, Apr 14, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!) 

Theatre514, 514 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

Clones (14 min) A suburban couple takes part in a cloning trial experiment to relieve student debt.

Lucky Doug (83 min) After discovering he's going to be a dad, Doug decides to become a millionaire.

Sketch * (8 min) Two baristas begin to suspect their regular customer of murder.

*** Sketch Directors Dawn Daignault and Carla Hadley will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

State of the Unity:  Feature Documentary
5:00 PM · Fri, Apr 14, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!) 

Theatre514, 514 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

Soil (11 min) A man plants an acorn and nurtures it with the ashes of his dead father.

Inspired (5 min) Allentown-based Kwesa the Artist describes what inspires and motivates him.

State of the Unity * (88 min) A Brooklyn band visits all 50 states to find out how the country might come together.

*** Inspired Director Kwesa Drakes will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

Family Films & K-12 Student Shorts Competition Finalists
5:30 PM · Fri, Apr 14, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!)

19th Street Theatre, 527 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

twins talk (3 min) WORLD PREMIERE Toddler twins describe the world as only 2-yo toddler twins can.

Greg (13 min) Laura's dad disapproves of the "dummies" she brings home, but her new boyfriend Greg is in a category of his own.

Tatt (3 min) A monster's petty crime leads to demands for swift justice - then compassion.

Calf Rope * (29 min)  A former rodeo champion and cattle auctioneer teaches his young grandson a few tricks from his previous trades.

K-12 Finalists

The Upgrade * (5 min) Things can go wrong when technology becomes a big part of your life.

Rotten Egg (2 min) Making over-easy eggs is not easy.

3Up 3Down (4 min) An introduction to the 3Up 3 Down Baseball Organization.

The Letters From Leon Maxwell-Beckett (4 min) Letters shared with boyfriend with an unexpected turn of events

Heroes of BCTC (3 min) Ordinary students become Extraordinary when they attend BCTC

Our Silent Volcano (5 min) Our Silent Volcano is a journey through my family's history as the model minority across borders and generations.

The Storm (3 min) Lehigh Valley high school students experience a storm - and a blackout.

Project: LEAF * (3  min) Sci-Fi, Comedy

City Storm (2 min) Luke Song, Community Music School

Deceased (1 min) Thibaut Zeltzman, Community Music School

Remember (2 min) Tiffany Lyons, Community Music School

On Cloud Nine * (1 min) Caleb Diaz, Community Music School

*** Calf Rope Director Bradley Hawkins will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

*** K-12 Filmmakers will be honored in the post-screening ceremony. ***

Behaving Badly
7:30 PM · Fri, Apr 14, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!)

Theatre514, 514 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

The Hobbyist (9 min) Sangstrom gets more than he bargained for when he asks a druggist for an undetectable poison.

I Had A Great Time Last Night (11 min) Two down-on-their-luck stoners bungle a bank robbery.

FREE FALL (20 min) A London banker make a big market bet on September 11, 2001. Inspired by a true story.

A Rare Dinner WORLD PREMIERE * (14 min)  Thomas and his fiancé Michelle celebrate their recent engagement with her parents.

Ethanol (4 min) A chilling look at Iran's illegal methanol-sold-as-liquor industry that costs thousands of lives every year.

Black Bourbon (12 min) Searching for his missing son, a delusional father grows increasingly desperate.

The Sweet Taste of Freedom (34 min) A man facing a long prison sentence has 48 hours to put his life in order.

Wager By YPGHaji featuring 3x Kxng (3 min) Music video

*** The Sweet Taste of Freedom Director Matthew Penn,  I Had A Great Time Last Night Director Will Martinko, A Rare Dinner Director Josiah James, and Black Bourbon Director Dave Patton & Key Cast Josh Druhan will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

Quirky Shorts & Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Shorts Competition Finalists
8:00 PM · Fri, Apr 14, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!)

19th Street Theatre, 527 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

The Worst That Could Happen (4 min) A boy imagines every possible worst-case scenario before approaching his crush.

Rainbow Speed Dating (2 min) WORLD PREMIERE Jay tries his luck with a gay online speed dating service service. 

The Curse (2 min) The stuffed bear prize in a video arcade refuses to be ignored.

Married to the Mayor (7 min) WORLD PREMIERE Karen Tuerk discusses her upbringing and the unexpected joys, and drawbacks, of being married to Allentown's mayor.

I Used to Work at Blockbuster Video (7 min) A former Blockbuster employee waxes nostalgic about the now-defunct video store.

Solidarity (6 min) Two office workers vow to fight together when budget cuts threaten their jobs.

Forged in Steel * (8 min) WORLD PREMIERE Former Bethlehem Steel employees reminisce about working at what was once one of America's most important, and dangerous, companies.

Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Finalists

Peregrine * (2 min) A falcon, a song.

Welcome to The Mind of Eli (5 min) Hit by a car, aspiring superstar Eli Escobar wins a lawsuit money that leads to MISERY AND GLORY.

The Interview * (3 min) A job interview with a promising candidate takes a dark turn.

A Tale of Two Viruses (3 min) Two coronaviruses debate the morality of what they're doing to the human race.

The Forest Primeval (5 min) A look at fatherhood and how it distorts the passage of time.

Going Rogue * (5 min) An astronaut in the year 2062 takes desperate measures in deep space.

Centripetal Acceleration (2 min) A lighthearted stop-motion physics lessons.

Summer Daze (5 min) It's 1961, and a young man is enjoying a nice day with his girlfriend. So why does she have an iPhone?

Pepstone Auto Repair (2 min) Keep your car driving smoothly with Pepstone's personal, human solutions!

Bare Hands/Ghost (3 min) A poetic rumination on survival.

Keep Fighting * (2 min) After losing his brother, Jahdon pursues his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

A Silent Place (5 min) A man living in a world without sound coops with unique challenges.

Outgrowing My Shoes (4 min) A girl from Philadelphia experiences the joys and pains of growing up. 

*** I Used to Work at Blockbuster Video Director Nick Luciano, Solidarity Director Mark Mazzeo, Forged in Steel Director Matthew Heffner, and Married to the Mayor's Karen Tuerk will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

*** Lehigh Valley Filmmakers will be honored in the post-screening ceremony. ***

Surreal Shorts
12:30 PM · Sun, Apr 16, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!)

Theatre514, 514 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

Time Spent (12 min) Wrestling with the escalating cost of living in the UK, Nathan considers a new job with unusual strings attached.

Scared To Death (5 min) In 2020, doomsday prepper John Doe flees to his bunker and loses all connections in this psychological horror thriller.

The Toms (9 min) In a dystopian world that privileges men named Tom, Tim struggles to fit in.

Castling (18 min) A cosmic cataclysmic event changes geopolitics. Mexico is doing well, unlike Europe.'

It's a Dog * (8 min) He's bald. Well, maybe he's "going" bald. Hair on the sides counts, right? At any rate, he’s pathetic. And old.

You, Too (12 min) When small talk drives you crazy. Literally.

The Contestant (9 min) For these performers, the chance to show their talents is a dream ... or a nightmare.

The Trail (6 min) Lost in the woods, a woman encounters a mysterious stranger again. And again. And again. 

Her Mother's Eyes (16 min) A mother reckons with feelings of jealousy and longing when her daughter returns home with a new boyfriend. 

*** The Toms Producer Thomas Smith, It's a Dog Producer David Rosenberg, You, Too Director Rodrigo Antonio Villaronga, The Contestant Director Ron Williams, and The Trail Director Adam Clark will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***

Out and About:  Feature Film Closer
3:00 PM · Sun, Apr 16, 2023 · Admission $10 (Click to buy tickets!)

Theatre514, 514 North 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104

Holly Hill (15 min) The lives of three couples converge one evening at the Holly Hill Motel.

Out and About * (83 min) A middle-aged man takes stock of his life over the course of an afternoon walk through his hometown.

*** Holly Hill Director Jack Foley and Out and About Director Peter Callahan will join in the post-screening panel discussion. ***