UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The six-year-old Centre Film Festival returns this year to screen more than 200 films in a variety of genres at Centre County theaters and online in mid-November.
The festival runs Nov. 11-17 and features documentary, narrative and experimental films, as well as shorts and feature-length options. The festival includes one world premiere, five U.S. premieres, animated films, films made in Pennsylvania, international films and much more.
The festival has matured with a purpose, providing a forum to showcase the importance and value of filmmaking to encourage discussion about meaningful and timely topics.
As of last year, the festival is officially listed by the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and will continue to provide impactful films under the guidance of artistic director and driving force Pearl Gluck, associate professor of film production in Penn State's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. The festival also gets strong support from many Penn State units and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB).
Screenings will be conducted Nov. 11-14 at the State Theatre in State College and Nov. 15-16 at the Rowland Theatre in Philipsburg. Some films will screen at the Foster Auditorium in Paterno Library and the UEC College 12. A morning of children-friendly films will screen Nov. 17 at Tempest Studios in State College, and an award ceremony closes out the festival. Festival films also are available online.
“What we’re doing this year builds on the spirit of our mission,” said Gluck, who co-founded the festival in 2019 with the late Curt Chandler, an associate teaching professor of journalism. “We’re bringing global films with a local impact and local films with a global impact.”
The festival typically receives more than 700 submissions that are narrowed down by a juried selection committee.
Opening night and beyond
Opening day kicks off with Kevin Hagopian, a teaching professor in the Bellisario College, featured in “Sometime, Somewhere,” a film by Ricardo Preve that showcases stories of migrants who are forced to come to Charlottesville, Virginia, due to global climate change, gang violence or poverty — and form a common web of pathways of fear, courage and hope. Hagopian is featured in the film and will be in conversation with the director after the noon screening in Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library.
Opening night for the festival features two award-winning international films with screenings beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the State Theatre.
“The Masterpiece,” a Grand Jury Prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival, will be followed by “Running in the Sand,” a four-time Israeli Academy Award nominee.
Additional nights include themes focused on horror films, comedy, films made in Pennsylvania, a celebration of Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month, pride, sports films and more.
Filmmaker Alex Lora, director of “The Masterpiece,” which follows a wealthy couple who form a relationship with two immigrant scrap dealers, attended the festival last year and will return to introduce his film to local audiences. He said the commitment and friendliness of those conducting the festival, along with the college-town vibe, combine to provide an atmosphere that encourages creative inspiration as well as enjoyment and relaxation.
The festival has added to its lineup of awards this year as well, including a first-ever Sports on Screen Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Charles Dumas, a professor emeritus in the Penn State School of Theatre and actor whose screen credits range from short films to TV series and major motion pictures.
Awards will be announced on the last day of the festival, Nov. 17.
A complete schedule of films is available on the festival’s website.
Community and economic impact
Along with support from HVAB and a long list of committed sponsors — who provide the lifeblood for the weeklong event — the Centre Film Festival has added ways to engage even more local businesses by launching the Centre Festival Community Game this year. It’s a scavenger hunt designed to increase foot traffic and visibility for Centre County businesses.
The festival’s impact stretches across the county, with the screenings in State College and Philipsburg, and across the world thanks to ambitious pairings this year that include Russian and Ukrainian films on the same night as well as Israeli and Palestinian films on the same night.
“This year, there was a rise of films on refugee, migration and immigration concerns here and abroad. Also, as a committee, there is a continued commitment to telling stories from the Middle East and from Ukraine,” Gluck said. “There is a great need to voice concerns, points of view, and even outrage during these challenging times and our belief is that films give insight and provide a platform for engagement. We encourage everyone to see the films, meet the filmmakers, and have the conversation about local relevance of these global issues.”
The variety of film styles and topics allows the festival to offer films of interest to people of all of ages, and to carry the conversations about the films beyond their running time.
It’s an organized and thoughtful effort to provide a little something for everyone.
Earlier this year, the festival received the 2024 Penn State Award for Community Engagement and Scholarship. The award recognizes a project that best exemplifies Penn State as an “engaged institution,” which the Kellogg Commission defines as an institution that has redesigned teaching, research, and extension and service functions to become even more sympathetically and productively involved with its communities.
Pablo Lopez, a Penn State alumnus with a degree in film production and HVAB’s film production manager, said the festival provides an important celebration of film to showcase the industry to the local community and students. There is now a specific Made in PA Local Stories focus to engage filmmakers working in the region.
He said people can gain a better understanding of the multiple industries necessary to make filmmaking possible as well. A 17-member advisory board, with a mix of campus and community, helps provide direction for the festival.
The festival has always stretched far beyond Penn State’s University Park campus, and those who have their work featured in the festival enthusiastically visit to participate. More than two dozen filmmakers will attend the festival in person to discuss their work.
In addition, this year’s festival includes four films produced by Penn State alumni.
Hands-on opportunities for students
As they have since the festival’s inception, Penn State students play an important role in the event’s success. Their impact touches all aspects of the festival — allowing Gluck, who provides the vision with the advisory board, and a cadre of colleagues and collaborators, to address and strategize about bigger-picture topics.
Undergraduate students help with everything from operations and publicity to event support and social media. They get to help make the event happen, from start to finish, gaining an appreciation of all that’s involved with such an event, as well as likely gaining a deeper appreciation for films and the film industry itself.
Supporting the Centre Film Festival provides a hands-on opportunity for students new to the University, including members of first-year seminar courses taught by Gluck. It also benefits students who are closer to graduation, specifically film production majors who may engage with professional filmmakers at numerous events during the festival.
In addition, two student films will be screened as part of the festival.
“One of the things that make me most proud about the festival — and there are a lot — is that we’re able to expose so many students to the power of films and filmmaking,” Gluck said. “Few things are as powerful as film in terms of building community by telling stories. If students gain an appreciation of that, it makes us all stronger.”
After input from Shalini Prasath, an undergraduate student majoring in graphic design, recent graduate Sophia Alexander, a designer in the College of Arts and Architecture, brought the festival poster to life. The poster design was inspired by wood-cut stamps and nostalgic memory games. The twist of this memory game is that the “opposites” visually match each other. What unifies all the different cards is their connection to Pennsylvania.