7 minute read
Welcome Letters
Greetings from the Dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
On behalf of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State, I am pleased to welcome you to the third annual Centre Film Festival. The festival, which will be taking place in three local historic theatres this year, and virtually, brings outstanding work by filmmakers across the United States to our community in Central Pennsylvania. These films will inspire, motivate, and spark important conversation. Our guests — the filmmakers, musicians and subjects of these films — will be part of those conversations.
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This festival also invites us to celebrate the aspiring filmmakers in our community. It’s exciting to see this young talent right here in Centre County and to take part in supporting it! The success of this festival belongs to the entire community, including partners at Penn State, local and state not-for-profit organizations, and community sponsors. The festival is also made possible in part because of support from the Happy Valley Tourism Board and the Bill Jaffe Leadership Initiative.
Thank you for joining us. I think it’s an especially important time to come together for film and the conversation it sparks. I trust you’ll become richer in mind, spirit and community as a result of participating. Your support will also benefit the entire community.
Enjoy!
Greetings from State Representative Scott Conklin
It is a pleasure to send greetings from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to welcome everyone attending the third annual Centre Film Festival in the borough of Philipsburg.
Centre County has been at the crossroads of the cultural world and a focal point for those with the passion for making great films and cinematic art since as far back as the turn of the century. The first movie to play at the Rowland Theatre was the Vitagraph Studio’s release, Within the Law, and the very first trainwreck that appears on film in American cinema history was staged right here in Philipsburg, PA in 1914. When he built the theatre in 1917, Charles Rowland himself was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and was a supporter of Women’s Suffrage. It is an honor to follow in his footsteps.
Once again, this weekend, more than a century later, the Centre Film Festival offers an opportunity for a collaboration between the central Pennsylvania counties’ communities and industry professionals who are dedicated to encouraging local filmmakers to flourish and introducing audiences to insightful, creative, and entertaining new projects.
The festival offers something for movie lovers of all ages. The work reflects various distinct cultures of the world and broadens our perspective on many issues by exploring universal themes as well as more unique facets of the human experience.
I applaud everyone involved with this event. Warm Regards, and see you at the Rowland!
Scott Conklin Centre County State Representative (PA-77)
Greetings from the Mayor of the Borough of State College, Ronald L. Filippelli
On behalf of the Borough of State College, I want to extend the warmest of welcomes to the 2021 Centre Film Festival. We’re proud to have been chosen to participate in the Festival for the first time and look forward to the excitement and entertainment it brings to our community.
With films of all genres from filmmakers ranging from local to international and everything in between, there’s bound to be something for everyone in this third Centre Film Festival. I look forward to seeing our vibrant and diverse community become an integral part of such a meaningful event, which is especially important as our community and local businesses continue to recover from the pandemic.
To those attending this event, I recommend you explore some of the local urban art installations, visit the diverse local restaurants, shop our unique retail stores, and, after taking in the film festival at the State Theatre, explore the many other entertainment venues State College has to offer. Our town prides itself on being welcoming to everyone and fun for all ages.
I want to personally thank the organizers, volunteers, entertainers, and special guests for their time and efforts in making this special event possible.
Thank you for choosing our town as one of the locations for this great event. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Borough of State College.
Sincerely,
Ronald L. Filippelli Mayor
Greetings from the Mayor of the City of Altoona, Matt Pacifico
It is my pleasure to welcome you and the Centre Film Festival to the historic Mishler Theatre. This is an exciting opportunity for our community to be a part of a weekend filled wit the creative awardwinning filmmakers, musicians, students and volunteers. We are honored to be a part of this inspiring, educational, and creative event.
Imagine the Mishler stage in April of the year 1906. At that time, motion pictures were featured and included short files in between vaudeville acts of as matinee showings. Fast forward to the year 2021. It is with great pride that I proclaim that the Mishler’s stage and screen is alive and well! We are so proud of the commitment and hard work our community members have made over the years to preserve our history and this beautiful gem. Thank you to the Centre Film Festival for providing the opportunity to showcase our theater.
If you are visiting Altoona, please take the time to explore our local shops and restaurants, breweries and museums. We are proud of the ongoing revitalization of our downtown and happy to share our progress with you.
Congratulations and best wishes to the Centre Film Festival. We appreciate you being here in the City of Altoona and hope you have a great time and enjoy the weekend!
Yours truly,
Mayor Matt Pacifico
Greetings from the Mayor of the Town of Philipsburg, John Streno
It is my pleasure as the mayor of Philipsburg to extend warm greetings to everyone attending the third annual Centre Film Festival. We missed hosting the festival in the Rowland last year and happy to have you all back in person.
The performing arts are an integral part of the social fabric the town. What better place to hold this exciting event in central Pennsylvania than the historic and majestic Rowland Theatre.
The festival is made possible in part because of grants from the Pennsylvania Partnership for the Arts, Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation, as well as the Centre County Tourism Board. We are hopeful that audiences will emerge and appreciate the opportunities for conversation created by the inaugural event.
For those of you visiting, I hope that you take some time out to enjoy Philipsburg’s cuisine, local shops and meet the wonderful people here in Central Pennsylvania. I love my town, not only for its beauty, but also for its historical importance.
I wish to thank the organizers of this event and offer my very best wishes for a memorable film festival and continued success.
Yours truly,
John Streno Mayor of Philipsburg
Greetings from Fritz Smith, President of The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau
As the official tourism promotion agency for Centre County, we are thrilled to celebrate the third annual Centre Film Festival. To the talented film-makers, aspiring film-makers, special guests and patrons who will participate in this year’s festival in person, we enthusiastically welcome you to our beautiful Happy Valley. For those watching online, we extend an invitation to visit us soon and discover why Centre County, PA is so special.
One of those reasons is the vision and passion of festival organizers in bringing innovative independent film to central Pennsylvania, and shining a bright light on the fascinating people behind the lens. To that end, we are proud to welcome back to this year’s event Penn State University alumni who are making their own mark in the industry, sharing what they’ve learned to those who might one day follow in their footsteps.
The Centre Film Festival is truly a special event. We look forward to supporting its growth in the years to come, as we prepare to be entertained and enlightened by the 2021 edition.
Enjoy the festival!
Centre Film Festival Celebrates
Indigenous people’s heritage month
November is Indigenous People’s Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people. Centre Film Festival presents three feature films to raise awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
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Acknowledgment of Land
The Centre Film Festival and its venues are located on the original homelands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora), Lenape (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, Stockbridge-Munsee), Shawnee (Absentee, Eastern, and Oklahoma), Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nations. As a land grant institution, we acknowledge and honor the traditional caretakers of these lands and strive to understand and model their responsible stewardship. We also acknowledge the longer history of these lands and our place in that history. In collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Student Association (IPSA) and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance (IFSA)
