ReadingFilm

ReadingFilm: Game-Changer! Cammie Harris

“Game-changer!” That’s how ReadingFilmFEST Co-Founder and Creative Director Tracy Schott, MS/MSW, describes the decision to add Cammie Harris, MBA, to the ReadingFilm team as Executive Director.

Founded in 2015, ReadingFilmFEST was the brainchild of then-ReadingFilm Commissioner Santo D. Marabella, DSW, who thought that a film festival should be run by filmmakers. Says Schott, “I had just completed my first feature film (FINDING JENN’S VOICE) and was in the process of applying to and attending festivals when Santo contacted me. I had seen the good, the bad and the ugly and had a pretty good idea of what made a successful festival.”

In 2017, the festival held events at the WCR Center for the Arts where Harris was then Executive Director. “I loved the energy of the film festival. I told Tracy to let me know if she needed volunteers. Instead, she offered me a job!” That job has evolved as Harris took the organization from being a program of PA‘s Americana Region and the GRCA to being an independent non-profit organization in 2021. “We struggled through the pandemic but were one of a handful of festivals to have an in-person, outdoor event in 2020,” says Harris. “We also saw an opportunity to build the ReadingFilm office as it was intended – an economic driver for Greater Reading.” That effort has taken on new meaning for the organization this year as they have built their Board and Advisory Council, created new partnerships with community organizations and grown their educational initiatives with all five of the county’s colleges and universities. Since last year’s festival, ReadingFilm has presented over 15 film screenings and educational events in collaboration with multiple organizations including Reading School District, NAACP, Jewish Federation of Reading, Reading Parks and Recreation, Berks Veterans Administration, Berks County MH/ DD, Alvernia University, Albright College, Kutztown University, Penn State Berks and RACC. ReadingFilm was created in 2016 by Marabella, screenwriter Letty Hummel and the late actor Michael Constantine to attract film production to the region, provide support to local and visiting filmmakers, and build the local production community through educational, networking and promotional events. “Many people don’t realize that Berks County has a significant film production community, but we do. We know that the architecture of Reading and the beauty of our wild spaces is a draw for filmmakers who visit,” says Schott, who has been producing projects in the region for over 20 years. Harris has continued to grow ReadingFilm as an economic driver of the Greater Reading community.

L to R: Cammie Harris, Tracy Schott Photo courtesy of ReadingFilmFEST

“Regions that have strong film offices reap huge benefits in terms of jobs, economic impact on small businesses and quality of life for their communities. Cities like Albuquerque, NM and Wilmington, NC have revitalized their economies with an investment in film production. State tax credits, unique locations and production support are big draws for film and television production companies,” Harris explains. She continues, “And, since the pandemic, there is a backlog of films looking for studio space and a friendly place to film. We want Greater Reading to be that place!”

The 8th Annual ReadingFilmFEST will happen October 27-30 at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts Eunice and Albert Boscov Theatre and

Reading Movies 11 & IMAX® Theater. This year’s festival includes over 65 independent and student films, LUNAFEST® (a traveling festival featuring films by and about women supported by Reading AAUW), a presentation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow-cast, special programs at Alvernia and Penn State Berks, and the return of Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony® nominee Lynn Nottage and Emmy® winner Tony Gerber with a screening of the documentary THIS IS READING, and a discussion of the impact of the arts on community development. Says Harris, “This year’s festival promises to be our best yet! We’re thrilled to bring this exciting line-up of films and events to Reading!”

All films and events are open to the public. Tickets, film and event information, and viewing times and locations are available at

www.ReadingFilmFEST.org. 2 By Emily A. Branch MFA Founder, Cage Free Design

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