Kicking off on Oct. 17 and extending over the course of 11 days, this year’s Philadelphia Film Festival will encompass nearly 100 features. The program for the 22nd edition will once again be decidedly eclectic. Among the foreign fare, there will be sections specifically devoted to Contemporary Francophone Cinema, Spanish Language Stories, and Eastern European Visions. Ambler native Andrew Greenblatt will serve as the executive director of the cinematic smorgasbord for the fifth time. Upon assuming the helm, he spearheaded the festival’s move from an annual springtime affair to a fall event. Greenblatt recounted, ‘With the rise in stature of SXSW and the creation of Tribeca 11 years ago, both in the spring, the festival was sandwiched in between them. Programming became more challenging.’ He clarified, ‘We hypothesized that we’d be able to deliver a stronger festival from a better crop of films available in October. This theory has been proven true. The festivals over the past four years, all of which were held in October, have delivered some of the most exciting, highly-anticipated films of the year. Specifically, he noted, ‘This included future Academy Award winners, while continuing our tradition of highlighting the best films from around the world. Many of them come right off of Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals.’ Putting the Philadelphia Film Festival into context, Greenblatt explained, ‘Some of the best-known festivals, such as Sundance, Cannes and Toronto, act as film markets and focus on debuting world premieres. Our mission here is to bring some of the best films from around the world to Philadelphia. . . . Instead of concerning ourselves with premiere status, we focus on building a strong program of films that will engage and excite, inform and challenge.’ Greenblatt asserted, ‘We are incredibly proud to be the largest and one of the oldest festivals in Philadelphia. We have a distinct focus on films that are either made in the region or from filmmakers who hail from Philadelphia. These films are highlighted in our Filmadelphia section of the festival. The best one wins our annual Pinkenson Award. It is named after the incomparable Sharon Pinkenson, who heads the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. ‘This year,’ he continued, ‘our program includes a number of high-profile films that are already being discussed as part of the Oscar race,’ such as ‘All Is Lost,’ ‘August: Osage County,’ ‘Labor Day,’ ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,’ ‘Nebraska’ and ‘Philomena.’ Greenblatt also touted the fact that nine U.S. premieres and another nine films that have been nominated for best foreign film by their home countries will be shown at the festival. Describing the Filmadelphia Education Program component of the festival, Greenblatt said, ‘We launched the program with a single screening of ‘The Bully Project’ for students in 2011. It has continued to grow significantly. All screenings are followed by a discussion, often with the filmmakers of the film being screened.’ Tickets to these films are complimentary to students from the partner schools. ‘The festival includes fantastic events,’ said Greenblatt, ‘including opening and closing night receptions, as well as various awards ceremonies and other events.’ Special events include a Lifetime Achievement Award for Bruce Dern in conjunction with ‘Nebraska’; a Rising Star Award for Kerry Bishe with ‘Blue Highway’; and a 20th anniversary screening of ‘Philadelphia,’ with Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme in attendance. Greenblatt explained, ‘We have a large amount of filmmakers who attend the festival and eagerly participate, both in post-screening Q&A sessions as well as in discussions with audience members after the films. This takes you beyond simply seeing the films.’ Elaborating, Greenblatt said, ‘Beyond the fantastic programming and interaction with special guests, the festival is truly a community event for cinephiles, which encourages interaction and conversations about films.’ In conclusion, he asserted, ‘The festival is more than just watching films. It is really an event!’ For more information on the Philadelphia Film Festival, visit filmadelphia.org. – Nathan Lerner, the director of Davenport Communications, sees more than 200 feature films a year. He welcomes feedback at lernerprose@gmail.com.
