2nd Annual Pottstown Film Festival – Pottstown, PA

Be prepared to immerse yourself in the magic of cinema at the 2nd Annual Film Fest in Pottstown, PA! This festival will take place from October 3rd – October 6th. The festival will open with an opening-night networking party, red carpet, and special screening. It will run until Sunday with a closing night event with music, awards, and special appearances. Read More about the Films and Times below.

Why Pottstown?
Nestled just two hours from New York City and an hour from Philly, Pottstown offers the perfect blend of small-town charm and urban accessibility. Pennsylvania’s breathtaking fall scenery serves as the backdrop for this exciting event. Held primarily on the iconic High Street, attendees will have easy access to an array of dining options, bars, breweries, coffee shops, and scenic attractions, enhancing the festival experience.

What to Expect:
Prepare for an action-packed lineup of events, including a red carpet, filmmakers’ Q&A sessions, networking opportunities, VIP access, after-parties and more! Whether you’re a seasoned filmmaker, aspiring actor, or simply a lover of cinema, this festival offers something for everyone.

Kyle Klaus’s Mission:
Kyle is the founder/festival director. He is a multi-talented actor/producer/writer/entrepreneur and Pottstown native. He worked on notable roles in popular TV series like FBI, Blacklist, Homeland, and The Last O.G to name a few. Kyle is bringing his passion for film back to his hometown.

His dedication to his hometown shines through in his mission statement. By bringing a taste of Hollywood and New York City’s entertainment industry to Pottstown, he aims to inspire the next generation of storytellers and contribute to the town’s cultural resurgence. Through the power of film, Kyle seeks to foster a vibrant community where dreams can flourish and new possibilities can be imagined.

Don’t miss your chance! Join us at the Pottstown Film Festival for an unforgettable celebration of creativity, talent, magic of the silver screen and a chance to dream BIG! See you there!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DAY 1

10/3 FESTIVAL OPENING

THUR 6:00PM – 7:00PM

7:00PM – 8:30PM

8:30PM – 9:00PM

9:00PM – 10:00PM

Doors Open / Red Carpet Arrivals

Firebird: Built to Burn

Filmmaker Q&A

After-party at Rivet Canteen

DAY 2

10/4 FEATURE FILMS

FRI

1:30PM – 3:00PM

3:00PM – 3:30PM

5:00PM – 7:00PM

7:00PM – 7:30PM

The Premiere

Filmmaker Q&A

Out and About

Filmmaker Q&A

SHORT FILMS: COMEDY BLOCK

8:00PM – 9:30PM

9:30PM – 10:00PM

10:00PM – 11:00PM

Spooky Crew

John Doe

Introvert Club

Jim’s Interview

Astronaut

Statistical Problems

The Ugly Rug

Mermaid, Bitch

Lady Invisible

Grampy

Filmmaker Q&A

After-party at Rivet Canteen: Co-hosted with

Steel River Playhouse

DAY 3

10/5 FEATURE FILM

SAT 10:00AM – 11:30AM

11:30AM – 12:00PM

Doubles

Filmmaker Q&A

SHORT FILMS: DOCUMENTARY BLOCK

1:00PM – 2:30PM

2:30PM – 3:00PM

3:00PM – 5:00PM

How to Sue the Klan

Grown Up Dad

Takin’ It to the Streets

A Walk With Richard

Love, Saji

Filmmaker Q&A

SHORT FILMS: DRAMA BLOCK

5:00PM – 7:30PM

As Easy As Closing Your Eyes

Lunchbox

Witness

Fall Risk

Willow

14 Years

Letters from an Immortal

Filmmaker Q&A

FEATURE FILM: SPECIAL SCREENING

8:00PM – 9:30PM

9:30PM – 10:00PM

10:00PM – 11:00PM

Plan B

Filmmaker Q&A

After-party at Rivet Canteen

DAY 4

10/6 FEATURE FILM

SUN 10:00AM – 11:30AM

11:30AM – 12:00PM

The Architects of Hope

Filmmaker Q&A

SHORT FILMS: DOCUMENTARY BLOCK

1:30PM – 3:00PM

3:00PM – 3:30PM

Pardon Me

How the Waves Were Won

Becoming, Being Mom

Underdawgs

Filmmaker Q&A

FESTIVAL CLOSING

3:30PM – 4:30PM

4:30PM – 5:30PM

Awards Ceremony

Afterparty at Rivet Canteen

FILM SYNOPSES

THURS 10/3: FESTIVAL OPENER

Firebird: Built to Burn (1 hr 25 mins)

Director: Colleen C. Brady

In a recently revitalized Philadelphia suburb, a tight-knit community gathers

every December to ignite a giant wood phoenix, rekindling their rustbelt spirit

and fueling the passion of local artists.

*TALENT ATTENDING

FRI 10/4: FEATURE FILMS

The Premiere (1 hr 21 mins)

Director: Jon Silver

On the night of his first movie premiere, Jacob Sanders is hounded by

mounting issues. Jacob struggles to overcome disaster, all while fending off

criticisms, expectations, and disturbing figments of his imagination

*TALENT ATTENDING

Out and About (1 hr 23 mins)

Director: Peter Callahan

Inside the mind of a middle aged man as he tries to come to terms with his

life over the course of an afternoon walk through his hometown.

*TALENT ATTENDING

FRI 10/4: SHORT FILMS (COMEDY BLOCK)

Spooky Crew (12 mins)

Director: Erin Broussard

The Spooky Crew take on the local Urban Legend of Mary Jane. Will they be

able to debunk the myth or will they discover that ghosts may actually be

real?

John Doe (10 mins)

Directed by Rebecca Faulkenberry

When Real Estate Agent Kevin is supposed to meet his client in a

park, a woman named Jenna mistakenly believes that he is her

date. However, upon further discussion, they discover they share

a chemistry, but When Jenna’s actual date shows up, she finds

herself needing to make a decision on what to do.

Introvert Club (12 mins)

Director: Vered Rodriguez

When a reserved, introverted writer crosses paths with a bold and

charismatic actress determined to draw out her hidden spark, their worlds

collide in unexpected ways. Ultimately, she discovers a profound truth about

her own journey and what truly matters on her path forward.

Jim’s Interview (4 mins)

Director: Dave Wolfe

When Jim oversleeps his alarm, it’s a race against time to get to his job

interview.

Astronaut (6 mins)

Director: Brian McCole

An astronaut deals with a rapidly failing spacecraft, leading to a surprising

resolution.

*TALENT ATTENDING

Statistical Probabilities (22 mins)

Director: Ryan O’Leary

Luca and his knucklehead buddy Tommy head to a speed dating event

where Luca eventually meets Natalie. There is an instant connection

between and the bell rings, their date ends, and the probabilities of them

falling in love is purely statistical…or is it?

*TALENT ATTENDING

The Ugly Rug (3 mins)

Director: Michael Vincent Brown

A newlywed couple feel the static as they move into a new house together.

Mermaid, Bitch (13 mins)

Director: Victoria Negri

Lily and Ruby are pals, but tensions have crept in between them in a rough

patch, and to make things weirder, Lily wakes up after a night of performing

and Tarot card readings transformed into a mermaid. Like, an actual mermaid.

Grampy (14 mins)

Director: Graham Burrell

A grief-stricken woman dates a similarly mourning man, only to discover that

he keeps the stuffed corpse of his late grandfather taxidermy-style in the

bedroom of his remote farmhouse where she is now trapped by a storm and

forced to spend one terrifying night with “Grampy”.

SAT 10/5: FEATURE FILM

Doubles (1 hr 31 mins)

Director: Ian K Harnarine

A Trinidadian street vendor must travel to Toronto and decide if he will help

save his estranged father from dying.

*TALENT ATTENDING

SAT 10/5: SHORT FILMS (DOCUMENTARY BLOCK)

How to Sue the Klan (35 mins)

Director: John Beder

America’s first hate group, the Ku Klux Klan, dealt out hatred and violence for

over a century without penalty – until five Black women and a young Black

civil rights lawyer finally forced them to pay for their crimes. The 1982 civil

case set forth by their attorney established a legal precedent that paved the

road for today’s fight against organized hate.

*TALENT ATTENDING

Grown Up Dad (27 mins)

Director: Joseph Gidjunis

Host Joseph Gidjunis is a dad who grew up seeing fathers as drive-by

parents who often missed out on real family time. Wanting to be there more

for his son, Joseph sets out on a journey across the United States and

Australia to discover other dads for conversations about fatherhood,

parenting, work and life balance, and being a role model.

Takin’ it to the Streets: Healthcare Reimagined (8 mins)

Director: Casey Fenoglio

This film highlights the Montgomery County Street Medicine program and the

collaborative effort to bring healthcare to those experiencing homelessness

in Montgomery County, PA. This short documentary features dialogue from

program implementers, as well as conversations with patients receiving

healthcare from MontCo Street Medicine.

A Walk With Richard (12 mins)

Director: Jonathan Walley

“A walk with Richard” is an intimate portrait of a first- generation Japanese

immigrant and owner of the restaurant “Kampai” who firmly believes in

“protecting” the customer, his business and

his legacy. The film shares intimate moments with Richard and his family,

illustrating his story and celebrate the legacy of Kampai.

*TALENT ATTENDING

Love, Saji (10 mins)

Director: Anthony Laurence Hull

After 25 years, Saji has decided to leave his hometown of New York City to

Los Angeles. As his days in NYC become numbered, we find Saji open and

willing to engage his past, appreciate his present, and look towards his

future.

SAT 10/5: SHORT FILMS (DRAMA BLOCK)

As Easy As Closing Your Eyes (22 mins)

Director: Parker Croft

The story of a grieving mother who battles her addiction to a black-market

drug that gives her life-like dreams about the son she lost.

Lunchbox (16 mins)

Director: Anne Hu

When a Taiwanese American woman prepares lunches from her childhood,

she struggles to forgive herself for pushing away her immigrant mother.

Witness (15 mins)

Director: Aida Tebianian

Sharmin , a young girl whose father has murdered her mother, strives to find

several witnesses to testify in court according to Islamic laws, in order to save

her father from execution. However, she wanders in the difficult dilemma of

choosing between fear and conscience.

Fall Risk (19 mins)

Director: Alex Martini

Dylan finds herself in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation centers with the

life-changing diagnosis, multiple sclerosis. However, as Dylan navigates her

new reality, she begins to suspect something is amiss with her partner, Emily

and if her body is the biggest deception in her life.

Willow (6 mins)

Director: Alyssa Rose Capitini

Two sisters grapple with the changing nature of their relationship.

*TALENT ATTENDING

14 Years (17 mins)

Director: Ronald Austin, Jr.

A failed musician, Ram, has important plans being derailed by his annoying,

nosy neighbor Hanu who insists on returning an old comic book. Soon, Hanu

finds himself drawn into Ram’s drug-induced world of self-loathing, Hanu

discovers that a friendship can be a lifeline.

Letters from an Immortal: Coffee Shop (4 mins)

Director: Phillip McConnell

A man imagines what it would be like to run into the love of his life again.

*TALENT ATTENDING

SAT 10/5: FEATURE FILM (SPECIAL SCREENING)

Plan B (90 mins)

Director: Brandon Tamburri

When a one night stand with her awkward neighbor leaves her pregnant, a

young woman decides to quickly sleep with a successful businessman and

tell him he’s the father of her unborn baby. Starring: Jamie Lee (Ted Lasso),

Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) and Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie).

*TALENT ATTENDING

SUN 10/6: FEATURE FILM

The Architects of Hope: The First Steps in Rebuilding

Ukraine (1 hr 14 mins)

Director: Paul Thomas

As Russia continues to destroy Ukrainian cities, Ukraine’s leading architects

are already building new buildings as symbols of hope. This film follows 5

leading Ukrainian architects as they independently spearhead a range of

crucial war-related projects.

SUN 10/6: SHORT FILMS (DOCUMENTARY BLOCK)

Pardon Me (31 mins)

Director: Shuja Moore

Pardon Me is a documentary short film that presents the case for how

pardons can give individuals the opportunity to live as full citizens and

contribute to their best ability, at the same time uplifting the lower income

communities in which they live.

*TALENT ATTENDING

How the Waves Were Won (35 mins)

Director: Michael Furno

How the Waves Were Won chronicles the importance of lifeguards,

celebrating teamwork, and the story of the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol. They

strive for a record seventh consecutive Long Beach Island Lifeguard

Championship – a grueling 2-day, 19 event tournament battling against both

rival squads and the relentless sea.

Becoming, Being Mom (35 mins)

Director: Kathryn Roberts

Four women share the joys and challenges they’ve experienced with

pregnancy, birth and raising children, as they contemplate their identities

both in and outside of motherhood. These perspectives seek to initiate and

destigmatize conversations surrounding motherhood, and empower all

generations of women to feel comfortable in sharing their own stories.

*TALENT ATTENDING

Underdawgs (23 mins)

Director: Brie Electra, Charity Robinson

“Underdawgs”’ shares the true story of Austin Underwood, an inspirational

figure with Down syndrome, and his mother, Jan, as they challenge

stereotypes and empower individuals with learning differences to set

expectations, not limitations.