College sponsoring indie film festival at Guthrie Theatre

Grove City College is among the sponsors of The Veritas Film Festival, which runs April 23 to 30 at the Guthrie Theatre in downtown Grove City, Pa., and on campus.

The vision of the cinematic showcase is to celebrate “truth and beauty through film,” according to organizer and Festival Director Spencer T. Folmar ’10. The festival is open to any and all filmmakers and accepting entries now.

“For filmmakers it provides the opportunity to have their hard work shown to an audience hungry for stories with impact. A lot of time and effort goes into making a script and we want to provide filmmakers the opportunity to present their work to an active audience,” Folmar said. “For the audience we hope to provide a film festival like few others.”

The College is sponsoring the festival with Olde Town Grove City, the borough’s downtown action association, and Hard Faith Films, a production company headed by Folmar, who earned a degree in Communication Studies from Grove City College and is president of Veritas Films, which bought the vintage, single-screen Guthrie Theatre last year.

The festival kicks off with an Opening Gala at 6 p.m. April 23 at the Guthrie at 232 S Broad Street, followed by sevendays and nights of independent film, with screenings downtown and in venues on campus.

Along with screenings, the festival will feature discussions, guest speakers and nightly award shows. Awards will be determined by audience vote, a jury of film critics and filmmakers and a combination of the two to select the best film in each category. They are: Feature Films; Student Films; Hard Faith; Made in Pa.; Documentaries; Screenplays; and Short Films.

“We have these seven categories in order for filmmakers of all genres to feel welcomed to our festival. With our unique festival scheduling people can fly in and attend on the day they’re in competition for or stay the whole week. Each night will have its own awards ceremony and after party around town,” Folmar said.

The “Made in Pa.” and “Hard Faith” categories are near and dear to Folmar. “I grew up in Pennsylvania and have fallen in love with the beauty and culture that it offers. We feature this category in order to both show off our great state, while also promoting the prospect of filming here,” he said.

Folmar said he “invented and trademarked” Hard Faith and he’s made several films in the genre, including "Generational Sins" and the upcoming “Shooting Heroin.”

Veritas Film Festival is in its second year. The festival was held last year in Philipsburg, Pa. and drew filmmakers from around the country and the world.

Deadlines to enter work in the festival are:

• Regular Deadline, Jan. 1:
• Late Deadline, Feb. 1:
• Extended Deadline, March 1:
• Entrants will be notified of their acceptance by March 7.

For more details, visit the Veritas website www.veritasfest.com.

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