On The DL

Philadelphia Festival of Shorts

by Mary Wilson

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Published: Jul 10, 2007

Sat., July 14, 8 p.m., $5, Fortress of the Arts, 221 W. Glenwood Ave., 4th floor, 610-291-1020, www.cinema-alliance.com

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Philadelphia may have had its moments on the silver screen (Rocky, Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Story), but let's face it: This city isn't known for its cinematic talent. Yet as the folks from the Cinema Alliance will tell you, that doesn't mean we don't have plenty of hidden gems. The Philly-based film production house and networking group is teaming up with The Philadelphia Filmmakers, Actors and Screenwriters Syndicate, and North Philly's Fortress of the Arts, to bring the first installment of The Philadelphia Festival of Shorts, a juried selection of short films from some of our local underdogs.

The only guidelines for submissions were that they be local, under 25 minutes and "no porn, please," which leaves plenty of room for interpretation. George Manney's Pipes of Peace documents the life of Philly's own jazz bagpiper Rufus Harley, who died last year; Another Love Story (pictured), made by Sean McKnight (who's also the festival's organization) during the 48 Hour Film Project competition, tells the fictional tale of a down-and-out writer. In My Hometown: Preservation or Development, architect Benjamin Nia and writer/filmmaker ML Polak work together to spotlight the struggle to save four of Philadelphia's historically certified buildings from the wrecking ball. And Mike Gray's Spoon Test Factory is a film about two people who work in a factory where spoons are tested.

Why shorts? "So we have more slots for the filmmakers," says McKnight. Though it's too late to submit a film for this weekend's screening, the shorts showcase will be a bimonthly event, so get those cameras rolling. "As long as they're not over-the-top extreme in terms of violence, not porn and not racist," says McKnight, "they have a good chance to get in."

 

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