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Interview By: Janel Spiegel
Michael Schelp and Alan Younkin took time to speak with me for The Valley Ledger. Michael talks about the Allentown Film Festival. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2023. Michael said they may extend the deadline for filmmakers from the Lehigh Valley. Michael is passionate about the Allentown Film Festival, I could feel Michael’s enthusiasm through the phone. They are working hard to connect with local theatres, and they already have some legendary theatres on board, including the Civic Theatre of Allentown, and they will be working with the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center.
“The 2023 Allentown Film Festival welcomes filmmakers from around the world to submit films through FilmFreeway in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Music Video. Winners will be announced in each category.
In addition, the Festival has established for Lehigh Valley, PA filmmakers a SHORT FILMS CONTEST with a top prize of $1,000 and three additional categories: K – 12th Grade Student, College Student, and Lehigh Valley Filmmaker. Films must be between 1 and 5-minutes in length to qualify.”
Hi Michael, please tell us about the Allentown Film Festival and how this idea manifested?
Michael- Alan Younkin is the Festival Director, and I’m the President of the Allentown Film Festival. We did a documentary about Allentown and entered it into some film festivals, and we were in sixteen. We realized that Allentown doesn’t have a film festival. If you go onto Film Freeway, and Philadelphia has around forty film festivals, Pittsburgh has around twenty film festivals, and Allentown had nothing. We thought wouldn’t it be great if we could do a film festival here. We have a relationship with the Civic Theatre, which is this beautiful old art deco theatre in the theatre district here in Allentown.
What types of films will the Allentown Film Festival have? Short films, feature films?
Michael- We’re doing everything. So far we’ve got around 400 film submissions from all over the world, over forty countries. We want to celebrate local films from around the area. We want to encourage local filmmakers to create films, and send them in.
What do you want to say to everyone in the Lehigh Valley that will be sending in films, and the people that will be attending the film festival?
Michael- For the filmmakers, please submit your films. We’re trying to get short films between one and five minutes. We are working with quite a few filmmakers.
I think this is great for local filmmakers. It’s a positive event to have for everyone.
Michael- Yes, I think so too.
What else will you both be doing with the film festival that you want people to know about?
Michael- It started with the Civic Theatre, and then we got feedback from the community, and they said we would love to make it a film festival. We went to the Bradbury-Sullivan (Bradbury-Sullivan 522 W. Maple Street, Allentown, PA 18101) and they have a movie block that they do every month so we’re doing that. We are working with the Allentown Art Museum too. We’re doing something with Bob Levine, aka Rose Levine. We also did a film about the wife of the Mayor of Allentown, and she’s wonderful. The filmmakers make everything interesting.
What has been your favorite aspect of working on the film festival so far?
Michael- Talking to people like you, and meeting all the people. It’s fun, and I’ve worked on event for decades. It’s been so much reaching out to everyone. It’s the first year of the festival and we hope next year is even better.
Do you think it’s because you enjoy being able to work with all of these amazing people?
Michael- Yes, I love the people we are working with.
It sounds like all of you are doing an amazing job. I can’t wait for this film festival, and is there a deadline?
Michael- We want people to be excited. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2023 for Lehigh Valley filmmakers, we may extend the deadline.
Thank you so much, Michael. It was an honor to talk with you and Alan. I look forward to the film festival.
Michael- Thank you, Janel.
SUBMIT FILMS THROUGH FREEWAY https://filmfreeway.com/AllentownFilmFestival
https://www.allentownfilmfestival.org/2023-festival-films
Theatre 514
514 N. 19th Street, Allentown, PA 18104
19th Street Theatre
527 N. 19th St, Allentown, PA 18104
https://www.bradburysullivancenter.org/
https://filmfreeway.com/AllentownFilmFestival
https://www.allentownfilmfestival.org/
