Hindenburg documentary short, Sunset Marquis hotel feature win Linny and Beall Fowler Audience Awards at 22nd Annual Southside Film Festival
Bethlehem, PA: On June 13, 2025, at the closing night party for the 22nd Annual SouthSide Film Festival at The Gander Room in Bethlehem, SSFF Board Member Lorraine Pasquali announced the winners of the Linny and Beall Fowler Audience Award, named in honor of the philanthropists’ longstanding support of the festival.
Each year, one short and one feature film receive the award, which is decided by audience member votes collected throughout the festival. Directors Jennifer Suwak and Steve Abruzzese took the short-film prize for “About the Hindenburg,” a 9-minute documentary featuring interviews with eyewitnesses of the disaster.
The feature film award went to the festival’s closing night film, If These Walls Could Rock, a 90-minute documentary directed by Tyler Measom and Craig Williams that traces the rockstar-studded history of the West Hollywood Sunset Marquis hotel.
While the award carries no monetary prize, recipients receive broad recognition for having their films hand-selected by the annual festival’s audience.
The 23rd Annual SouthSide Film Festival is slated for June 9-12, 2026. Launched in 2004, SSFF showcases original films that tell a compelling cinematic story regardless of subject matter, length, genre, or production date.
Categories include documentary shorts, documentary features, narrative shorts (comedy and drama), and a late-night block of horror comedy shorts. Many filmmakers attend the festival and participate in Q&A sessions following the screening of their films. Many SouthSide businesses participate in the “Flash Your Pass” program offering discounts to festival attendees.
Visit http://www.ssff.org for details on the jury selection process, festival updates, and information on volunteer and sponsorship opportunities.
About the SouthSide Film Festival: The SouthSide Film Festival is an annual four-day event featuring international films, guest filmmakers, juried selections, and networking opportunities for filmmakers and fans of independent film. The SouthSide Film Festival is a program of The SouthSide Film Institute, a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization promoting the art of the independent filmmaker. www.ssff.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Emily Dings
