April 21, 2023

It all started with a dream: a world-class theater in the heart of Downtown West Chester. A group of art, film, and theater lovers knew the community would support it. But the question was, how do you prove there is an eager audience? Their answer: throw a film festival.

Twenty years later, the West Chester International Short Film Festival continues to bring films from around the world to Downtown West Chester. From April 28 th through the 30 th , over a dozen events will be held celebrating the spirit of independent short film throughout the town, including at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, which continues to show that the community truly does love art, film, and live theater.

“I like to look back and see how far we have come,” says Sarah Beck, Secretary of the WCFF. “From starting out in art galleries and empty storefronts, and now being in an actual theater.” Beck has been a part of the Fest since the very start, first as a volunteer, then as a screener, to now one of the seven members of the volunteer Executive Board. The WCFF is an entirely volunteer, non-profit organization, and a labor of love for everyone involved. Renee McGusty, the Young Filmmaker Coordinator, remembers how she started: “I was asked by my friends who were on the board to be a screener,” she says. “I loved it so much
that I began to volunteer and was then asked to join the board as the Young Filmmaker Coordinator.”

Screeners for the Fest watch every single film submitted to the Fest, which can number in the hundreds. This year, over 170 films were submitted from dozens of countries. Even though the films are all thirty minutes or less, this still added up to over forty hours of screening time. That process has evolved, Beck says, “from when we used to screen films on VHS tapes and swap big bins of submissions from one screener to another, to now being able to watch on my phone.”
“There are a few powerful films as there are every year,” says says Armin Jahromi, Community Outreach Coordinator, a screener as well. “They all strike different chords with me. One that comes to mind is The Present. This film makes me think about how can we get to a place like this in society when bureaucracy, hate, and ignorance seems to defy human decency and common sense. But at the end, innocence prevails—at least for one day.”

The films this year include a wide range of stories, from filmmakers of various backgrounds and experience levels. “One of my favorite memories was watching a youth filmmaker who came to the Filmmaker Meet & Greet,” says McGusty. “I introduced him to the other “big fest” filmmakers and he used that opportunity to ask tons of questions and really get to know other filmmakers. It was so awesome to see him engage and connect with them.”

 

“I am always excited about the films!” says Beck. “There are a few films that I can  wait for the audience to see. I want to see the audience reaction to How She Didn’t Die,” a drama from Switzerland featuring a mysterious women with a strange request. She also points out that “Representation Matters! My family found Phone Call [a film featuring a Korean American woman stuck on a phone call with her family] to be hilarious.”

This year, a highlight of the film is sure to be The Mushroom Man, a documentary about G. Raymond Rettew, a West Chester chemist who pioneered the mass production of penicillin, which was integral to saving untold thousands of lives during World War II. “I love that it is such a great piece of local history that truly affected the world,” says McGusty. “The film is so well done and I’m so excited for it to be a part of the festival.”

“The WCFF brings the community together to share and celebrate amazing short films from around the world and support the arts at the same time,” says Jahromi. Beck agrees: “The Fest promotes the art of film as a whole and highlights the arts in the area.” “My favorite memories are always from the fun gatherings and parties,” says Kevin Fitzpatrick, Vice-President and Filmmaker Liaison of the WCFF. “I love the Closing Night Party and Chester Awards Presentations, where we get to see all the award-winning films from the weekend.”

“I hope guests really get the Small Town, Big Film feel!” McGusty adds. “West Chester may not be a big city festival but you can see such great independent short films. We often show some of the same films as bigger fests, not to mention Oscar-winning films.” The carefully curated selection of films this year is sure to be a hit with audiences. “I hope filmgoers see a film that stays with them,” Beck says. “I want them to go home and talk about the films. I want them to
think about it after the festival has ended. I think we have films this year that will do that.”

The 17th West Chester Film Festival will be held April 28th to the 30th in Downtown West Chester. Events include two-hour Film Blocks, all shown at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, as well as a Filmmaker Q&A and a Meet & Greet at the Chester County History Center, Pop-Up Film Collections at various venues, and more. On Sunday, April 30 th at 6:30 pm, the Closing Night Awards Party includes food, drink, and a chance to see the Chester Award-Winning Films of the Fest. Film descriptions, the full schedule of events, and tickets are available at WestChesterFilmFestival.com.