Shorts are showing | Third annual film screenings set to unwind

July 03, 2008 12:52 pm

— BY TED POTTS
TPOTTS@TRIBDEM.COM
Screening of a variety of short films – none lasting longer than 30 minutes – will highlight the third annual Johnstown Film and Wine Festival beginning Wednesday and continuing through Saturday.
Screenings will take place Wednesday through Friday at the Johnstown Flood Museum, 304 Washington St. in downtown Johnstown, and on Saturday at the Pasquerilla Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in Cambria City section of Johnstown.
The screenings are open to the public. Admission is $5 on Wednesday through Friday at the flood museum and $15 on Saturday at the discovery center. Saturday’s screening will include two wine tastings.
Tickets for the flood museum screenings will be available at the door. Tickets for the discovery center screening can be purchased online at www.johnstownfilmfest.org, at the gift shops at the flood museum and discovery center or at the discovery center door.
Approximately 40 films were entered in the competition, said Shelley Johansson, marketing manager for Johnstown Area Heritage Association, one of the festival’s sponsors.
Winning films in this year’s competition are:
“Destroy Jonah Hill,” by Brad Grimm of Moon Township, Allegheny County, first place.The film tells of a new college graduate who moves to Hollywood with high hopes for fame, but his dream is shattered when he finds out an actor already has achieved that goal. The new graduate changes his goal to destroying the actor. Grimm is a graduate of Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh.
“Oscar Wilde Can Keep His Quotes,” by Jason Oppliger of Cincinnati, Ohio, second place. The film chronicles the quest of a Cincinnati schoolboy to find out why people wear neckties. His pursuit just might kill the necktie fad. The film captured second place for best short film at The Indie Gathering. Oppliger is a film student at the University of California at Long Beach.
“Paper Tiger: Remember the Dojo,” by Luke Harteis, Josh Stock and Kevin Stock, all of Ebensburg, third place. “Paper Tiger” is about a homeless paperboy’s interest in adventure and what he may find in a world full of mystery.
Kevin Stock and Josh Stock are brothers.
A film titled “When I Close My Eyes” written and directed by Max Fedore, a student at Richland High School, is the festival’s Youth Award Winner. The film tells of a girl who learns she has terminal cancer and has one month to live.
The screenings open at 7 p.m. Wednesday with the showing of “Hatchet Jack,” a 45-minute film in which Johnstown native L.B. Whittle had a key production role. The movie, which was not a part of the competition, tells the story of a man, “Hatchet Jack,” who supposedly killed his family, was institutionalized but escaped.
Several other film shorts not involved in this year’s competition also will be shown on Wednesday.
Screenings of films that were part of this year’s competition begin Thursday.
Filmmaker Kevin Stock, involved in two other films that are part of this year’s festival, received the 2007 festival’s Viewer’s Choice Award for “The Donut Gun.”
Stock’s other films in this year’s competition are “The Mike Miller Story: Roller Dude or Fistful of Nectarines” and “Coney Island Baby.”
Dave Stock of Ebensburg, a cousin of Kevin Stock, also has a film in this year’s festival, “The Next Step Down.”
Johnstown’s Tom Getty has submitted two music videos and a film, “Ground of the Dead,” for the festival.
Johnstowner Grant Stetz has a film, “Werehomo” in the festival as does Johnstowner Bill Eggert, who submitted the film “Paris on the Stoney Creek.”
Lindsay Berkebile of Somerset entered a film, “Fantasy Fragrance.”
Chris Cameron of Northern Cambria is a director of “Ghost Stories from the Burgh: Episode 2 – Ghost from Byer Hall.”
Fedore will be a freshman at Richland when classes resume.
“I love movies, and I always wanted to direct a film,” he said.
He wrote the script for “When I Close My Eyes” in one night, he said.
The movie’s lead role is played by Catherine Janisko, who will be a senior at Richland High School.
“It’s very pleasing to see the creativity of area people,” Johansson said.

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