Think of it as a touch of Sundance on the Susquehanna.
Williamsport natives Cory Baney and Jonathan Decker have long dreamed of sharing their love of filmmaking with hometown audiences.
They believe the area would enjoy and benefit from a local film festival, and that filmmakers might find appealing scenery, history, and culture in the region to incorporate into their works.
After years of delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, their dream is finally in reach.
The River Valley Film Festival is scheduled for July 17-20 at the AMC CLASSIC Williamsport 11 theater on West Fourth Street, and film submissions are being accepted.
“We really just want to highlight to the filmmaking community the diversity of what we have here, Baney, 34, said. “We want to bring that filmmaking community here and have them film their films in our neighborhood in Lycoming County and the surrounding area.”
He and Decker, 37, founded the festival in 2019, but its plans for a 2020 launch were derailed by the coronavirus outbreak.
“We are fully ready to run now, and it's exciting,” Baney said.
“It's really about boosting Williamsport in the greater area and really bringing tourism and such into the city and really trying to help out however we can,” Decker added.
As the festival's website points out, the region is known worldwide as the birthplace of Little League Baseball and for the annual Little League World Series.
But it also boasts a colorful logging history, and once had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.
"Because of this illustrious history, the city is full of beautiful architecture and a wonderful community that makes it a perfect place for filmmakers to come and enjoy the scenery, while viewing each others' works," the festival's website says.
Submission deadlines
The film submission window opened Feb. 1. The early bird deadline is Feb. 28., followed by the regular deadline April 30, late deadline May 24, and extended deadline June 15.
Categories include short and feature films for documentaries, narratives and music videos. Baney and Decker said they already have 10 submissions so far. Most have been local, Baney said, though one came from Oregon. He hopes they may even see some international productions.
"We don't want to limit our submissions. We want people to submit what they have, and we really just want to highlight the best of the best,” Baney said.
‘It's a great location to film’
Baney developed a love for independent filmmaking after he moved to Los Angeles in 2014. He volunteered as a publicist assistant for the annual Dances with Films independent film festival.
“I worked with independent films and different independent publicists. Went most recently with Phase Two PR out there, and did Academy Award-type program publicity, so a lot of events and things like that,” Baney said.
He publicized several movies while working in Hollywood including award-winning films like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Vice,” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
“We also worked with Netflix and their independent international category. Any films that they picked up for the International category, we handled the publicity for that,” Baney said.
Those experiences inspired him to launch the River Valley Film Festival after returning to Williamsport. Baney brought Decker on board as senior producer.
Decker said he was always a fan of movies, books and storytelling in general. He has lived in Williamsport his whole life, spending many years working for local drive-ins, including Harvest Moon in Linden and the Pike Drive-In in Montgomery.
“I love the area, just because you come down into Williamsport, you get the nice city feel but I can go 10 minutes in the other direction and be out in the middle of nowhere. It's a great location to film all kinds of scenes and just get a real feel for everything,” Decker said.
Logistics and location
While AMC has 11 screens, just one will be used for the festival. Baney said he wanted a limit for the number of theaters used.
“It helps to build the audience. When we have just one screen, and then people aren't forced to kind of say, ‘Oh, well, I really want to see this one, but I really want to see that one, so I guess I have to go to one or the other.’ It helps eliminate a little bit of that,” Baney said.
Opening night will highlight locally made films. Other features and shorts will screen throughout the day July 18 and 19. The final day of the festival will focus on awards and a closing ceremony.
A jury will vote on each work, and winners for each category will receive an award.
Audience members can vote on their favorites as well for a fan favorite award. Winners will receive the Millionaire Award, in a nod to the city’s wealthy lumber barons from the 1800s.
“We want to embrace that history a little bit more,” Baney said. “Right now, we're still working on what the prizes are going to look like, but partnering with local groups is going to be a big part of that -- and seeing what we're able to kind of give back to the filmmakers, because we want to encourage them to continue.”
Archival copies of each film are required, which can be on DVDs/Blu-rays, digital download links, or USB or hard drive files.
Screening cancellations by the filmmaker will result in a $500 fee, according to the festival’s website.
People interested in submitting their work can reach out for more information by emailing info@RiverValleyFilmFestival.com. More information also is available on the festival’s website.
Ticket prices will be announced closer to the festival, Baney said.
“The biggest thing I just want people to know is, we're here for the community,” Baney said. “My love for Williamsport runs so deep, I love the community, I love this city so much and it's just that's what this is all for. It's all for the people.”
