Sunday, August 7, 2011

Movies at the Mill Gears Up for Fall: Submit Your Films! Volunteer for the Film Festival!

Easton resident and independent filmmaker, Gershon Hinkson, is ready to roll on the Movies at the Mill film festival again this fall at the old Simon Silk Mill. Film submissions to this year’s fest should be sent to Igneous Features, P.O. Box 1055, Easton, PA, 18044-1055, Attn: MME3. Film submission forms and more volunteer information can be found on the MME website, moviesatthemill.com.

Posted by: Noël Jones



I'm excited to be looking forward to Movies at the Mill again this fall on September 24th! The festival is one of the events in Easton that is so well-managed and produced that it makes me feel really proud to be in Easton as opposed to anywhere else in the Valley. Bethlehem has the MusikFest--which is huge, and a great draw, but Movies at the Mill will be drawing higher-profile films each year, as it did its second year (last year), and as it grows it will be Easton's
own big annual event, showcasing talent from all over the Valley and drawing crowds Valley-wide and beyond.


In its first year, the festival was more of a pilot, showing shorts and trailers--more a demonstration of what the festival (and the Silk Mill) could and would be. Last year, we had an Academy Award winning documentary, an Academy Award nominated short film, an Emmy Award-winning animated children's film, and Gershon Hinkson's own short film, The Turtle and the Nightingale, which is currently in negotiations with HBO for a February premiere air date.


Aside from all that, it's just a classy night--white tents and twinkling lights, great food and drink--everyone out and about and excited to be mingling in and around the historic buildings that loom against the backdrop of the trees along Bushkill Creek, which gurgles quietly by in the dark as films are projected against the high, rough walls of the mill...here's hoping for yet another great night of good weather!


Below is a call to all Lehigh Valley filmmakers and volunteers:

Movies at the Mill Easton Seeks Films, Volunteers

EASTON, PA – August 4, 2011 – The Third Annual Movies at the Mill Easton (MME) Film Festival is accepting film submissions and enlisting volunteers to help handle the event’s growing attendance and make MME even better this year.

MME will celebrate its third anniversary on September 24th, when global filmmakers, artists, community leaders, diverse creative types, and the Lehigh Valley’s red carpet set gather to sample some of Easton’s finest eatery selections, at the old Simon Silk Mill site, bordering the Bushkill Creek and Route 22, in Easton.

What grew out of a casual conversation between Easton Mayor Sal Panto and filmmaker Gershon Hinkson, three years ago about the
future of the old Simon Silk Mill site, has now evolved into a festive and glorious autumn evening that attracted more than 2,000 attendees in 2010.

This growing popularity has increased the need for volunteers, who continue to be the backbone of the event and a large part of its success. Volunteers get involved in nearly every aspect of MME, including ticketing, parking, as greeters, set-up/take down, publicity, hosts, and site prep, to name a few. Persons interested in volunteering should contact Bonnie Winfield at winfielb@lafayette.edu.
Last year’s films included the Oscar-winning documentary, “Music By Prudence” by Easton filmmaker, Roger Ross Williams; the Academy Award nominated short film “On The Line,” by Swiss director Reto Caffi, and a variety of locally produced shorts. This year’s offerings promise to be equally entertaining and diverse.

Film submissions to this year’s fest should be sent to Igneous Features, P.O. Box 1055, Easton, PA, 18044-1055, Attn: MME3. Film submission forms and more volunteer information can be found on the MME website, moviesatthemill.com.

Tickets for MME 2011 will officially go on sale in late August but persons wishing to reserve theirs early can do so with an email at info@moviesatthemill.com. It also places you on a mailing list for future updates.

For more information, please contact: Bill Hartin at hartinhouse@hotmail.com.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This event is without a doubt oe of the more classy events in the Lehigh Valley. The entire evening is professionally managed and the committee has done a great job growing the event rather than trying to make it happen all at once.

I have attended both initial events. The addition of the party-like reception in one of the old mills was exceptional.Please keep that a part of the event. The arts are showcased as well as the mills.

I for one will be telling everyone about the evetn this year.

Looking forward to Saturday night September 24th.

noel jones said...

Me too--can't wait!

gruntled said...

Ah, but will you be a volunteer worker? It's a tough job to pull this off. Help is needed.

noel jones said...

this blog has been a volunteer effort every day for over three years, and yes I have volunteered my time to promote it each year.