Entertainment is what we all go out looking for. We want something to excite us, to make us laugh, cry, to feel. On November 8th, Pittsburgh kicked off their annual Three Rivers Film Festival, an event that’s been celebrated for 32 years. With each year, the events and films have only gotten bigger and better. With the creation of Steeltown Film Factory in 2003, people in the city’s community have increasingly gotten more involved trying to build a world class entertainment industry.
After seeing the short film, “My Date With Adam,” the 2013 Ellen Weiss Kander Award Winner, I couldn’t have felt more inspired to try and be a part of this project. A beautiful work of art, in just 12 minutes of viewing, left the crowd cheering and wanting more in Pittsburgh’s Regent Square Theatre on November 11th. The story of a woman’s search for the perfect man. You’d think you’d need a full two hours for this kind of expedition, but director Dennis Schedbetta pulled it off in just 7200 seconds. (Note, that actually filming and putting together the scenes took much longer, haha)
With the lovely images and scenes filmed in Pittsburgh’s very own Highland Park and parts of Carnegie Mellon University, this city is truly all about helping one another achieve their goals. It was a night full of celebration for the cast and crew, as well as Steeltown in helping to put the film together. A huge success and big step into the entertainment world for the city too. I share this with you in hopes that it will inspire you to go see a film before the festival ends on the 23rd. You can buy tickets and read about the different films here.
If you become inspired by Pittsburgh’s art and film scene, feel free to write your own 12 page script and send it in to www.Steeltown.org for a chance to win $30,000 to turn your idea into a film and a trip to Hollywood. The President of Steeltown, Carl Kurtlander, couldn’t stress enough how far this city has come in the film arts and that it’s only growing. If you are interested, go for it, “start writing right now.”
