“Centralia: Pennsylvania’s Lost Town” to Close the 2017 SouthSide Film Festival

“Centralia: Pennsylvania’s Lost Town” to Close the 2017 SouthSide Film Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pattie Giordani
[email protected]
http://ssff.org

“Centralia: Pennsylvania’s Lost Town” to Close the 2017 SouthSide Film Festival

A new documentary, Centralia: Pennsylvania’s Lost Town, will be shown on closing night of the 2017 SouthSide Film Festival at 7:20 p.m., Saturday, June 17 at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, 321 E. Third by 2017, only ., Bethlehem Pa.

Centralia is a small town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, that was overcome by a massive underground coal fire in 1962. Many attempts to extinguish the fire failed, and it grew larger, eventually spanning most of the area beneath the town. As a result, hundreds of residents were relocated. As a reporter says during the film, “Only the memories remain.”

By 1993, under Governor Bob Casey, eminent domain was declared and the remaining residents were forced out of their homes, although a group of residents fought the state and were able to stay in the town. By 2013, a handful of remaining residents won their case against the state, which granted them life estates in Centralia. As of 2017, according to the film, families, one business and one borough building were still in the town.

Centralia: Pennsylvania’s Lost Town was directed by Joe Sapienza, written by Sapienza and Megan Costa, and produced by Allyson Kircher. The film features interviews with former residents and documents the legal battle some residents undertook to keep their homes in their hometown.

After the film, enjoy a great spread by Goosey Gander and mingle with filmmakers and other film enthusiasts starting at 9 p.m.at the Gander Room, 102 W. 4th Street, Bethlehem. Admission is $10 or free with an All-Access Pass; cash bar for everyone.

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About the SouthSide Film Festival: The SouthSide Film Festival is an annual five-day event featuring international films, guest filmmakers, juried selections, locally produced films, seminars, and networking opportunities for filmmakers and fans of independent film. The SouthSide Film Festival is a program of The SouthSide Film Institute, a not-for-profit volunteer-run organization promoting the art of the independent filmmaker. www.ssff.org