Filmmaker Testimonials
On this page you will find plaudits from our 2004 through 2010 alumni as well as the survey results from our 2005 film festival.
Plaudits
note: [year] reflects festival year, not production year
“Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. I am so impressed with the festival – films selected, how generous and kind everyone is, your organization and how perfect this community is for such a wonderful festival! Thank you for allowing one to be a part of this experience. The only minor complication we had was finding the time in between blocks for dinner (since we wanted to see everything). But Sarah and I had a wonderful time and hope to return regardless of whether we have a film accepted or not. We loved the option for the filmmakers’ village and how easy everything was to each other. Many thanks for everything!!!”
- Will Graver, Columbus, Ohio – Revelation SSFF 2010
“Thank you for having me this past week. I have felt like part of your community now. I’m glad you made me feel very welcomed. I hope you all enjoyed the film and all continue to think in a positive and out of the box way. Remember, no matter what you do or where you go, always have fun. Loved every moment of SSFF.”
– Adam Chinoy, Scotch Plains, NJ – Whisper SSFF2010
“Great Festival! Thank you especially Bill. (And Bill, remember the maps for the area. – Cheers”
- Irra Verbitsky, New York, NY – Departure SSFF 2010
“Thank you all so much for an amazing time! SouthSide is a great community and everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I feel you guys have set the precedent for future film fests. You are all awesome and amazing!”
– James Arrabito, Brooklyn, NY, What’s In Alaska SSFF 2010
“Thank you so much for everything. The hospitality of the community and the generosity of the volunteers made for an incredible week. The thought that was put into the programming of the films and the fact we were given the opportunity to have an audience Q&A showed that SSFF really cares about our projects. Thanks again!”
– Ken Anderson, New York, NY – Veterans Affairs SSFF 2010
“I feel so lucky that I was able to make it out to this festival. Between how warm a welcome we were given and the caliber of all the films, this is an amazing festival being run by a small but extremely dedicated group of people. We had a fantastic time and I absolutely plan to submit for next year. Thank you!”
- Alexander Atkins, White Plains, NY Unearthed SSFF 2010
“This festival has been so much fun – a full 6 ½ hours of amazing shorts, docs and crazy horror films each and every day does the soul good. Thank you so much Graham, Jeff, Bill and everyone else that organized this whole deal – thank you, thank you, thank you! We hope to be back soon.”
– Daniel Menges, White Plains, NY Unearthed SSFF 2010
“Great Festival! [here he has a cartoon character opening his shirt with “SouthSide Film Festival 2010 on his t-shirt.] Thanks for including Foet! I had a great time and can’t wait to come back!”
- Ian Fischer, New York, NY Foet SSFF 2010
“They say you haven’t lived until you’ve seen the sun rise over Bethlehem. If that’s the case, then we’ve really lived over the past few days. Thanks for showing our film, feeding us, introducing us to so many great people, and treating us like family. I can’t wait to come back next year!
– Jason Orfanon, Washington, DC – The Steps SSFF 2010
“From the steps of the Met to the stoop of Deja Brew, the SouthSide Film Festival was Fantastic! Thanks for putting on a GREAT SHOW! See you in 2011.”
– Billy Orfanon, New York, NY – Steps SSFF 2010
“Love you guys. Thanks so much. See you in 2011.”
– A.J Wilhelm, New York, NY – Steps SSFF 2010
“Hi Guys - I'm really glad I was able to come out and see some films yesterday. You have a great festival and I hope to continue to attend each year, as I live less than two hours away. The short film content you curate is quite fantastic.”
– Jeremy Moss, Lancaster, PA – Give Me A Dram SSFF 2010
“The SouthSide Film Festival has the distinct reputation for being one of most filmmaker friendly festivals going. Their heart is definitely in the right place."
"I have never, ever had such a fulfilling experience with an audience. And I think this is why SouthSide is such a great venue... their audience is HUNGRY for this kind of films. As IFHY played down, I was astonished at how engaged the audience was -- "
Zak Forsman
"I F*cking Hate You" - SSFF 2008
“It’s a small, tight community and people are hungry to see new movies, new stories, and new characters. I think the choices are bold; I think they’re courageous. They are really outside the main stream, but still accessible to people who love a good story. Showing a film is a real treat because the audiences are open, they’re sophisticated and they’re really enthusiastic.”
Shanti Thakur
“Circles” - SSFF 2005; “Sky People” – SSFF 2009
Thank you for a truly wonderful experience with the film festival in
your town. You have done a fabulous job in coordinating and organizing the festival. At one point a few months back I was really cynical and stopped working on the documentary. The kindness of both the community and other filmmakers have revived me. Several people from the community of Bethlehem as well as other filmmakers have emailed me comments about the film Growing Democracy that are invaluable for me figure out how to structure the film to make it more coherent. Thanks once again for the opportunity to screen and all the work and energy that you've put into making a successful film festival.
Best,
Keya Lea Horiuchi
"Growing Democracy" - SSFF 2006
Montrose, CO
One of the most unique aspects of the SouthSide Film Festival that distinguishes it from other festivals I've been to, is the promming of older masterpieces, like a film by the Brothers Quay, side-by-side with ground-breaking films of today like Brent Green's "Hadacol Santa". It's brillant promgramming.
Adam Parrish King
"The Wraith of Cobble Hill" - SSFF 2006
These comments were received, by email, after the 2005 festival.
I know it's very hard to get a film festival off the ground, but I think you have done an amazing job. Remember, there are thousands of filmmakers like me who appreciate what you do. Keep up the good work!
Ellen Perry
The Fall of Fujimori
San Francisco, California
After the whirlwind weekend, I wanted to thank you and your amazing team of friends for such a great experience at Southside. Your hospitality,
your programming and thoughtful gestures every day really made me feel
welcome. It's always inspiring to be around people who love what they do
and this weekend was rejuvenating that way. I feel like I've met a new group of friends.
Shanti Thakur
SSFF 2005 Guest Filmmaker
"Circles", "Seven Hours to Burn"
New York, NY
You guys have the coolest thing going. In less than 12 hours, I managed to find myself totally inspired and rejuvenated. It's a wonderful setting, amazingly managed, and even for a preview night of shorts, you had a great crowd. I can't wait to come back next year -- already have a movie that's just about ready for you guys. Thanks again for being such gracious hosts.
Soman Chainani
"Suhane Sapne" (Sweet Dreams)
New York, NY
 |
I am so excited to be part of this film festival, I have passed info about this fest to lot of people. Thank you once again for everything. I am sure this fest will also rock as the last one.
Madhu Sudan
"Samanvay"
India
|
And this comment from one of our Documentary Filmmaking Workshop participants.
I cant believe the amazing job that everyone did this past weekend. I
took the documentary workshop with Mel and Clayton and had one of the best learning experiences in my life!!!
I cant thank all of you enough for bringing this film festival to the
Lehigh Valley. We needed it!!!
Lisa Robinson
Documentary Filmmaking Workshop Student
Lehigh Valley
The following comments were recorded on our post-festival questionaire.
What was your overall Impression of the Festival:
 |
"All of you did such a splendid job. My feeling, along with other filmmakers, is that we felt extremely welcome."
- Mel Halbach - The Long Haired Warriors [2004]
|
"Easy to navigate, friendly, nice town, a terrific social whirl!" R. Sewhcomar - New York Drag [2004]
"I've been to the biggest film festivals in the world and the smallest. The big ones have their benefits, but personally, after accompanying my film to so many festivals I've become a big fan of the smaller ones. The audiences that attend these festivals are people who are either curious or who seek non-commercial entertainment, but rarely have the opportunity to find any in their own communities. When first invited to the SouthSide Film Festival in Bethlehem, PA I had no preconceptions. All I knew was that Bethlehem PA was 3rd on Hitler's list of places to bomb and that this was to be their first film festival. I was honoured that my film was chosen to be their opener and curious about Bethlehem. I'm very happy that I was able to attend. I brought my wife and 18 month old daughter. We were greeted with a great deal of warmth and hospitality. We were made to feel at home. It was as if the festival belonged to all of us. I'm hoping to be able to participate in their future festivals." - Cory McAbee - The American Astronaut [2004]
Rate our film submission process:
"Its great that the submission fee is low. Thanks for that." - Nick Poppy Containment: Life After Three Mile Island [2005]
"Simple & painless; like eating jello." - Collin Kornfeind With an 'X' and an 'O' [2005]
Rate our Audio/Visual theatre setups:
"the audio for my piece was the best I ever heard it when it played in Whitaker" - A. Garrett - ny I dream [2004]
"I thought the projection equipment was superb. I was really expecting some major equipment crashes along the way, buy none of that prevailed." Mel Halbach - The Long Haired Warriors [2004]
"A/V equipment was excellent. Using Lehighs facilities a major plus." - Matt Lotti Protection [2005]
Your impression of our staff volunteers:
"Excellent! very friendly and helpful." - M. Kramer/A. Senape - Homestead: From Mill to Mall [2004]
"Excellent, helpful, charming" - Bert Shapiro - The Noodle Man [2004]
"Excellent!! Couldn't ask for anything better." Jude Gerard Prest - Rabbit Hash: the Center of the Universe [2004]
"Incredibly friendly, so nice, I miss them all" - Brian Labrecque - Far Too Gone [2004]
"The people were so warm and welcoming and went out of their way to help. It made my experience very special." - Shashwati Talukdar - Bollywood Terror [2005]
"Friendly; made me feel like I was a part of some crazy, grab-bag family" - Collin Kornfeind With an 'X' and an 'O' [2005]
Your impression of Bethlehem in general, the South Side in particular:
"A wonderful close knit place that I want to move to. Find me a house!" Roger Sewhcomar New York Drag [2004]
"Great venue location, would come back again in a heartbeat" - Jude Gerard Prest - Rabbit Hash: the Center of the Universe [2004]
"Most friendly community" - Bert Shapiro - An appointment with Mr. Robert [2005]
"Old town with a lot of past." - Ari Taub The Fallen [2005]
"A lovely town. Friendly people. Full of creative energy." - Shanti Thakur - Kairos; Circles; and Seven Hours to Burn [2005]
Any other comments you wish to make?
"I would highly recommend this festival to everyone that loves movies or loves making movies." - Jude Gerard Prest - Rabbit Hash: the Center of the Universe [2004]
"I love you all!" - Brian Labrecque - Far Too Gone[2004]
"Having affordable accommodations is a great incentive for traveling filmmakers." - Nandini Sikand - In Whose Name [2005]
How we rated in 2005
We asked our filmmakers to rate us on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) Here is how we ranked:
- 8.67 for the festival (overall)
- 8.80 for our submission process
- 8.92 for our jury process
- 8.46 for our pre-festival communications
- 8.47 for the venues, facilities, and A/V equipment
- 9.73 for our staff and volunteers
Would you return to our festival?
13 yes 0 no
Did you feel we presented your film well?
12 yes 1 no
Would you recommend our festival to other filmmakers?
13 yes 0 no
|
