Oil Valley Film Festival

The Oil Valley Film Festival is an annual American film festival in Oil City, Pennsylvania.

Oil Valley Film Festival
LocationOil City, Pennsylvania, United States
Founded2015
LanguageInternational, with English Subtitles
Websiteoilvalleyfilmfestival.weebly.com

The festival takes place at the historic National Transit Building and the Oil City Library. The festival comprises competitive sections for American and international narrative and documentary films, both feature-length films and short films, and a curated block of out-of-competition selections. Audience favorites in feature and short categories, as voted on by the attending audiences, receive prizes separate from jury prizes. The festival also includes a screenwriting competition.

Festival Programming

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The Oil Valley Film Festival consists of film programming over a three-day period. Day one provides the juried short film program. Day two provides the juried feature film program, with a social event for filmmakers and audience members to interact. Day three provides the audience members to watch a curated program consisting of films chosen by the festival's director. Beginning in 2017, the festival began with various panels of discussion featuring filmmakers, actors, and producers from the selected films. Topics for each panel vary.

History

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The Oil Valley Film Festival was founded by Matt Croyle in 2015, to bring new and established cinema to the underrepresented region of Venango County, Pennsylvania, with the first festival taking place September 1–3, 2016.[1] It is the first international film festival of its kind in Pennsylvania's Oil Region. Croyle stated that his ambition was to bring art house works to an audience who would not normally be able to see non-mainstream films.[2]

The founding of the festival garnered attention from established industry publications and organizations, ultimately resulting in partnerships with Videomaker Magazine and The Writers Store.[3]

In the festival's inaugural year, the feature film Audience Prize was awarded to Vincent Pereira for his 1997 film A Better Place, one of the lesser known View Askew Productions films, produced by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. A Better Place screened out of jury competition, in the curated block, but was chosen by the audience as their favorite feature of the festival. Filmmaker Zach Daulton, of Ohio, was awarded the short film Audience Prize for his film 'Mayfield.'

In its first year, the Oil Valley Film Festival received submissions from twelve countries on five continents.

On August 25, 2021, the festival was named one of the Top Ten Virtual Film Festivals for September by Filmocracy, due to the festival's online option for viewers.[4]

The 2022 festival featured more high-profile creatives than previous iterations including Oscar winners Cloris Leachman and Olympia Dukakis, in their final screen roles, along with Louis Gossett Jr., Tatum O’Neal and George Chakiris. [5]

The 2023 festival remained a draw for high-profile creatives. Appearing on screen were Abigail Breslin, Jacqueline Bisset, Tom Arnold, and Mercedes Ruehl, with Breslin co-directing a television pilot titled 'Cannibals'. The in-person festival remained without an online streaming option for the second year despite the draw. [6]

Addition of an online screening element

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The 2020 Oil Valley Film Festival partnered with the streaming service Festivee to bring the selected films to audiences digitally. This decision was made because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

The streaming element stayed in place for the 2021 Oil Valley Film Festival, and festival director Matt Croyle has expressed interest in keeping the festival hybrid to accommodate global viewership.

Notable Guests and Interviews

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2020: Writer and director James Merendino of SLC Punk and the multifaceted D.B. Sweeney of Eight Men Out, The Cutting Edge, and Memphis Belle.[8]
2021: Natalie Metzger, producer of Werewolves Within, The Beta Test, and Thunder Road, along with screenwriter Jason Usry.[9]
2022: Suzanne Romero, Executive Director of The George A. Romero Foundation, along with filmmaker Al White, and editor Michael Foster.[10]
2023: Sarah Booth, Canadian actor. [11]

Award winners

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2022 Awards[12]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Beyond the Lake Dir. Dominic Porcari
Best Picture - Short, Narrative or Documentary Heavy Petting Dir. Brendan Prost
Best Director - Feature Beyond the Lake Dir. Dominic Porcari
Best Director - Short House of Brotherly Love Dir. Max Kane
Best Director - Documentary, Short or Feature Shepherds of the Earth Dir. Iiris Harma
Outstanding Achievement in Lead Acting, Feature Beyond the Lake David Socolar
Outstanding Achievement in Lead Acting, Short Return to Sender Allison Tolman
Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Acting, Feature Not to Forget Cloris Leachman
Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Acting, Short House of Brotherly Love Brooke Gardner
Special Jury Prize in Acting Delilah Rainey Qualley
Special Jury Prize in Voice Acting It's Always Something Stephen Fry
Outstanding Cinematography - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Shepherds of the Earth Visa Koiso-Kanttila
Outstanding Cinematography - Short, Narrative or Documentary It's Always Something Bryan Perido
Best Editing - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Match Struck Eric Randolph
Best Editing - Short, Narrative or Documentary Aping Edwin Porter Ben Simon
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature Aren't You the Family? Angelise Milton
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short Candybyte Diana Foronda
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Pilot Canajoharie Dean C. Cummings
2021 Awards[13]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Shellfish Dir. Hunter Hopewell
Best Picture - Short, Narrative or Documentary A Godless Country Dir. Jesse Richardson
Best Director - Feature, Narrative or Documentary The Colour of Spring Dir. Paul Andrew Kimball
Best Director - Short, Narrative or Documentary Rent Do Dir. Gavin Michael Booth
Outstanding Achievement in Lead Acting Shellfish Savanah Joeckel
Outstanding Achievement in Lead Acting Bone Cage Taylor Olson
Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Acting A Godless Country Brent Dunner
Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Acting Rent Do Sarah Booth
Outstanding Cinematography - Feature, Narrative or Documentary My Ture Fairytale Pablo Diez
Outstanding Cinematography - Short, Narrative or Documentary Flora Michal Babinec
Best Editing - Feature, Narrative or Documentary The Game is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories Marlis Ernst: Lead Editor
Best Editing - Short, Narrative or Documentary Congratulations (Mabrook) Sarah Iseley
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature The Bridge Builder Michael Greene
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short The Boy Who Never Existed Laura Wagner
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Pilot The Wolfe-Pointe Julianna Pitt
2020 Awards[14]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish Dir. Dimitry Shpilenok
Vadislav Grishin
Best Picture - Short, Narrative or Documentary Sac de Merde Dir. Greg Chwerchak
Best Director - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish Dir. Dimitry Shpilenok
Vadislav Grishin
Best Director - Short, Narrative or Documentary Anna Dir. Dekel Berenson
Outstanding Achievement in Lead Acting Salting the Fly Rory James Leech
Outstanding Achievement in Lead Acting Sac de Merde Arielle Haller-Silverstone
Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Acting Ghost in the Gun Haley Camille
Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Acting Buffalo & Trout Brooke Coleman
Outstanding Cinematography - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish Dimitry Shpilenok
Nikolay Shpilenok
Outstanding Cinematography - Short, Narrative or Documentary We Hear Running Jordan Lavery
Best Editing - Feature, Narrative or Documentary Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish Anna Sukhova
Best Editing - Short, Narrative or Documentary Choker Sunghwan Morgan Francis
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature Modern Art Laurence Fuller
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short Paddy's Tonsorial Emporium Ronald C. Milburn
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Pilot Hometown Adam Dietz
2019 Awards[15]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Narrative Feature This World Won't Break Dir. Josh David Jordan
Best Picture - Documentary Feature Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story Dir. Don Metz
Best Picture - Narrative Short Ways to Look at the Moon Dir. Katherine Clark
Best Picture - Documentary Short Outspoken Dir. Emily Harger
Best Director - Feature A Black Letter Day Dir. Ekaterina Tarasova
Best Director - Short Scrap Dir. Leena Pendharker
Best Actor - Feature Last Call Sarah Booth
Best Actor - Short Still Young Adrian Ross-Jones
Best Supporting Actor - Feature This World Won't Break Roxanna Redfoot
Best Supporting Actor - Short A Black Letter Day Igor Shugaleev
Outstanding Cinematography - Feature Last Call Seth Wessel-Estes
Outstanding Cinematography - Short Minor Key Jose Martin Rosete
Best Editing - Feature The Astronot Tim Cash
Best Editing - Short Scrap Sunghwan Moon
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Feature Last Call Dir. Gavin Michael Booth
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature Think Forward David Keogh
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short Homefulness Dan LaTourette
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Pilot Almost Elena Lockleis
2018 Awards[16]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Narrative Feature Blue Dir. Gabriela Ledesma
Best Picture - Documentary Feature You Racist, Sexist, Bigot Dir. Pita Juarez
Matty Steinkamp
Best Picture - Narrative Short Domesticated Dir. Juan Francisco Viruega
Best Picture - Documentary Short One Year on a Bike Dir. Martijn Doolaard
Best Director - Narrative Feature Blue Dir. Gabriela Ledesma
Best Director - Documentary Feature You Racist, Sexist, Bigot Dir. Pita Juarez
Matty Steinkamp
Best Director - Narrative Short Snow Dir. Alex Murawski
Best Director - Documentary Short Nobody Dies Here Dir. Simon Panay
Best Actor - Feature Blue Callie Schuttera
Best Actor - Short Ainhoa Aurelia Schikarski
Best Supporting Actor - Feature After Hours Trading Ariana Livingston
Best Supporting Actor - Short Spoken Word Lance Reddick
Outstanding Cinematography - Narrative Feature Regionrat Carlos Jimenez
Outstanding Cinematography - Documentary Feature Flin Flon: A Hockey Town Soren Neilsen
Christine Ng
Outstanding Cinematography - Narrative Short 88 Cents Matthew Petrunak
Outstanding Cinematography - Documentary Short One Year on a Bike Martijn Doolaard
Best Editing - Narrative Feature The Song of Sway Lake Todd Holmes
Gabriel Wrye
Best Editing - Documentary Feature Poured in Pennsylvania Doug Metz
Best Editing - Narrative Short Guard Brian Philip Davis
Best Editing - Documentary Short Nobody Dies Here Simon Panay
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Feature Blue Dir. Gabriela Ledesma
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Short Domesticated Dir. Juan Francisco Viruega
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature Blind-Sighted David Keogh
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short Cherry Glazed Christine Sherwood
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Pilot Peace, Love & Law Enforcement Lorraine Portman
2017 Awards[17]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Narrative Feature Blockbuster - A Life in Moving Pictures Dir. Vlado Priborsky
Best Picture - Documentary Feature Passfire Dir. Jesse Veverka
Best Picture - Narrative Short The Eliminadora Dir. PJ Gaynard
Best Picture - Documentary Short 1,000 Dir. Abdullah Washington
Tom Weber
Best Director - Feature Meadow Bridge Dir. Tijah Bumgarner
Best Director - Short The Bouquet Dir. Julien Segard
Roman Carciofo
Best Actor - Feature Meadow Bridge Micah Gilkerson
Best Actor - Short The Bouquet David Brenot
Best Supporting Actor - Feature Meadow Bridge Kate Morris
Best Supporting Actor - Short Derelict William Waddell
Outstanding Cinematography - Feature Blockbuster - A Life in Moving Pictures Costa Konstantinou
Edgar Pfandler
Daniel Steiner
Outstanding Cinematography - Short Derelict Hank Vohrer
Best Editing - Feature Meadow Bridge Manuel Aranda
Jose Arriaga
Juan Fernandez
Nerea Muguerza
Best Editing - Short The Bouquet Jérémy Pitard
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Feature Meadow Bridge Dir. Tijah Bumgarner
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Short The Bouquet Dir. Julien Segard
Roman Carciofo
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature Day of Reckoning Lorraine Portman
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short Brier Hill Jonathan Stiffy
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Pilot Adrift Michael Snow
2016 Awards[18]
Award Film Individual(s)
Best Picture - Feature Figurine Dir. Hans Olson
Best Picture - Short Mayfield Dir. Zach Daulton
Best Director - Feature Figurine Dir. Hans Olson
Best Director - Short Lighthouse Keeper Dir. Nadia Shmeleva
Best Actor - Feature Figurine Kelly Goetz
Best Actor - Short Mayfield John Adrian Riley
Best Supporting Actor - Feature Exit Thread Hilary Connell
Best Supporting Actor - Short A Box Came To Brooklyn Jack Haley
Outstanding Cinematography - Feature Figurine Mike McLaughlin
Outstanding Cinematography - Short Thornbird Anthony Watkins
Best Editing - Feature Escapes Manuel Aranda
Jose Arriaga
Juan Fernandez
Nerea Muguerza
Best Editing - Short Vessel B.A. Lewandowski
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Feature A Better Place Dir. Vincent Pereira
Audience Choice Award for Best Picture - Short Mayfield Dir. Zach Daulton
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Feature Arvin Lindemeyer Takes Canarsie D. Ferrara
Outstanding Screenwriting - Screenwriting Competition - Short Deadhorse Lick Charles Hall

References

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  1. ^ Frye, Drew. "First annual Oil Valley Film Festival to launch in September". Venango Extra. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  2. ^ Keil, Bill. "Film festival to showcase local and international talent". Titusville Herald. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  3. ^ "Oil Valley Film Festival on FilmFreeway". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  4. ^ "Top Ten Virtual Film Festivals of September". Filmocracy. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  5. ^ "Oil Valley Film Festival will feature Oscar Winners". Venango Extra. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  6. ^ "Oil Valley Film Festival returns for its 8th year". Venango Newspapers & The Derrick. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Delp, Aly. "2020 Oil Valley Film Festival to Go Digital in Response to Global Coronavirus Pandemic". Explore Venango. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  8. ^ "2020 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  9. ^ "2021 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  10. ^ "2022 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Sarah Booth Interview with Matt Croyle - 2023 Oil Valley Film Festival". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  12. ^ "2022 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  13. ^ "2021 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  14. ^ "2020 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  15. ^ "2019 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  16. ^ "2018 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  17. ^ "2017 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  18. ^ "2016 Festival Wrap-up and Winners". Oil Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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