FirstGlance Film Festival, Philadelphia’s longest-running competitive indie film festival, programs a curated selection of more than forty new independent films by professional, emerging, and student filmmakers at their 27th annual event.

Celebrate and support indie film, September 26-29, 2024, at the Film Society Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

Single screening tickets are $20 and VIP All Access Passes are $100-$150.

With a strong focus on local filmmakers, fifteen films have ties to the Philadelphia area including:

Danny Donnelly and Aimee Theresa – “Last Known Location” – Donnelly and Theresa are the filmmaking partners behind the suspense thriller feature film that follows the experiences of three women who have been abducted. Filmed in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, Aimee wrote, produced, and starred in the film, and Danny not only starred, but it is also the first feature he’s directed and edited. The film stars local acting talents Jennifer M. Kay, who also produced; Jamie Kerezsi, who also produced; Sophia Lucia Parola who hails from New Jersey; Allison Kessler; Patrick Hickman, who started his training at the Actors Center in Philadelphia with teacher Larry Jansen and manager Ken Jansen, and was also influenced by actors/teachers Bryan Fox and Pete Postiglione; Andrew Hunsicker, who studied with great Philadelphia acting teachers such as Mike Lemon, Drucie McDaniel and Kenneth McGregor; and Dax Richardson who began his acting journey at the renowned Hedgerow Theatre and performed in an August Wilson play at The Arden Theatre.

Donnelly’s short film, “The Woman in The Room,” is also a FirstGlance Official Selection. With a screenplay written by Theresa, based on the short story by Stephen King, Nicholas T Peetros from Ludovico Pictures produced the film.

Donnelly starred in “Not For Nothing” which screened at FirstGlance in 2023.

Ken Arnold – “A Town Called Purgatory” – Arnold was born and raised in Atco, New Jersey. He had a nine-year professional baseball career playing for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Texas Rangers organizations. While still playing baseball he started taking acting classes in the off-season. He instantly fell in love with the craft. In the film, Ken portrays Yankee Lawman Beau Riffen, who joins forces with Cody Parnum, a tormented ex-Confederate tracker, in their relentless pursuit of a notorious band of train robbers.

Tony Heriza, Valerie Keller, James Wasserman – “Art of Survival”– This project began when three Philly filmmakers, living near the epicenter of the East Coast opioid epidemic, asked themselves if there was some way they might help. They started spending time in Kensington and discovered the Kensington Storefront arts studio run by arts and service organizations. The film brings viewers into the remarkable community that flourished there and provides a hopeful contrast to the many bleak portrayals of those who struggle with addiction.

Tony Heriza produced and co-directed. He’s a member-owner of the New Day Films distribution co-operative, he has produced and distributed films on a wide range of social issues and has twice been chosen as a filmmaker envoy for the U. S. State Department’s American Film Showcase.

Valerie Keller edited and co-directed. From the Emmy-nominated dance film “Fever” to the short documentary “Abortion Helpline: This is Lisa” (short-listed for an Academy Award in 2022), her editing work has helped many projects win awards, secure funding, and screen in festivals around the world. She has co-produced videos for Mural Arts Philadelphia, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and SLAW.me on topics such as addiction recovery, environmental stewardship, and living a sustainable lifestyle. Her original animated short “Stepping on Upworld” was exhibited at the Philadelphia Art Museum, and an experimental video “Discarded” was exhibited at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

James Wasserman is cinematographer and co-director. He has been a photographer/videographer for 25 years. His projects have given him the experience to produce work from fish farms in Laos to the National Ballet in Cuba. His clients include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Forbes, Fortune,

Mercedes, Apple Computers, Siemens, Goldman Sachs, The Dutch Development Bank, American Friends Service Committee, The U. S. Department of State, British Council, Stanford University and MIT, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Bartram’s Garden. Tally Hair, Erik Parker – “FOR THE WIN: The Story of the Urban Youth Racing School” – “FOR THE WIN” is a documentary that captures the real challenges and raw emotion of what it is like to be a kid in Philadelphia and how the Urban Youth Racing School has become a beacon of hope in the community making a huge difference in the lives of these young adults.

The film follows the lives of several kids that attend the school – in the classroom, on the track, and inside their homes. The short showcases the school and the stories of the kids, their everyday struggles, their perseverance, and how racing helps them in their lives and gets them off the streets.

Co-producers, Lehigh Valley native Tally Hair, and Mount Holly native and Sports Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Documentary Series for the six-part Netflix documentary, “Race: Bubba Wallace,” Erik Parker, offer in the film a triumph and love that comes from the school and racing.

Chris Chi – “Grieving” – Writer/Director Chi is a Philadelphia-based filmmaker. In his directorial debut, Chris shares the narrative of the people pleaser, letting them know that others empathize with their struggles. He also wants this film to confront the invisibility of the Asian American experience in American society. He believes “Grieving” not only resonates universally but also encapsulates the essence of the Philadelphia experience.

Raphael Xavier, Gary Dourdan – “Swerve·Eli” – A Philadelphian, formerly from Wilmington, Del., Raphael Xavier, is an African American filmmaker, producer, writer, editor, and award-winning artist who co-directed “Swerve·Eli” with New Jersey native Gary Dourdan. The short fictional film tells the story of an out-of-work artist, Van Xander, who reaches out to Remo, a former street friend, for some fast cash. But Remo has something else in mind. He wants Van to mentor a troubled kid trying to fit in the BMX wheelie culture of Philadelphia.

Burlington County New Jersey actor Jayden Alexander plays Eli in his first professional role.

Byron Ruf – “7 Minutes in the Closet” – Suburban New Jersey filmmaker Byron Ruf attended Drexel University. He directed and produced the LGBTQ+ comedy-drama “7 Minutes in the Closet” about two best friends, Samuel and Emma, who are sent into a closet during a party when Samuel decides it would be a good time to tell Emma that he’s gay. Ruf continues to freelance PA and Grip reality shows, cooperate videos, and live events and creates sci-fi and adventure short films.

Viren Shinde – “Asura: The Demon Within” – Viren Shinde is a writer and director based in Philadelphia who strives to showcase his South Asian American heritage on screen. He has made six original short films; several have screened at FirstGlance. Shinde grew up watching movies from a variety of different industries. Hollywood taught him technique, Bollywood taught him drama, and Jackie Chan flicks taught him how to throw a punch on camera.

“Asura: The Demon Within,” a unique South Asian horror short that Viren wrote and directed, is about a forbidden prayer or ritual presented using imagery that audiences may not have seen before in the hopes that people will yearn for more South Asian horror films going forward.

Music composer Sudeip Ghosh is also from Philadelphia.

Michael Licisyn – “Millie’s Care Free Day” – Licisyn is an Emmy-winning filmmaker from South Jersey and co-founder of Mixed Nuts Productions.

Michael wrote, directed, and produced this short film about overcoming crippling anxiety, heartbreak, grief, trauma, and depression drawing from real-life experiences.

Josh Jones – “Pop” – Josh Jones is a director and musician from Philadelphia. When he is not writing children’s music, he’s directing horror films. Josh wrote, directed, and produced “Pop” because he wanted to make a horror short that was scary and immersive.

Michael Sheridan – “Abstract Narrative” – As Sheridan worked sound on a feature film in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, he encountered Anthony Smith Jr. (Lehigh Valley artist). Sheridan got to appreciate his work, which sparked the idea of interviewing him for a short documentary.

“Alexandra and Nicolay Chocolate” – Daniel de Bruyn takes a short look into a small European-style artisanal chocolate shop in Portland, PA, in this documentary.

Colin Llewellyn – “Precious”- Colin Llewellyn is an award-winning filmmaker from Moorestown, NJ.

“Precious” follows Mark Young, a mentally distraught HVAC technician, restricted by the demons of his past, who encounters his ex-wife and is forced to confront his past.

Although currently studying film at Ithaca College, Llewellyn bases the majority of his films out of the greater Philadelphia region.

Grayson DiRienzo – “The Chewing” – Currently a Cinematography and Film/Video Production student at Temple University, DiRienzo directed the short film, “The Chewing,” about Dylan, a girl who can’t stand the sound of chewing, who navigates a world of messy eaters until she is pushed over the edge.