Oil Valley Film Festival

Annual American film festival in Oil City, Pennsylvania

Oil Valley Film Festival

Location| Oil City, Pennsylvania, United States
Founded| 2015
Language| International, with English Subtitles
Website| oilvalleyfilmfestival.weebly.com

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

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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.

## External links

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* Official website – official site
* Oil Valley Film Festival on FilmFreeway – festival information and submissions
* Oil Valley Film Festival on IMDb \- winners from past events via the Internet Movie Database
* Bauer, Jake (September 2, 2016). "Oil Valley Film Festival underway". ExploreClarion.
* Ruggiero, Stella (September 30, 2016). "Region's first international film festival a boon for culture". The Titusville Herald.