Centre Film Festival 2023
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Click here for a printable, downloadable program guide
We are back to celebrate the magic of storytelling on the big screen and beyond. Join us in honoring multigenerational narratives and sparking meaningful conversations through art, locally and globally. With the historic Rowland Theatre and State Theatre as our backdrop, we’re getting all set to bring you more than 50 Pennsylvania Premieres, 4 United States Premieres, Made in PA films, a night of Thrills and Chills for Halloween, Sports on Screen, World Cinema, Pride on Screen, and an inaugural Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month track… and so much more.
There is something for everyone!
The heart of our festival lies in creating a platform for dialogue, connecting filmmakers with our community. We’re thrilled to announce our full lineup including student and high school films, award winners, high school masterclasses and the daily in-person schedule. Our individual tickets are on sale NOW. Get yours TODAY!
A Happy Return to Happy Valley
by: Savita Iyer, photo by Todd Williamson (Getty Images), Sept/Oct 2023
Prolific Hollywood producer Gerry Abrams is back in State College to be honored at the Centre Film Festival.
Find other festival press on our In The News page
STORIES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
The festival had scheduled a slate of films from the Middle East prior to recent developments in the region. We feel it is important to screen films that depict as many perspectives from this part of the world as possible. The festival’s Middle Eastern films portray life in places such as Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Palestine, and Turkey, and the topics include Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures and traditions; homelessness; refugees and displacement; LGBTQIA+ life; sports; comedy; the Black Hebrews; and war photography. We believe that these films offer moviegoers nuanced representations and that they will generate dialogue around the rich complexities of life in this region currently dominating global attention.
FOR A PRESS RELEASE CLICK HERE
GET YOUR FREE STUDENT PASS HERE!
Tickets are always free for students
giving aspiring artists from high school teens to undergrads a chance to engage with seasoned professionals.
Let’s nurture those artistic visions together! Support local arts by getting involved.
Check out our photos!
Special Events & Afterparties
Check out our special events and afterparties — every day of the festival you get a chance to hang out with our filmmakers and guests and fellow film buffs in an informal setting. Come join us, and raise a glass to all our community sponsors and local business who make it possible for us to party!!
Meet Our Poster Artist, Sierra Brandon
Meet Sierra Brandon, the artist who designed the official 2023 Centre Film Festival poster! As always, we’re incredibly proud to feature a Penn State University student as our annual poster artist. Sierra is a senior majoring in Digital Arts and Media Design in the College of Arts and Architecture with an Associates of Fine Arts in Graphics Design.
Check out our 2023 Festival Map
Our Mission
The Centre Film Festival is a week-long celebration of film and conversation connecting local voices with global ones through media arts, workshops and masterclasses. The Centre Film Festival brings multigenerational stories to the screen. With the historic Rowland Theatre and State Theatre as century-old touchstones, we bring filmmakers and films to the community that spark conversation and inspire new works. The festival offers masterclasses that enable local teens to engage with artists and develop their own artistic visions. We believe Central Pennsylvania is rich with screen-worthy stories and the talent to make them.
Acknowledgment of Land
The Centre Film Festival and its venues are located on the original homelands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora), Lenape (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, Stockbridge-Munsee), Shawnee (Absentee, Eastern, and Oklahoma), Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nations. As a land grant institution, we acknowledge and honor the traditional caretakers of these lands and strive to understand and model their responsible stewardship. We also acknowledge the longer history of these lands and our place in that history.
In collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Student Association (IPSA) and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance (IFSA)