On behalf of the Board of Directors, Sponsors, Volunteers, Friends & Filmmakers, Welcome to the 5th Annual West Chester International Short Film Festival!

In our fifth year, we decided to head back to basics and focus on the films and the filmmakers as we celebrate this important milestone. Competition this year was especially strong with films from all over the world vying for a spot in our Festival. So many great films were submitted and it was a tough choice, but we are presenting 64 wonderful films for your enjoyment this weekend. Also, seven Young Filmmaker (youth under 18)films created by high school students from West Chester and across the country will be screened on Saturday. This year, two very young filmmakers submitted their films to us and both made the cut for the Festival screenings. Outstanding!! Once again, viewing the work from these young, talented students and young filmmakers assures us that the future os independent filmmaking will continue to thrive for years to come. We are indebted to all of our filmmakers; thank you for submitting your work to the West Chester Film Festival. Without you, we would not have a Festival. Please enjoy the films and see as many as you can throughout the Festival weekend. These filmmakers put their hearts and souls into their projects as you will see. Once again, Bravo! for doing such great work!!

A tremendous amount of work goes on throughout the year in order for us to present the Festival. We are a grass roots organization with exceptional community support. We would like to especially thank the Cultural Center at the Chester County Historical Society, the Masonic Lodge of West Chester, The Note, and Pietro's Prime for allowing us to use their space for venues. Thanks also to our many sponsors who have donated time and money to help us. Our organization is completely reliant upon its volunteers, form the Board of Directors to our projectionists, ticket-takers and everyone in between. Many thanks to all the volunteers who have given so much of their time to help make the 2009 WCFF a reality! The WCFF has a short-term goal to present a self-sustaining annual film festival. Our dream and long term goal is to establish a theatre space in the borough, presenting innovative and independent film and giving a voice to up and coming artists. With your continued support, our goals will become a reality.

Finally we cannot forget to thank two special organizations for their outstanding support. Comcast is the 2009 Presenting Sponsor for the second year in a row! The Chester County Convention and Visitors Bureau has been a wonderful friend to the Festival through their funding of the local arts.

Please take some time to stroll through the borough and visit West Chester's shops, galleries, pubs & restaurants. Stop by Pietro's Prime on Market Street to chat with filmmakers during the Filmmakers Meet and Greet. Don’t forget to reserve your tickets to the Closing Night Awards Party, this year at 'The Note', West Chester’s newest and most vibrant night spot – it is definitely a highlight and a fitting end to Film Festival Weekend.
West Chester…. Small Town, Big Film. Enjoy!