About the West Chester Film Festival
Our 2023 Festival
The 17th Annual West Chester Film Festival will be held from Friday, April 28 – Sunday, April 30, 2023. Our festival presents short films that are 30 minutes or less from around the world. During the weekend we will show over 50 films at our West Chester Film Festival, from 2 minute comedies to 30 minute dramas and everything in between.
Our festival launches on a Friday, April 28, 2023 with our Opening Night Party. Our main venue is the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. We will also be presenting Pop-Up Films Blocks that will be shown at locations around the borough of West Chester. Every year we hold informative and free filmmaker workshops and a Filmmaker Meet & Greet on Saturday afternoon of the Festival weekend. The Festival ends on Sunday with more screenings and our not-to-be-missed Closing Night Party where we award the top films in each genre with the coveted “Chester“!
Our Mission Statement
The mission of the West Chester Film Festival is to Entertain, Enlighten and Educate the public through the presentation of global independent and innovative short film and interactive workshops by presenting an annual international short film festival. Our goal is to present a self-sustaining annual film festival giving a voice to up-and-coming artists. The West Chester Film Festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Join us the last weekend every April for the annual West Chester Film Festival. We will screen short films, up to 30 minutes in length, submitted by independent filmmakers from around the world. Submissions are juried by a panel of industry professionals and winners chosen according to content, innovation and technical execution. We anticipate attendance of 3,000 film lovers this year.
Become a sponsor and support the West Chester Film Festival!
The Festival Team
West Chester Film Festival is made possible by the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. Thank you for your support.
2023 West Chester Film Festival Executive Board
Carol Jean Quigley, President
Kevin Fitzpatrick, Vice President & Filmmaker Liaison
Sarah Beck, Secretary
Victoria Helmke, Volunteer Coordinator
Renee McGusty, Young Filmmaker Coordinator
Victoria Rose, Sponsorship Coordinator
Armin Jahromi, Director of Technology & Community Outreach
2023 Film Review Committee
Sarah Beck
Daryl Durnell
Tim Homan
Armin Jahromi
Victoria Rose
Ed Williams
Webmasters
Sarah Beck & Greg Koorhan
2023 West Chester Film Festival Volunteers
(Please forgive us for inadvertently omitting any names that should also be on this list.)
Laura Barton
Jack Butler
Ed Claypoole
Jack Craig
Caius Fitzpatrick
Judy Fitzpatrick
Kaley Fitzpatrick
Rory Fitzpatrick
Leo Flickinger
Penny Flickinger
Tim Homan
Jodi Knapp
Melanie Kuchma
Hasan Kumas
Jane Ludin
Jim McGusty
Diane Moran
Sean Reynolds
Anne Skillman
Marc Skillman
Pam Tatum
Valetta
Brett Anderson Walker