The 50th Mount Gretna Outdoor Show will feature a new addition to the arts-filled weekend: a film festival.
The Mount Gretna International Film Festival takes place from noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Mount Gretna Playhouse. Admission is included with the purchase of a ticket for the Sunday session of the art show.
The film festival features a screening of five short films, with running times of five minutes or less, in each of five categories including horror/thriller, comedy, drama and documentary/video essay. High school student films and local Lebanon County filmmakers will also be spotlighted during the festival. More than 70 films were submitted to a panel of judges, who then whittled the field down to 25 selections, which will be screened during the event.
The film festival is dedicated to Michael Evan Deitzler, a Lebanon County native and filmmaker, who died in 2023 at 30. Deitzler had dreamed of starting a regional film festival in Mount Gretna, says his mother, Vicki Deitzler. She and her husband, Michael Deitzler, live in Mount Gretna part-time.
“(Evan) just loved the Mount Gretna community and thought it would be the perfect fit for a film fest,” Vicki Deitzler says. “He poured his heart and soul into everything he did, and we are so proud to share his vision. This is not just a celebration of his love of film; it’s a tribute to his passion and creativity.”
Cash awards up to $1,000 will be distributed from a memorial fund established by the Deitzler Family.
Categories include best drama, best comedy, best horror, best documentary/video essay, best high school entry, hometown spotlight and a best of festival award called the Vita Maxima award.
“That’s Latin for ‘greatest life,’ and Evan always said that he had the greatest life,” says Kerry Royer, director of the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show.
“Our family misses Evan immensely,” Vicki Deitzler says. “We are so grateful to the Mount Gretna Art Show for embracing this new addition to their program, giving us a meaningful way to honor and remember Evan.”
For more information, visit mtgretnaarts.com/film-festival.