The Johnstown Film & Wine Festival is a project of the Greater Johnstown Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class of 2006, in cooperation with the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. The 2009 festival was held July 8-11.

Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday's screening will take place at the Johnstown Flood Museum; doors open at 6:30, and the films begin at 7:00. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.
Do You? (30:00) by Gordon S. Williams of Cleveland, Texas. What do you think about love? Is it black and white, or are there shades of gray? See how parents react when they find out their children have entered into an interracial relationship.
The J.H. Gunn Project -- by Shequeta Smith of California, of Rayven Choi Films. A group of juvenile delinquents are sentenced to spending time with terminally ill felons, rather than going to jail. Will these encounters change the course of these youth's lives?
A Day of School, A Day of Protest -- by Corry Beth Vargo of Video Camera Girl Productions. This is documentary about an all-girl public trade school that makes a stand in order to receive more funding. These girls take matters into their own hands in their fight for equality and rights. Witness the struggle and triumph as these girls fight and stand for what they believe in. Filmmaker Corry Beth Vargo of Lowber, Pa. is a graduate of Robert Morris University.
Intermission
Fish Eyes (30:00) -- by Sam Hakes, Jake Culbertson, and Chris Blose, students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. A young man who desires more in life. He is determined to find his true purpose and meaning in his life. Will he be able to leave his small pond and go after a sea of dreams?
Penguin Hora -- (1:16) by Steven Stern. Dance! This is a stop-frame animation of plastic penguins dancing away in a traditional Jewish dance.
The Chef's Letter (14:08) -- by Sybil H. Mair from the United Kingdom. A successful chef runs his life like his kitchen -- fast paced. But his life comes to a sudden halt when he falls in love with one of his employees. He writes a heart-felt letter to make his feelings known. How will it be received?
Our Long Dream (8:00) -- by Johnstown native Aaron Hollan. A doctor experiences despair after losing his wife to an illness.
Intermission
Project Ion-- (11:05) by Dawn Westlake of Los Angeles. A film scriptwriter struggles to find the balance between fiction and reality. Filmmaker Dawn Westlake screened "68 Degrees and Clear" and "A Life of Death" at the festival in 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Protecting New Orleans, Saving Venice (12:00) -- by Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno of Bongiorno Productions. Dr. John Day, Mississippi Delta restoration expert, explains how to rebuild Louisiana's costal wetlands in order to safeguard New Orleans against future hurricanes -- while drawing parallels with Venice, Italy.
Notes in the Valley -- (20:00) by Matthew J. Fridg of Pittsburgh. At a Homestead's Carnegie Library, Lily finds a mysterious, unopened envelope from the 1940s. After digging, she discovers the recipient to be is a fascinating women whose life eerily mirrors her own. Lily's findings lead her on a search for answers -- while she battles the temptation to open the letter. Filmmaker Matthew Fridg is director of photography for Production Masters, Inc., a video production company in Pittsburgh. His film "No More Sunday" was screened at our festival in 2008.