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.

Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Johnstown Film & Wine Festival was held July 8-11, 2010. The program listed below was the event's final evening, July 11. Additional screenings took place at the Johnstown Flood Museum on Wednesday, July 8, Thursday, July 9 and Friday, July 10; see those pages for details on each evening's lineup. Also in 2009 a panel discussion, "So You Wanna Make Pictures," was held -- see the link for details.
Sprinkles (8:00) -- by Josh Hope of Chicago, of Olive Entertainment, whose film "Eugene and the Worm" screened at the festival in 2008. This dark comedy follows the adventures of Sprinkles the dog -- who happens to be dead!
Harold Please (15:00) -- by Somerset native Lindsay Berkebile. A lonely outsider looks to fulfill relationship fantasies, but misses the obvious. This heart-wrenching narrative is about a person who desires to have personal, intimate relationships but settles for being a peeping Tom instead. Filmmaker Lindsay Berkebile is a student in the Rochester Institute of Technology's film and animation program, and has had films screened at several past festivals. Her film "Blind Luck" is a selection for Thursday night.
One of our Youth Award Winners, sponsored by State Farm Insurance, Donna Christopher Wasabi, the Sushi Bandit (1:05) -- by Abby Stern of Johnstown. A charming stop-motion claymation in which a sushi bandit devours lunch. Filmmaker Abby Stern is a student at Westmont Hilltop Middle School, plays piano and has recently taken up dance. She is 13 years old, and was 12 at the time this film was made.
Third Place Winner and Viewers' Choice Award -- John Dunn's Last Run -- by Johnstown native Ryan Dixon, who now lives in Los Angeles. John Dunn, a former high school teacher with a mysterious past, takes a late night jog -- only to find that he's on no ordinary running trail. His jog turns into a nightmare as specters of his dark past appear before him and threaten to consume his sanity -- and his life.
Tossers (13:07) -- a hilarious mockumentary by Danny Grossman of SoCal Film (South Pasadena, Calif.), whose films "Who's on First" and "Children of Scum: A Retrospective" screened at our festival in 2007 and 2008, respectively. "Tossers" is the true story of the world's fourth gay Frisbee dancing competition.
Intermission
One of our Youth Award Winners, sponsored by State Farm Insurance, Donna Christopher -- Mysteriously Gone (1:26) -- Now you see it, then you don't. This is a fun claymation by Helen Stern of a clay monster that eats everything in sight. Filmmaker Helen Stern, 10, is a student at Westmont Hilltop Middle School, plays a mean guitar and owns two guinea pigs. She was 9 at the time this film was made.
Love Sick Love (22:07) -- by P.J. Gaynard of Goat Milk Fudge Productions. A young couple decide to go on a date on Halloween night, but as the date progresses they realize that they are hiding behind more than just their costumes. Filmmaker Gaynard lives in Glendale, Calif. but is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania. His "Rooftop" is this year's 1st-place winner.
Sleepless in State College (3:00) -- by Matt Meehan of Johnstown. A music video by the band Racecar Backwards.
Second Place Winner -- Wishing Bone (7:00) -- by Kev Stock. Canceled dinner plans, rancid turkey, job woes, and health troubles turn out to be the least of Pete's problems. Shot on 8 mm film in black-and-white, "The Wishing Bone" captures the feel of a 60's European horror film -- with Kid Renaissance sensibility. Filmmaker Kev Stock of Kid Renaissance Productions won the Viewers' Choice award in 2007-2008 with "Donut Gun" and "Paper Tiger," respectively; "Paper Tiger" also took third place at the festival overall.
Doom of the Pear (1:25) -- One of the few short films to tackle the problem of fruit-on-fruit violence. This stop-motion film is by Steve Stern of Johnstown, a psychology professor at Pitt-Johnstown.
First Place Winner -- Rooftop (11:10) -- by P.J. Gaynard. A young couple find themselves locked on a rooftop with a dangerous man. Will they escape? Filmmaker P.J. Gaynard of Goat Milk Fudge Productions also made this year's selection "Love Sick Love." He is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania and currently lives in Glendale, Calif.