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 2008 festival was held July 9-12 at the Heritage Discovery Center in Johnstown. Watch this site for updates!

Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Johnstown Film & Wine Festival is a film shorts competition in its third year. The final evening of the festival, Saturday, July 12, was held in the Heritage Discovery Center courtyard. Additional screenings took place at the Johnstown Flood Museum on Wednesday, July 9, Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11; see those pages for details on each evening's lineup.
The beautiful weather and appreciative crowd marked the festival's final evening. Representatives of seven of the screened films were in attendance, including the three award-winners. Many thanks to our film festival committee, jury, sponsors, volunteers and everyone who attended! The call for entries for 2009 will be officially announced this fall -- watch this website for updates!
Smile -- (running time: 2:00) by Johnstown native Kristy Puchko of After Party Productions. What would you do if you found a dollar? Would you keep it? Would you spend it? Or would you just leave it where you found it? This short film was created to explore individuals' attitudes and see what they would do in a given situation, and features music by Johnstown's Endless Mike & the Beagle Club. Filmmaker Kristy Puchko now lives in Astoria, N.Y. Her film "Alice & the Devil" premiered at the 2006 Johnstown Film & Wine Festival.
No More Sunday -- (running time: 12:00) by Matthew J. Fridg of Pittsburgh. It tells the story of Malcolm, a medical student who has nearly completed his medical residency. Malcolm has taken his father's advice and bought a diamond engagement ring. Deciding to take some time off, Malcolm travels home to share the news with his father. But his trip becomes unpleasant and somber when he receives a phone call with tragic news while traveling home.
Red Hot Delivery -- (running time: 5:00) A hapless pizza delivery guy races to save his job when a pregnant woman hijacks his car. This narrative comedy is by Canadian filmmaker Daniel Hogg.
Third Place Winner, Johnstown Award Winner, and Viewer's Choice Award Winner, sponsored by the Johnstown Chamber of Commerce Paper Tiger: Dishonor the Dojo (running time: 12:00) -- by Luke Harteis, Josh Stock, and Kevin Stock is about a homeless paperboy's interest for adventure. What will he find in a world that is full of mystery? Filmmaker Kevin Stock has had several films screened at the Johnstown Film & Wine Festival, including the 2007 Viewer's Choice Award winner "The Donut Gun."
68 Degrees & Clear -- (running time: 12:17) by Dawn Westlake of Los Angeles tells the story of an 11-year-old mugger who saves the life of a suicidal middle-age woman. It's just another day in Los Angeles, where it's always 68 degrees and clear. Filmmaker Dawn Westlake's films have won 35 international awards and played in hundreds of venues around the world. Her film "Dawn of Death" was screened at the 2007 Johnstown Film & Wine Festival.
Second Place Winner, sponsored by Clark Productions Oscar Wilde Can Keep His Quotes (running time: 15:00) by Jason Oppliger. Why do people wear neckties? Dylan Thomas, a Cincinnati schoolboy, goes on a quest to find the answer. But in his pursuit of discovery, he just might kill the necktie fad. Filmmaker Jason Oppliger lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a film student at the University of California, Long Beach. This film has been screened at several festivals, including the Festival de Cannes Short Corner, and won second place for best short film at The Indie Gathering.
Eugene and the Worm (running time: 13:00) -- a comedic short by Josh Hope of Chicago. Two awkward teens are building a robot; but during the building process, they run out of money. So what do they do? They lace up their sneakers. The two teens battle two street bullies to a game of basketball in hopes of squirming their way to some cash.
*INTERMISSION*
First Place Winner, sponsored by MTS Technologies Destroy Jonah Hill (running time: 28:03) -- a short comedy by Brad Grimm of Moon Township. A new college graduate, Steven Simms, moves out to Hollywood with high hopes for fame, but his dream of becoming a great success is shattered when he finds out that his dream has already been achieved by actor Jonah Hill. Now his goal is to destroy Jonah Hill. Filmmaker Brad Grimm is a recent graduate of Robert Morris University, and "Destroy Jonah Hill" is his senior film.
Fantasy Fragrance -- (running time: 30 seconds) This commercial is for an imaginary fragrance. Filmmaker Lindsay Berkebile of Somerset, Pa. is currently a sophomore at the Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in live action film production. Her film "Torn" was screened at the 2006 Johnstown Film & Wine Festival.
My Grandmother and the Boat: Nunna Mia e la Barca -- (running time: 13:00) By Jacob Dodd, this film reveals the daily life of his Italian grandmother, who immigrated to the United States in 1956. Even though she lost her most prized possession, her boat, she is determined to pass her Italian heritage to her grandchildren through selfless acts of kindness. Filmmaker Jacob Dodd lives in Richmond, Va. but is originally from Kittanning.
The Sheetz Run -- (running time: 2:00) directed by Adam Buck. An optimistic homeless man is catapulted into his own living nightmare: a world without Sheetz convenience stores.
Ground of the Dead -- (running time: 8:05) by Tom Getty of Johnstown tells the story of a group of young people who try to escape as their hometown is overtaken by members of the undead. Getty won the Youth Award at the Johnstown Film Festival in both 2006 ("The Movies") and 2007 ("The Jig"). Currently, Getty is working on a sci-fi film entitled "Nirvana."