Coming attractions: International film festival returns at Mt. Gretna arts show

Just like a sequel to a popular movie, the second annual Mount Gretna International Film Festival is returning during the 51st edition of the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show this August. 

Two event organizers – Vicki Deitzler, who the festival is held in memory of her son Michael “Evan” Deitzler, and Claire de Boer, owner of CdB Arts in Health – spoke with LebTown about the 2025 edition of the film fest, which they said will be bigger and better this year.

Evan, an actor and passionate filmmaker who grew up in Lebanon and Mount Gretna, had a career at Warren Lotas in California after participating in Cedar Crest High School’s broadcast program and graduating magna cum laude with a film degree from Temple University. Evan passed away in March 2023 at age 30.

To honor his memory, the Best of the Festival, or “Vita Maxima” (“The Greatest Life”), will be presented to one film.

One of the biggest and most notable changes this year is the film festival will run over two days instead of one. Set against the backdrop of the historic Gretna Playhouse and the nationally ranked Outdoor Art Show, the second annual film festival takes place Aug. 16-17.

“Last year was kind of like a test case,” de Boer said. “We wanted to know if this can work. Is there an audience? Can we pull this off? And it was done (organized) in a short amount of time.”

A major contributor for its return, in both of their minds, is the positive vibes from the volunteer organizers, the filmmakers and the audience who attended the inaugural event, which showed short films of up to five minutes over five different genres.

“The group was really excited and there was a lot of enthusiasm and many more people came forward (this year) to help,” de Boer said. “So we decided to do it again over the course of the art show.”

The Deitzler family had told LebTown last year that they weren’t sure if there would be a second edition of the film festival. That thought quickly diminished shortly after the first-ever event ended given the outpouring of love and support from the volunteers, attendees and filmmakers.

“We have had so many people reach out and say, ‘I’d like to be a part of this,’” Deitzler said. “The committee met immediately afterwards and for me the very first question beyond saying, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve all done’ was to say, ‘Do we want to continue? Who would like to continue?’ And it was overwhelmingly (positive). It’s so heartwarming. It gives us something positive to focus on and the response has been just absolutely beautiful.”

The committee’s growth to 35 local and five remote volunteers, one consultant, and one staff member is responsible, in part, for the festival’s expansion in just its second year. The organization also recently became a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. 

The festival will showcase a curated selection of short films, each no more than 15 minutes, across five captivating categories: drama, comedy, horror, documentary, and high school filmmakers, the latter category to honor young talent.

Returning this year is also a Hometown Spotlight award, sponsored by Visit Lebanon Valley, for Lebanon County filmmakers, according to de Boer. “We highly value the creative talent right here in our own community. The Hometown Spotlight award pays homage to our local creatives,” she said.

These films will be presented in 90-minute blocks, beginning on Saturday morning and concluding Sunday afternoon. Each screening will offer a unique window into the creativity of filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Both Deitzler and de Boer said the new and expanded format for each genre will provide more viewing time – and options – for film buffs. 

“For example, there’s a (90-minute block) that, let’s say, is horror. We will show 75 minutes of horror short films and then have a 10-minute Q&A with the filmmakers afterwards,” de Boer said, and then added part of the question-and-answer session, which is also new this year, will involve the audience. “And then each subsequent category will go the same way.”

“We were able to fine-tune as we grow our process and offering the blocks this way with the different categories allows people to choose and say, ‘Oh, drama’s not really my thing, but boy, I really dig horror. I want to check out that block,’” Deitzler said. “Or, ‘I love all of it. I’m going to go to every block.’ People can pick and choose and get what they want out of it, I believe, this way.”

Another new feature this year is the showing of two short films on Saturday by Academy Award-winning documentary director Jay Rosenblatt, who will also present an educational workshop to filmmakers on Sunday morning on strategies for submitting their work to film festivals.

“We felt strongly, because of Evan and because we support education and emerging artists, about having an educational component of the film festival and we just secured a really well-known veteran filmmaker and film festival director named Jay Rosenblatt from San Francisco,” said de Boer during an interview earlier this week. “He’s presenting a workshop entitled ‘Riding the Film Festival Circuit.’ We’re super-excited about bringing in that educational component.”

Deitzler said Evan was a supporter of film education and, as reported by LebTown last year, had always wanted to start a film festival in his hometown.

“Evan always talked about all of that. He talked about workshops. He talked about bringing in great filmmakers to share their experiences. It was all part of his vision. So we’re just trying to follow his road map,” she said.

Festival Highlights

Friday

Welcome reception for filmmakers and sponsors: A special opening to the weekend’s festivities.

Saturday & Sunday

Film Screenings: Enjoy a variety of short films across five genres.

Saturday afternoon

Guest Artist Presentation: veteran filmmaker and festival director Jay Rosenblatt from San Francisco will share his two Academy Award-nominated short films and a brief talk.

Sunday morning

Breakfast for Filmmakers: Jay Rosenblatt will present an educational workshop on strategies for submitting to film festivals.

Sunday afternoon

Awards Ceremony: A celebration of outstanding achievements in filmmaking

Farewell Ceremony

As the festival honors the legacy of Michael Evan Deitzler, it also pays homage to the beauty and the history of Mount Gretna, a place that has inspired generations of artists. This event brings together filmmakers, artists, and community members to celebrate the magic of storytelling under the trees of the historic Chautauqua grounds.

The Skinny

Filmmakers wishing to submit their works can do so via FilmFreeway.com. The standard submission deadline is April 1; the late deadline is May 1.

The high school category is for any high school filmmaker. To be considered, filmmakers must have produced the short film while they attended high school. Students in the graduating class of 2025 who created short films in the spring of 2025 will be considered for the category. 

Like last year, admission to the Mount Gretna International Film Festival is part of the ticket purchase to the Outdoor Art Show, which de Boer said is the “perfect way to enjoy the best of both worlds – fine art and independent film.”

“We feel that Mount Gretna is a super artistic community and this (a film festival) is something that was lacking,” said de Boer. “Thanks to Evan, Vicki’s son, it felt like this (last year was) the time to bring in that other art medium of film and it, the proof of concept, showed that there is room for this in Mount Gretna. Now we’re taking it to the next level.”

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