Matt Rosler C’96 attended a small festival in Los Angeles one night for the premiere of a Penn alumnus’s film. While waiting in line, he was surprised to bump into another Penn graduate, who also had a film showing there. This encounter and others like it led to the first annual Pennfest, hosted by Penn’s Alumni Club of Southern California on February 19. More than 250 people attended the event at the Hollywood Knitting Factory, which showcased 18 films and five live bands (including Goldspot, above).
“We’ve had a lot of events where we’ve recognized established entertainment folks,” says Rosler, the club president. What made this event different was that it was “dedicated to emerging alumni talent in film and live music. And this is something we want to continue for years to come.” Rosler says this year’s organizers have already received submissions for Pennfest 2003.
One of the featured bands got management after this year’s event and some of the films were asked to participate in another film festival as a result of Pennfest, Rosler adds. Another positive development, he notes, is that the event has helped form relationships between the digital-media program at Penn and alumni who work in the film industry. Three undergraduates from that program sent in short films for the festival.
