READING, Pa. – With more than 70 films and 40 directors, the Reading Film Fest welcomed local and national talent to the stage.

Local artist Elaine Soltis introduced 69 News to her showcase.

“My monologue is called ‘Affectionately,” she said.

It’s a love letter to Marilyn Monroe, but also a place to draw inspiration.

“You have to remember that this icon has so many tangents and cycles in life that, for any reason, would’ve stopped her dead in her tracks,” Soltis explained.

Elaine Soltis was one of the nearly 40 filmmakers at the 12th annual Reading Film Fest at Goggle Works in Reading, where more than 70 films played throughout the weekend.

“We have a lot of talent; there’s a lot of crew in this area, there’s a lot of locations, a lot of production companies. It’s like a filmmaker’s dream world,” says Eliza Taylor, Festival Director of Reading Film Fest.

That’s exactly why Soltis took her art from paper to picture.

 “I was so in love with the process and the chance for young filmmakers, old filmmakers, everybody, to try to film in Reading,” she remarked.

Taylor says the festival continues to grow.

 “This year we’ve really made a conscious effort to focus on why we have the film festival and kind of helping reach out to the community so that they understand because part of our goal, as a film office, is to bring filmmakers to the region,” explains Taylor

This was something event organizers started planning nine months ago.

The festival celebrates narrative features, documentaries,  animated films, shorts, and student work from independent voices around the world.

“Anybody can do this, it’s not like a solitary journey. It’s the journey of everything because everything in life leads to the experiences that make you do what you do,” explains Soltis.

The filmmaker says she hopes people can take something from her work.

“I’m hoping that at the end of this cycle of my life that I’ll be teaching along the way too because there’s a wealth of information, of doing it the wrong way, the right way, and your own way,” she said.

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