READING, Pa. – With more than 70 films and 40 directors, the Reading Film Fest welcomed local and national talent to the stage.<\/p>\n
Local artist Elaine Soltis introduced 69 News to her showcase.<\/p>\n
“My monologue is called ‘Affectionately,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It’s a love letter to Marilyn Monroe, but also a place to draw inspiration.<\/p>\n
“You have to remember that this icon has so many tangents and cycles in life that, for any reason, would\u2019ve stopped her dead in her tracks,\u201d Soltis explained.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“We have a lot of talent; there’s a lot of crew in this area, there\u2019s a lot of locations, a lot of production companies. It’s like a filmmaker’s dream world,\u201d says Eliza Taylor, Festival Director of Reading Film Fest.<\/p>\n
That’s exactly why Soltis took her art from paper to picture.<\/p>\n
\u00a0“I was so in love with the process and the chance for young filmmakers, old filmmakers, everybody, to try to film in Reading,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n
Taylor says the festival continues to grow.<\/p>\n
\u00a0“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<\/p>\n
This was something event organizers started planning nine months ago.<\/p>\n
The festival celebrates narrative features,\u00a0documentaries,\u00a0\u00a0animated films, shorts, and student work from independent voices around the world.<\/p>\n
“Anybody can do this, it\u2019s not like a solitary journey. It\u2019s the journey of everything because everything in life leads to the experiences that make you do what you do,” explains Soltis.<\/p>\n
The filmmaker says she hopes people can take something from her work.<\/p>\n
“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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\nCopyright 2026 Maranatha Broadcasting Co., Inc.. All Rights Reserved.\n<\/p>\n
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