What about Pittsburgh made it such a hub for indie filmmaking? A major piece of that puzzle was Pittsburgh Filmmakers, one of the largest media arts nonprofits in the country, which closed its doors in 2019. Filmmakers provided equipment and education for film students from 10 universities in the Western Pennsylvania area. Lewis and Smalley spent a combined 40 years working with the organization, with Lewis acting as director of education for 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was running a school, and I was also teaching every semester in the classroom,\u201d says Lewis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smalley was the director of operations \u2014 he managed the equipment office there and also taught classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BradyChris1.jpg\")
Keylight Film codirectors and founders Chris Smalley, left, and Brady Lewis, right. Photo courtesy of Chris Smalley.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Filmmakers\u2019 closure ripped a gaping hole in Pittsburgh\u2019s film community<\/a>, made worse when the Covid-19 pandemic struck just a few months later. It left many artists floating adrift, lacking the resources and community to create and sell their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eager to help the community rebuild, Lewis and Smalley began discussing what would become Keylight Films shortly after Filmmakers\u2019 dissolution. There was just one thing they were missing: a home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big thing that was stopping us was we didn\u2019t have a home base, a location that we could work out of,\u201d says Lewis. \u201cBut then we started to rethink things, that maybe we could be a little more nomadic and find locations that would host this.\u201d<\/p>\n On Aug. 23, Keylight hosted its first event: a screening of Jim Jarmusch\u2019s 2003 indie classic \u201cCoffee & Cigarettes\u201d at Squirrel Hill\u2019s 61C Cafe. But Keylight isn\u2019t just screening films. On Sept. 27, they hosted their inaugural workshop on the ethics and legality of filming during protests.<\/p>\n Smalley and Lewis say they hope to increase the pace of events to one screening and one workshop per month, with several already planned. On Oct. 29, Keylight will take over Kingfly Spirits in the Strip District for a screening of David Cronenberg\u2019s sci-fi classic \u201cThe Fly.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019ll also welcome their first visiting artist when Milwaukee-based artist and film professor Jesse McLean screens her experimental documentary \u201cLight Needs,\u201d a film about the complex relationships people have with their houseplants. Aptly, that screening will be at Phipps Conservatory on Nov. 13.<\/p>\n While they\u2019re still finding their footing, Keylight aims to help lead a resurgence in Pittsburgh\u2019s indie film community. Alongside other nonprofits such as Pittsburgh Sound + Image, they are doing their best to fill the void left behind by Pittsburgh Filmmakers and re-create a vibrant community of visual creatives. Upcoming workshops<\/a> include \u201cIntroduction to Shooting Film\u201d happening Nov. 1, Nov. 8 and Dec. 6 at Kingfly Spirits and \u201cThe Flickering Truth: An Imprecise Survey of Avant-Garde Film\u201d on Mondays in January at the Harris Theater, Downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think that a number of smaller efforts are needed to kind of unite the people that are really film lovers, filmmakers and film workers,\u201d says Lewis.<\/p>\n \u201cJust because the entity of Pittsburgh Filmmakers closed doesn\u2019t mean that the spirit of it had to close,\u201d says Smalley. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to bring the sense of community back to Pittsburgh film.\u201d<\/p>\n Learn more about Keylight on the organization\u2019s website<\/a> or social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_5847-scaled.jpeg\")
Keylight\u2019s soft launch party at Brillobox in September. Photo courtesy of Keylight Film. <\/p>\n