Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA, March 20, 2026 – ArtsQuest is excited to announce the much-anticipated return of The Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival on April 24-April 26 at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas located in the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. This year’s festival will be headlined by Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams, an Easton native and the first African American director to win an Academy Award ®, with his film “Music By Prudence,” Williams will close out the festival on April 26 with a 1 p.m. screening of his Oscar-nominated film, “Life, Animated” followed by a Q&A session.
“Welcoming Roger Ross Williams to the Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival is an incredible moment—not just for this event, but for the region’s growing film community,” said Anthony DeSanctis, Senior Programming Manager, Cinema at ArtsQuest. “As an Academy Award-winning director whose work elevates powerful, human stories, Roger embodies the kind of bold, meaningful storytelling we strive to champion. His presence creates a rare opportunity for local filmmakers and audiences alike to engage directly with a visionary artist, and we are honored to host him at ArtsQuest for a special discussion of Life, Animated and his extraordinary career.”
The festival schedule:
Friday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Student Showcase with Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts
Literary arts majors at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts study screenwriting, film studies and advanced film theory and practice during their four-year curriculum and pursue visual literacy, the ability to interpret, analyze and understand visual information. Student film projects that will be featured at the festival include the “Ciné-Roman,” the “One Shot Film” and the culminating Final Film Project from the Senior Literary Artists.
Saturday, April 25 beginning at 12:30 p.m.:
- Block 1: 12:30 p.m. (approx. 80 min) – (Equivalent to PG-13 rating)
- Block 2: 2:45 p.m. (approx. 90 min – (Equivalent to R rating)
- Block 3: 5:00 p.m. (approx. 100 min) – (Equivalent to R rating)
- Awards Ceremony: 7:15 p.m.
- This ceremony will honor the festival’s standout selections. In addition to the Best in Show Award and a $500 cash prize, the festival jury will present accolades for Best Director, Best Performance, Best Editing, an Audience Award and more!
- A screening of “Checkpoint Zoo” with Director/Writer/Producer and Lehigh University alum Joshua Zeman: 8 p.m. The film documents a daring rescue led by a heroic team of zookeepers and volunteers, who risked their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a zoo behind enemy lines during the initial days of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. The film was executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Each block will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. To view the full list of films being screened, visit https://www.artsquest.org/festivals/more-festivals-and-experiences/greater-lehigh-valley-filmmaker-festival/.
Sunday, April 26
The 1 p.m. screening of “Life, Animated” will be followed by a Q&A session with Director Roger Ross Williams, who will be introduced by Anthony DeSanctis, Senior Programming Manager, Cinema at ArtsQuest.
About Roger Ross Williams
Roger Ross Williams is an Oscar, Emmy, Peabody and NAACP Image award-winning director, producer and writer – and the first African American director to win an Academy Award ®, with his film “Music By Prudence”. Williams directed “Life, Animated”, which won him the Sundance Directing Award, was nominated for an Academy Award ® and won three Emmys. Williams is the recipient of the Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association, The Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Award, The NYU Alumni Achievement Award and an honorary doctorate from Lafayette College.
His production company One Story Up produced the acclaimed food series “High on the Hog,” an adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me,” the Ben Crump documentary “Civil,” the award-winning film ”Master of Light” and the Primetime Emmy award-winning feature documentary ”The Apollo.” Williams’ first scripted feature “Cassandro” from Amazon Prime Video had its World premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to universal acclaim. He also released “The Supermodels” for Apple TV+, ”Stamped from the Beginning”, based on the book by Ibram X. Kendi, for Netflix and the Emmy award-winning series “The 1619 Project” for Disney/Hulu.
“Life, Animated” is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence. The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three-year-old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires.
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director and Easton native Roger Ross Williams.
Tickets and the list of selections for the festival can be found at artsquest.org. For exclusive ticket access and advance purchase opportunities, become an ArtsQuest Member today.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences, using arts and culture as drivers of economic development in our urban communities. ArtsQuest supports this mission through performing and visual arts, film, arts education and outreach, youth programming and a wide range of cultural events, anchored by signature venues and initiatives including its flagship event, Musikfest; the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL, a centerpiece for the Valley’s artistic communities; the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks; and the LVHN, part of Jefferson Health Turn & Grind Shop, an adaptive reuse project expanding space for programming, festivals, private events and nationally touring exhibits. ArtsQuest welcomes more than 1.9 million people annually, with nearly 40 percent of its programs free to attend, generating a regional economic impact of more than $143 million annually. ArtsQuest’s Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign supports the continued growth of its mission to make the arts accessible for all.