Benjamin Bertalan - Board Secretary

Ben has always had an interest in film. He has gone from writing term papers on the history of the Academy Awards to writing film criticism for The Allentown Times. He has been on the film selection jury since the very first year. This librarian always enjoys hearing good book and music recommendations. It is always hard for Ben to choose his favorite movies, but here are some of his top picks: Ed Wood, Ghost World, The Girl on the Bridge, The Big Lebowski, Nights of Cabiria, The Guatemalan Handshake, The Lady Vanishes, Swingers, Double Indemnity, Shaun of the Dead, American Splendor, Sunrise and Two Family House.

Phil likes to handle money. At Lehigh University, he prepares and oversees a $32 million budget for the College of Arts and Sciences, which is considerably more than the budget for our festival. We are hoping to become a line item in Lehigh's budget in the near future! Phil has made multiple trips to Mississippi as a volunteer in the post-Katrina era working with its victims. When asked about his 3 favorite movies, Phil replied: Silver Streak, Zombie Love, and Triple X.

Katie Dyer

Katie Dyer is a soon-to-be-retired elementary vocal music teacher who became hooked on the festival at the Prequel and, two years later, became a participant in the Film Treks workshop. She enjoyed that experience so much that she had a second go-round the next year. Passions include travel, learning foreign languages, Golden Retrievers, opera and organizing chaos. Favorite films? The Gods Must Be Crazy, Harry Potter, and Doctor Zhivago. www.katiedyer.net

Natalie Foster

Natalie is a chemist, which means she knows how to make lots of things that really smell bad or maybe even catch fire. Because she came of age in academe, she is used to begging people for money, so she's turned this habit and her love of films toward working on grantsmanship for the SSFI. Favorite movies? -- how about Casablanca, Chariots of Fire, Apocalypse Now, The Longest Yard (the original, please), Cinema
Paradiso, ... the list goes on.

Laura Herzog Kaplus - Special Consultant to the Board

Laura is passionate about the community, the arts, and... non-profit organizational management. Previously employed as a creative director in the direct marketing field and a not-for-profit theatre manager, Laura now works for the Cora L. Brooks Foundation which supports organizations working with water-related ecologies. Laura is an alumnus of Syracuse University and studied in Madrid, Spain. She currently also serves on the Events Board of Via of the Lehigh Valley and on the United Way Community Investment Team. A few favorites movies are Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Rock-n-Roll High School, and Mystery Train.

Ann Knerr

info. to come...

Lorraine M. Pasquali

Lorraine has had an interest in film and photography since childhood. Her first camera was the Kodak X-15 Instamatic. (It's still in her collection!) "I think I get it from my dad, he was always taking slides and movies." Although she has mostly worked with still photography, she developed a renewed interest in filmmaking via the SouthSide Film Festival Documentary Workshop. Today she rarely leaves the house without her digital camera, a point and shoot model with video capability. Yes, she's all over YouTube! How any of that translates into a recently earned BA in Political Science, nobody knows. Film fave raves: "I love what I call 'Going to the movies' movies. You grab a big bucket of popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride." Examples: LOTR series, Star Wars (Original series), Indiana Jones series. Her portfolio can be viewed here: homepage.mac.com/lmpasquali

Jeffrey Scott Riedy

Jeff brings with him his enthusiasm for independent film, his passion for filmmaking, and his love of his community. In previous lives Jeff has managed department stores, worked for construction firms, and even tried his hand at electronic assembly during the birth of the micro-processor. Jeff has always remained creatively active, whether it was with graphic design at numerous firms, stage design for many of the Lehigh Valley's theaters, or more recently, production design for independent film (The Forgotten, Rounding First). Being a part of SouthSide Film Festival has become an extension of that passion for film and filmmaking, and another example of his support of and advocacy for the arts. When Jeff isn't busy with film work or tasks for SSFF, he can be found pedaling his bike around the Lehigh Valley or taking an extended bike journey with his wife Wendy or just continuing his search for the "meaning of life", one experience at a time. When not screening films at festivals, he likes to relax at home with a DVD or go to the local theater to see a good film. Among his favorites are Reservoir Dogs, Dead Man, and Cinema Paradiso. Raised in Allentown, Jeff has been proud to call Bethlehem his home for more than ten years.

John Saraceno - Board Vice President

John is a business owner with 20+ years of experience founding, developing and managing for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. His award-winning advertising agency, Saraceno Design, has thrived on Bethlehem's South Side since 1983. John has spearheaded several economic and community development efforts, and volunteers for a variety of organizations. A founding member of the board of directors of the SouthSide Merchants Association, Rose Garden Children's Festival, Touchstone Theatre, among others, he contributes his expertise in problem-solving, fundraising, marketing, and community-building.

Bill Stanford

Bill serves as the Institute's general factotum, running the administrative office and organizing the rapidly growing film library. Raised a "clam digger" on the Jersey Shore, his nearly forty years living in Bethlehem have been spent working on the South Side, moving from the campus of Lehigh University (dispensing student aid) to the Institute's office on 3rd Street. Leisure time activities include making music with the folk-rock group Religion & Cash and with the Cathedral Church of the Nativity choir, weekends at the "Irish Riviera", and any activity with his wife, Mimi. Favorite movies are To Kill a Mockingbird, Cat on a Tin Roof, and Hoosiers.

Graham Stanford - Festival Director

Graham is a native of Bethlehem and graduate of Lehigh University. After spending several years bumming around the US and Europe working construction, remodeling homes and other odd jobs, he discovered a passion for filmmaking while restoring furniture in Spain. There he frequented the late night cinemas that introduced him to the works of his heroes Luis Bunuel, Pedro Almodvar, Akira Kurosawa, Werner Herzog, Jim Jarmusch as well as other independent and European films. Now, as an aspiring filmmaker, he uses his meager experiences experimenting with filmmaking to help with the formation of the Festival and the Institute. He still fixes up houses to pay the bills, struggles to complete film projects, and enjoys immensely the teamwork and camaraderie that the SSFI/SSFF communities have established. Its a hell of a lot of work, but these working relationships make it all worthwhile. Some of his favorite movies include: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928); Cool Hand Luke; The American Astronaut; Simon del desierto; Miller's Crossing; Barfly; High Noon; Rififi; Gracias por la propina; The Last Picture Show; Sexy Beast; Dead Man; Matador; A Boy and His Dog; Stranger Than Paradise; Beavis and Butthead Do America; Cold Fever; The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer 1962 version); Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!; Betty Blue; Fitzcaraldo; Trees Lounge; and many many films screened during the SSFF .

Jeff Vaclavik - Board President

Jeff has been the owner and operator of Deja Brew Coffeehouse and Deli in South Bethlehem since 1995. During his years in business, Jeff has been involved in many community events and committees. Jeff is an avid reader and music listener with a particular love of The Beatles. His primary hobby is following Penn State football. He's also been known to watch a film or two. Three of his favorite 'overlooked' films are My Favorite Year, Wrestling With Ernest Hemingway and Nobody's Fool. Jeff and his wife Georgeann welcomed a son, Brady, in October, 2004. "Out of all the events in which I've been involved, the SouthSide Film Festival has been, by far, the most work but the most rewarding."