“River City Stories” poster
Hometown stories will come to the big screen during a local festival this summer.
Local filmmakers Paul Hood and Wallace McKelvey will show their newest installment of “River City Stories,” which looks at life in Harrisburg, as part of the Harrisburg Fringe Festival in July.
The film will debut at Midtown Cinema, with showings from July 17 through 19. The Harrisburg Fringe Festival runs through the 20th and includes live entertainment, visual art displays, theater experiences and more unique art happenings.
Hood and McKelvey debuted their first installment of “River City Stories,” which included four short films, at last year’s Fringe Festival as a tribute to their city and its residents.
In July, they will showcase four new short stories in the series, with some returning characters and storylines and some new ones. However, viewers don’t need to have watched part 1 to follow part 2.
“River City Stories” explores themes of grief, romance, tragedy, housing and complex relationships, among others, and features a cast of local actors.
“River City Stories allowed me a chance to creatively discuss the complexities of our city by developing characters that speak to people from all walks of life,” said Hood, a Harrisburg playwright.
Paul Hood and Wallace McKelvey (2024)
Hood and McKelvey joined forces to begin the film project during the pandemic, hoping to capture the shared experiences of Harrisburgers across class, race, gender and geography.
Eventually, both parts 1 and 2 of the project will be combined into one film and screened in 2026, McKelvey noted.
“I’m incredibly grateful and proud of the community of talented artists who converged around River City Stories,” said McKelvey, a journalist and filmmaker. “We love our community, and that love is reflected on screen.”
View the teaser trailer for “River City Stories,” here. To purchase tickets for the film showing, visit the Harrisburg Fringe Festival website. For more information on the film, visit their Facebook page.
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