Dwayne Johnson gives Oscar performance in "The Smashing Machine"

Aspiring filmmakers came out last Friday for the 49th Anniversary of the Philadelphia International Film Festival (PhilaFilm) and Market, which took place from 3:00 pm to offering 12:00 am, offering 9 hours of movie screenings at the Philadelphia Theatre, located on 24th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, across from The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

- Yanina Carter Entertainment Editor

This year, 12 filmmakers showcased their work, from shorts to feature films, according to Larry Smallwood, Director of PhilaFilm. "Because we lost three key jurors, who have been with us from day one (Mark Anthony (Chico) King III, Co-Director and Co-founder of the Festival and Chairman of the Juror Panel; Juror Lee Moses and Paul Pesko), it was a challenging year. Chico was the driving force behind the jurors' participation and was instrumental in designing and organizing the jurors' panel." Larry added, "He is definitely missed." Awards will be announced next week. Plans for next year's 50th Anniversary celebration are already underway. Larry concluded by saying, "I want to give special thanks to Dr. Kenneth Dosssar, PhD., Brazilian Film Curator; Jurors Jon Craig and Rick Lombardo; the entire staff at PhilaFilm who are committed to our mission; and those filmmakers who aren't afraid to make their dreams a reality. But most importantly, a huge thank you to ABC, WPVI-TV 6abc, our sponsors, and supporters who believe in and support independent cinema and artists.