Excerpts from the Film Factory event on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Purnell Center on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University.

This event consisted of staged readings of short screenplays by the 10 semifinalists that were chosen by Steeltown's esteemed list of judges and advisers in the entertainment industry.

Screenplays were stage read by the sophmore actors enrolled in the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, under the direction of Joe Coyle, and adjuct faculty member of CMU's drama department. Each reading was followed by a critique and feedback session by a panel of Steeltown advisors that included Bernie Goldmann (Producer "300"), Asher Garfinkel (founder Reader's Unlimited), Minette Seate, Senior (Senior Producer at WQED Pittsburgh), and Laura Harkcom, (Producer "The Lost Room"). The panel was moderated by Steeltown Entertainment Project's Executive Producer Carl Kurlander (Screenwriter, "St. Elmo's Fire). Panelists for the kickoff event included, Geoffrey Fletcher

Steeltown Film Factory (SFF) is a yearlong filmmaking competition, supported by a series of public workshops, panel discussions and staged readings, designed to engage aspiring filmmakers to create projects with Pittsburgh-inspired content. The competition will provide emerging talent with an opportunity to learn from internationally renowned film and television professionals about the entertainment industry. A successful SFF will lead to the training and employment of the local workforce, the incubation of talent and intellectual property, and the nurturing and development of future projects that can be spun off into commercially viable entities. These entities will create jobs, investment opportunities, and products that will be exported by our region. By bringing together local and expatriate resources in Southwestern Pennsylvania (SWPA), the SFF will help to transform this region's non-profit "Arts Sector" into a thriving "Entertainment Economy."

For more information on Film Factory, please visit
steeltownfilmfactory.org