By Scott Beller
Editor, Daddying blog
Sorry for this week's tardy post – technically, it IS still "this week" even though it's Saturday. So, our streak of a gajillion weeks in a row without missing a post lives on! We're late this week but have good reason: we've been busy with activities around the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F)'s final submission deadline and not one, not two, but THREE live D3F events to pull together in May!
We're posting just under the wire to provide you good folks with a quick-hitting, mostly visual recap of Allan's and my recent trip up to Philadelphia, the site of this year's 2nd annual Daddying Film Forum, which has grown from one live event into two thanks mainly to the fact we have received so many amazing feature film Official Selections that one day just wouldn't do.
Day 1 of the 2024 Forum on Friday, May 17, at Philadelphia's Parkway Central Free Library will showcase our virtual D3F winning student films and a special live screening of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award winner for best U.S. documentary and winner for Festival Favorite, Daughters.
On Saturday, May 18, the Forum's marquee and its parade of daddying features and shorts will adorn Philly's iconic Mummers Museum. Just which mix of feature and short films will screen from our list of 40+ indie, student, and dad-created film Official Selections is still TBD based in part on how audience voting goes during the virtual Daddying Film Fest, which runs May 2-9 on Eventive. But whatever films screen on Day 2 of the Forum, one thing is certain: we couldn't have picked a more celebratory and uniquely-Philly backdrop for sharing daddying stories celebrating the importance of involved dads to kids and families.
Allan and I have photos from last week's trip to prove it – enjoy:
Passes to all D3F virtual and live events are FREE and available now by registering on Eventive!
Get ready to be wowed by an outstanding crop of daddying films. In the words of the Mummers describing the Mummers, this year's D3F events promise to be "about celebration, fun, and family," and our film lineup from elementary through undergraduate students, dads/dad figures, and indie filmmakers can be poignant, "musical, satirical or even a little ridiculous, but they are always colorful."
Daddy on!
Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect dad of two mighty girls, imperfect husband of a rock-star mom, truth teller, former soccer coach and current equipment hauler, part-time driving instructor, photobomber, purveyor of banned books, current Mummer recruiting target, Editor of the Daddying blog, and Director of Communications for DCG and D3F. He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 30 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including Fleishman-Hillard and The Weber Group. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He was formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer for the Raising Nerd blog, which supported parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech.
