Pittsburgh Screens & Scenes: Film Highlights
Pittsburgh Video Production’s film ecosystem has been humming these past two weeks. Festival season ignited with the disability-focused ReelAbilities program, student filmmakers prepared to take over Point Park’s stages, a new Roberto Clemente documentary readied its hometown premiere, and the heist thriller How to Rob a Bank kept downtown streets buzzing with stunt work and extras calls. Add repertory screenings at the Harris Theater and a free industry-wide networking night, and the picture that emerges is of a city where Hollywood-scale shoots and community-driven events comfortably share the marquee.
ReelAbilities Opens the Fall Festival Slate
Film Pittsburgh’s 13th ReelAbilities festival ran in-person Sep 4-6—and continues online through Sep 11—showcasing five features and a dozen shorts that explore disability experiences. Opening night brought the Pittsburgh premiere of Color Book, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaking team and newly appointed Film Pittsburgh executive director Shanna Carrick.
Rising Voices: Steel City High School Film Festival
Next up, Point Park University hosts the inaugural Steel City High School Film & Animation Festival on Sep 12-13. The weekend pairs workshops like “Film Fests 101” with juried screenings and awards, giving regional teens a professional platform and networking boost.
Hometown Hero on the Big Screen
Documentary feature Clemente—fresh off a banner festival run—gets its Pittsburgh premiere at the Byham Theater on Sep 13, timed just ahead of MLB’s Roberto Clemente Day. Produced by Vinegar Hill Film and the Clemente Museum, the screening includes a limited-edition poster and VIP balcony option for die-hard fans.
Art-House Spotlights at Harris Theater
Downtown’s Harris Theater continued its repertory streak with Boys Go to Jupiter playing a full week, Sep 5-11, alongside encore runs of Highest 2 Lowest shorts. The venue will roll immediately into a second engagement of Clemente starting Sep 12, underscoring the Cultural Trust’s commitment to independent cinema.
Crew Connect & 48-Hour Collab
The grass-roots PGH Crew Connect mixer returned Sep 9 at Pittsburgh Winery, offering free admission to cast, crew, and would-be filmmakers; this edition is cross-promoted by the 48 Hour Film Project, which mounts its horror sprint later this month. Organizers bill the evening as an “all ages, union-and-non-union” networking catalyst.
Cameras Rolling: How to Rob a Bank
Amazon MGM’s heist thriller remained the city’s headline production, issuing fresh extras calls and prepping another round of road closures for Sep 12-19 as it stages pyrotechnic sequences downtown. The David Leitch–directed project, starring Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz, has been in principal photography here since June and is slated to wrap later this month.
Casting & Career Opportunities
Local momentum isn’t limited to blockbusters: the Pittsburgh Film Office posted a new paid casting notice on Sep 4 for the short Beneath the Rust, while its job board lists openings for PAs and drivers on smaller shoots. The steady stream of postings underscores why industry pros increasingly peg “Hollywood East” as a year-round production hub.
Closing Frame
From inclusive festivals and student showcases to major-studio chase scenes, early September proved that Pittsburgh’s screen culture thrives at every scale. As summer gives way to award-season chatter—and with November’s Three Rivers Film Festival already on the horizon—the city continues to balance marquee productions with home-grown creativity, all underpinned by a supportive film office and an audience eager for the next showing.
