The Spirit of ’76 connects three generations of Americans separated by 80 years. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Second World War each reshaped the nation and the world around it. Across those different eras, ordinary citizens faced extraordinary challenges—enduring hardship, confronting division, fighting for freedom, and risking everything for an uncertain future. Their stories reveal a recurring American experience: that every generation is called upon to sacrifice, endure, and shape the nation. Now, 80 years after World War II, the time comes yet again to redefine what the country stands for.

Director: Mark Frederick, Altoona PA
Documentary | Runtime: 2:59

When his unyielding farm is threatened with closure, a frustrated young farmer presses on in silence, tending a field cursed with weeds and rocks. As ignored phone calls and unanswered messages from his father mount, he realizes that, like the soil he works, his own resentment and hardened heart must break if either the land--or he himself--is to flourish.

Director: David M. Tan, NY
Drama | Runtime: 6:08

Adapted for the Screen from the Autobiography of Daniel Croft, Narrated by Charles T. Cromwell.

This is the lost documentary of famed 1970s adventurer, Daniel Croft. Unfortunately, the docudrama never aired due to budget constraints, media issues, and overall stupidity. For the first time ever, this film is finally being released.

Director: Garry Michael Price, Geneva NY
Action/Adventure | Runtime: 19:47

An argument between two sisters is interrupted by the end of the world.

Director: Joey Tangradi
Student Narrative | Runtime: 9:28

Two college coeds break into the long abandoned Bishop's Barbershop for a night of fun. However they soon find out they are not alone.

Director: Christopher Kelly, Douglasville, GA
Thriller/Horror | Runtime: 11:01

Content Advisory: May not be suitable for younger audiences. Contains sexually explicit language and violent situations

When he oversleeps, Murphy finds an array of obstacles in his way as he races to an important rendezvous.

Director Rich Drees
Comedy | Runtime: 7:15

Based on a true story set in Pittsburgh in 1973, a nine-year-old visits with his businessman grandfather to show him a Hall-of-Famer’s autograph on his baseball glove, but the pleasant visit takes a real-world turn when the boy leaves without his glove and returns unexpectedly.

Director: Michael C. Ivey, VA
Drama | Runtime: 11:24

Professors AnaLu MacVean and Emily Rund designed a cross-disciplinary collaborative project for their students: create a film about invasive plant species in the local York, PA community.

This film is a combination of the four student group projects combined with testimony from Aaron Jacobs, who helped guide the Rotary Club of York in the removal and replacing of invasive Bradford Pear trees in the downtown City of York, Pennsylvania.

Submitted by: Emily Rund, York PA
Student Documentary | Runtime: 14:19

A girl scout. A landscaper. A bloody old man emerging from the woods. Not everyone in this story is who they appear to be.

Director: Reilly McKay, Ligonier PA
Thriller/Horror | Runtime: 8:19

Losing the only person who shared the same passion for the camera, Kyle Washington struggles to navigate his creative side after the death of his father. Dealing with grief, unmotivation, and the lack of faith doesn't help when Kyle is assigned a year-long transformation project that requires him to think outside the box. While grappling with how he would go about the project, he meets spunky and bold Janice. A girl who not only loves the camera but also loves being in front of it. After using Janice as a muse, he rediscovers his love for photography, and their bond starts to go beyond friendship.

Director: Anaya Milligan, Pasadena, CA
Student Narrative | Runtime: 13:05

Director: Elle C Dalby, Altoona PA
Action/Adventure | Runtime: 1:50

A stop motion following exploring chronic pain and depicting it in an artistic way.

Director: Brooke Lynn Dalby
Student Experimental | Runtime: 1:22

When coal mining drains their beloved lake, a grieving rural community begins a decades-long fight to reclaim what was lost, or redefine what remains, before their park’s legacy fades into mud and memory.

Director: Lindsey Aranson, PA
Documentary | Runtime: 16:02

A failed cryptid hunter searches for something sad and impossible within the hemlock forests of Pennsylvania as he tracks down the most elusive cryptozoological creature: the Squonk. His journey takes an expected turn as he continues to find nothing.

Director: Joe Conniff, Pittsburgh, PA
Comedy | Runtime: 13:52

Rising actress Blake Williams turns to Muse, an emotion enhancing drug, to fuel the performance of a lifetime. As she delivers incredible performances, the line between reality and synthetic emotions begins to blur. When the final scene calls for perfection, she must make a choice between artistic greatness and the last fragments of her authentic self.

Director: Rachel Traub, Philadelphia, PA
Student Narrative: 18:00

Content Advisory: Contains depictions of drug use, strong social themes, and flashing light sequences that may not be suitable for all audiences

A memorial honoring two Revolutionary War soldiers is located on a farm field along “Indian Lane” in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Private Thomas Van Doran and Corporal Jacob Shadecre were killed in action on July 24, 1778 in an engagement with five American Indians and were buried at the monument's location.

Director: Pablo Lopez, State College PA
Documentary | Runtime: 18:00

A troubled engineer suspects his wife of infidelity after learning he's sterile, spiraling into paranoia and revenge. As his plan unfolds, he discovers she may be playing her own deadly game. Trust and deception become a game of survival.

Director: Shante "2Cool" Jefferson
Thriller/ Horror | Runtime: 20:00

Content Advisory: Contains mature themes, sexual content, strong language, and graphic violence. May not be suitable for younger audiences.

After spending 52 years of a life sentence, Irvin Moore was released and is now adapting to his new life and pursuing his college degree at Penn State while approaching 80 years of age.

Director: Mo Marie Almo, PA
Documentary | Runtime: 11:51