The weekend of June 8, the historic Mauch Chunk Opera House will be transformed into the Mauch Chunk Film House for the first ever Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival.

According to its slogan, the festival promises "Eyes and Minds Wide Open" by channeling "the rebellious spirit of the Molly Maguires, welcoming the boldest, most defiant filmmakers to present their work, shatter convention and incite spirited debate. "Our credo," states the website, "is 'eyes and minds wide open,' and we mean it.""We pride ourselves on being open minded. We are staunch supporters of the First Amendment and we expect to ruffle some local feathers," said co-founder and producer Todd Morris.Morris, along with co-producer and creator Jocelyn O'Neil, recently received a grant from the Lehigh Valley Arts Center for the upcoming summer event."We were flattered because it was the first time we applied, and the support has been truly amazing," O'Neil said.Hailing from Brooklyn, the pair are now Carbon County residents and have more than 20 years in the movie business. O'Neil has worked as an actress, writer and producer, while Morris has a commercial pProducer's award win under his belt, along with more than two decades worth of work.Having written and directed several shorts and two features, Morris is no stranger to the festival circuit, which took him around the world before the couple settled in Jim Thorpe in 2014."We fell in love with the town. I'd come here often in the '90s to get away from the city," Morris said."Joc and I first came here in 2011, and she fell in love with it, too. I always thought to myself this would be the perfect town for a festival. The opera house is a classic venue with so much history."Morris said when he began to tout the idea to locals, everyone was super thrilled."Everyone we meet and talk to says they always thought it would be a great place for a festival.""The opera house is a great old venue to screen contemporary films, and of course Jim Thorpe is the perfect setting for a four-day film party," said Randall Sellers, the venue's director of Development and Marketing.A local book store owner, Sellers said, "We are blessed to have Todd and Jocelyn, who have experience with film festivals, putting JTIFF together. I'm very excited for the festival, and I hope the community will support this new venture."The festival will kick off on a Thursday with screenings to take place throughout the weekend."We will have full days of showings and maybe midnight movies where we screen more gritty, cutting-edge stuff," Morris said. "Keep the kids at home for those," he said with a laugh.The weekend will close with an awards ceremony on Sunday for the filmmakers in various categories, including: best feature, best short, best animation, right up to local hero where a Pennsylvania filmmaker will be recognized."We welcome films of every genre and budget, from gritty underground and experimental fare to 'well-funded' traditional work," boasts the website.The first two rules for filmmakers submitting work are that all entries must be postmarked by April 26, at the latest, (entries received after this date cannot be considered), and that all projects must have been completed after Jan. 1, 2015.The producers encourage filmmakers to submit their works as early as possible, since it will allow more time for consideration, and prevent the risk of missing the deadline.Works in progress will not be considered.The couple's years of experience range from O'Neil's 11 credited acting roles on her resume. She has written and co-produced three short films, the latest, a 2014 work titled "Donor."Morris began his film festival career when he co-wrote and directed "A Gun for Jennifer." The film is a rape and revenge piece starring Deborah Twiss, released in 1997. The plot follows a feminist vigilante group who castrate suspected rapists and batterers while a female police officer attempts to stop them. The movie premiered at the Fantasia Festival in July where it was sold-out an hour before screening."It took three years to finish. That's when everything was still shot on film. In the '90s, it became a cult classic and it took me around the world to 30 film festivals," he said.Filmmakers have already begun to submit their work."We are getting submissions from all over the world," O'Neil said."We are still ironing out the schedule details. The ticket prices still need to be worked out, but the goal is to have an annual event and see it grow," Morris said. "I think it has a lot of potential."The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival is looking to partner with local businesses and individuals to make the inaugural festival a success."We are especially interested in venues for hosting post-screening parties as well as hospitality partners who can provide accommodations for our VIP filmmakers and jury members during the festival."In addition, volunteers are in demand for the event with the festival in need of all ages and abilities. Anyone interested should send inquiries to

info@jimthorpeindiefilmfest.com."JTIFF will boost Jim Thorpe's cultural profile quite significantly, which is great for the town's destination brand and tourism economy. The film festival will help bring our vibrant creative community into focus," said Sellers.For more information on volunteering or film submissions, visit jimthorpeindiefilmfest.com.