Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will headline the Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival when it returns April 24-26 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

The festival, presented by ArtsQuest, will take place at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas and feature screenings, filmmaker discussions, and an awards ceremony highlighting emerging and established talent from the region and beyond.

Williams, an Easton native and the first African American director to win an Academy Award, will close the festival with a 1 p.m. screening of his Oscar-nominated documentary “Life, Animated” on April 26, followed by a question-and-answer session with attendees.

“Welcoming Roger Ross Williams to the Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmaker Festival is an incredible moment—not just for this event, but for the region’s growing film community,” said Anthony DeSanctis, senior programming manager for cinema at ArtsQuest. “His presence creates a rare opportunity for local filmmakers and audiences alike to engage directly with a visionary artist.”

The festival opens April 24 with a student showcase featuring films created by students from Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. On April 25, the festival will present multiple screening blocks followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers, along with an awards ceremony recognizing categories such as Best Director, Best Performance, and Best Editing.

That evening, the festival will also screen “Checkpoint Zoo,” a documentary directed by Lehigh University alum Joshua Zeman, which follows a rescue effort to save thousands of animals during the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Williams’ work has earned widespread recognition, including an Academy Award for “Music By Prudence” and critical acclaim for “Life, Animated,” which tells the story of a young man who learned to communicate through Disney films. His production company has produced a range of documentary and scripted projects for major platforms, including Netflix, Apple TV+, and Disney.

Tickets and a full schedule of festival films are available through ArtsQuest’s website.