BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Lights, camera, memories.
As a film crew set up in Moravian University's art studio, director Katina Sossiadis, who studied there as an undergrad, thought about her late film professor Rudy Ackerman.
Ackerman, a professor, chairman of the Moravian College Art Department 1963-2002 and executive director of the Baum School of Art, passed away in 2015.
An arts icon, he was just one of the many local professors who inspired Katina Sossiadis and her sister, Koula Sossiadis Kazista.
"Moravian shaped me as an artist," Sossiadis, who graduated from Moravian in 1993, said.
"It was essential to us that we were going to feature Bethlehem, and it was even more surreal being back on campus because I lived in the art department as a student."
For several weeks in July, the siblings filmed their second movie, "Next in Play," on the fields and classrooms of Moravian.
The drama, set to be released next year, focuses on a high school field hockey team at a fictional all-girls boarding school, Boade Academy.
The school is supposed to be rich in history, not unlike Sossiadis' former stomping grounds, founded in 1742.
Scenes also were filmed on the sports fields of Liberty High School and at KOA Campground in Allentown.
A family affair
The siblings' first feature, 2019's "Epiphany," was set in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a love letter to their Greek-American upbringing.
But this new project brings them home, with a local film crew and movie extras — student athletes from Liberty and Freedom high schools, and film majors from Northampton Community College.
“We’ve lived in this community, coached here, raised our kids here. So it’s more than just a location—it’s part of who we are."Koula Sossiadis Kazista, co-director, writer, "The Next Play"
“We’ve lived in this community, coached here, raised our kids here," Sossiadis Kazista, who graduated from Lehigh University in 1995, said of their newest project.
"So it’s more than just a location—it’s part of who we are."
The sisters' children worked on the crew as production assistants, and Sossiadis Kazista's husband's company, Monster Remotes, supplied cameras and lighting for the feature.
"We’ve got our kids running camera, assisting with costumes—it’s a full family affair," Sossiadis Kazista said.
The sisters consulted their daughters, now collegiate athletes, as advisors on everything from teen lingo to wardrobe.
Sossiadis Kazista said they didn't want to assume what teens experience today, so the script was constantly evolving, shaped by younger voices and real-life stories.
Highlighting mental health
"The Next Play" focuses on the growing awareness of the mental toll sports can take on teens — especially girls.
It takes influence from 1989's "Dead Poets Society" — and if the cast were all women.
“We thought, 'Let’s do a sports movie.' And field hockey — it’s what we know,” said Sossiadis Kazista, who coached her daughter on the Nazareth Clippers, a youth-based recreational league serving girls in the Northampton County area.
While the movie follows the typical life of young teens, it diverges by addressing the pressures that youth athletes face.
“We saw it all the time,” Sossiadis Kazista said. “The pressure from parents, from coaches, from peers. The competitiveness is intense. It’s not always about fun anymore.”
Honoring Morgan Rodgers
While writing the script, the sisters found inspiration in the nonprofit Morgan's Message, founded by the family of Morgan Rodgers, a Duke University lacrosse player who died by suicide in 2019.
“We wanted to honor Morgan’s legacy,” Sossiadis Kazista said. “The butterfly motif you’ll see throughout the film comes from her. It’s about transformation. About hope.”
They also partnered with St. Luke’s University Health Network, which supported the film’s mental health messaging.
“We dream that this film could save a life,” Katina Sossiadis said. “That it could open up a conversation or make someone feel seen.”
The project’s production team includes producers Chelsea Neder and Jane Kelly Kosek, who also backed "Epiphany."
Community support
In the pre-production stages, the sisters relied heavily on donations via the film's website.
"The community has been amazing," Sossiadis Kazista said. "We're very grateful. The list is endless with businesses and people involved."
With production wrapping last week, the women are setting their sights on a spring 2026 release and the hope of entering top-tier festivals like Tribeca or Sundance, and of course, a Lehigh Valley debut.
But they aren’t thinking about red carpets just yet.
“Our goal is to make something meaningful,” Katina Sossiadis said.
“Something that feels authentic. Something that helps people— especially young women — feel seen."
