It is the only independent film festival of its kind in Northern Indiana and boasts of more than 30 films from the local area, the Midwest, and beyond including New York, California, Spain, Japan and Canada.

The festival kicks off on Friday night with assorted short films along with two highlighted films, "Shrinks" and "Nightlight." "Shrinks" is a short comedy from New York about mental health which involve five shrinks and one very neurotic patient.

"Nightlight" is an experimental film, shot in Illinois, about students at a conservative college who enter into party conversation dealing with change, marriage, religion and alcohol.

Saturday's line up includes several international films from Spain and Japan, along with subtitles. There will be three filmmaking sessions throughout the day starting with Tom Joachim, a Hollywood screenwriter with 30 years of experience, who goes over the fundamentals of good scriptwriting in the Screenwriting Workshop at 10 a.m. Directors who have films in this year's festival will talk of their filmmaking experiences and field questions from the audience about the filmmaking process at the 2 p.m. Directors Panel Workshop.

At 4:30 p.m., find out what it takes to make special effects at the Film Effects for the Low-Budget Film Workshop. Workshops are included in the festival admission fee and last 75 minutes. Attendees must sign up for the sessions of their choice at the festival. Seating is limited.

The festival will conclude Saturday night with "A Thousand Words: Bloodline." Filmed in Ohio, this is the story of a voyeuristic serial killer and the love that emerges for his son as the son tries to win the heart of another boy's girl. Toronto filmmakers, Brett and Jason Butler, return with their feature, "Bums" a film that follows six friends as their relationships blur together to produce love, laughs, and a loose cannon.

Tickets for the festival will be sold starting at 6 p.m. Friday night. Cost is $5 for each time slot, $10 for all day Saturday, or $15 for an all weekend pass. Tickets can be purchased at the door and are not available in advance. There will be a one-hour break for lunch and dinner on Saturday. Time slots are as follows:

Friday: 7 – 11 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; 2 – 6 p.m.; 7 – 11 p.m.

Please visit our website at http://www.ivff.net for the complete list of film selections. The film schedule and detailed information on our different workshops will be available online several weeks before the festival opens.