Blink and you'll miss Short Circuit Film Festival

The Short Circuit Invitational Film Series

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, films at 7 p.m., discussions at 8:30 p.m.

Where: Lon Chaney Theater, City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.

Cost: Free; 459-0967 or 661-4119

Films are more than fodder for dates and family outings. They can be fun, but they also can be challenging, artful and provocative.

Local filmmaker Pete Schuermann and three other local filmmakers will try to demonstrate that point with a free quarterly film festival at the City Auditorium starting Wednesday.

The Short Circuit Invitational Film Series is ideal for those with short attention spans. The seven or eight featured films will be short, as in 3-15 minutes in length. Don’t leave to go to the bathroom; you could miss the entire thing.

The four men decided a film festival of this nature would be good for both the community and local filmmakers who haven’t been given their proper due.

“There’s a lot of work being done. I’ve been here for about 20 years, and there has been a surge of appreciation for art, but film has not really grown along with that, in my opinion,” he said.

Schuermann has had success in film. He recently toured the country with different film festivals, promoting his documentary “Haze.”

During that time, he had the opportunity to connect with filmmakers and tell them about the proposed short-film festival.

They, in turn, he said, were more than happy to provide their films.

The films at this festival debut include animated shorts, a romantic comedy and films about tensions in the Middle East from all over the world, including Jerusalem, England, New York City and Los Angeles. One is an Academy Award nominee from last year called “Gone Fishing.”

There will be two locally made films, including a music video from a Cheyenne Mountain High School student and a WWII epic by a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs student.

After the films, there will be a panel discussion with filmmakers. Schuermann will serve as host.