Cinequest isn't your average film festival. While it screens films like all the rest, its devotion to spreading the world about cutting-edge technology—and its history of being an early adopter of those technologies itself—means it tends to leave other festivals in the dust, at least when it comes to once lesser-known ideas like online distribution and digital projection. MM spoke with director and co-founder Halfdan Hussey about Cinequest's evolving mission and some of the highlights of this year's fest, which kicks off next Tuesday, February 28th.

The first annual Woods Hole Film Festival, held in 1991 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, consisted of five films shown in one trailer over the course of a single day. The 20th annual Woods Hole Film Festival takes place from July 30th to August 6th and includes numerous events for the large number of moviemakers and industry professionals who attend the festival.

Editing a narrative feature is difficult enough. The logistics of it have the potential to be frustrating--the clips aren't labelled well enough, so you can't find that one shot you really like, and when you do find it, you can't use it because Character A's hair isn't the same as in the rest of the scene. There's a dinner scene where Character B's eyeline is off, but you can't cut it because then the rhythm gets thrown off and Character B's confession to Character C in the third act makes no sense whatsoever. By the end of dealing with all the footage you have to, somehow, end up with a movie. Well, imagine editing a movie with no script, a movie where you didn't even know what sort of footage you'd be getting because it's all user-submitted. And that footage? Imagine there being 4,500 hours of it. Those were some of the challenges faced by Joe Walker, editor of Life in a Day.

The Asbury Short Film Show of New York celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special July 21st short film show and jazz concert at Washington Park in Brooklyn, New York.

I just returned from Serbia, where my husband, MM Publisher Tim Rhys, and I attended a strange and fascinating film festival at the home and “personal village” of famed Serbian auteur moviemaker, musician and actor, Emir Kusturica, deep in the mountains of the Mokra Gora region near Bosnia.

Established in 2001, Salt Lake City's X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival has become one of the few viable outlets for extreme sports moviemaking.

One of the largest film fests in Canada, the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is dedicated to honoring burgeoning moviemakers from around the world who possess an undying passion for their craft.

Angelus Student Film Festival director Monika Moreno discusses the past, present and future of the festival here with MovieMaker.

Judging from the poster for the upcoming Royal Flush Festival in New York City, kicking off today, audiences are in for one crazy festival!

Horror fans may have a new destination for an early Halloween this year. From October 9-11, the Freak Show Horror Film Festival will take place at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Florida.

Now in its 32nd year, the Mill Valley Film Festival is dedicated to screening the best in independent and world cinema.

The Doorpost Film Project truly is unique in the world of short film festivals. It receives hundreds of submissions, and from those selects 10 finalists. Here’s the good part: The finalists then receive a $30,000 budget to create a new film. The winner of this championship round receives a $100,000 cash prize.

But, as moviemaker Brent McCorkle knows, Doorpost isn’t all about the money: It’s also about the support and encouragement you receive, both from the contest staff and fellow moviemakers. McCorkle, whose short film The Rift made it to the top 10, took the time to answer some of MovieMaker’s questions about his film and the festival.

The Downtown Film Festival - Los Angeles has become a vital part of the film scene in the historic center of L.A. The festival seeks to emphasize the area’s cinematic roots by bringing a wide variety of films, both shorts and feature-length, to downtown Los Angeles.

When uttered in the same breath, the words "science" and "cinema" will more often than not elicit images of light saber swordplay, viscous green creatures and wildly inconceivable viruses. However, Imagine Science Film Festival director and founder Alexis Gambis has his own notions about the unique combination, potentially explosive for both scientists and moviemakers alike.

Although Montreal may not stir vivid associations with laugh out loud humor or direct connections to comedy's finest, it is home to Just For Laughs, the city's very own 27-year-old international comedy festival.

Technologies are changing and careers are shifting in the entertainment business, but one thing that has remained constant for 14 years is the Digital Video Expo.

The world's largest student film festival, Campus MovieFest (CMF) began only eight years ago when four students at Emory University provided their peers with everything they needed—including camcorders and Apple laptops—to make a movie in one week.

While many film festivals might occasionally screen war-themed movies, the GI Film Festival is the only fest dedicated exclusively to honoring America's courageous, selfless troops through the power of cinema.

When one thinks of towns in the United States known for their international flair and diversity, Syracuse, New York is probably not high up on the list. But when it comes to film festivals at least, it should really be one of the first noted.

"Not just a film festival." Thus reads the slogan of Philadelphia-based organization Project Twenty1. To be sure, this isn't some ill-defined, flighty boast about how they offer moviemakers "so much more than the average festival" (although they might) through networking and parties, etc., etc. The group is literally more than just a film festival.

Baseball isn’t the only thing returning to Boston this month. Just days after the Red Sox swing into action at Fenway, the Independent Film Festival of Boston will host its seventh annual event.

Stony Brook Film Festival director Alan Inkles is the type of excitable character who can take a simple, 15-word question and talk it into an 1800-word filibuster. In fact, that's exactly what happened when MM spoke with him in February.

In 2003, Martin Rhodes knew the world of video production was significantly changing. That's why he created the DV Awards, an international competition awarding video producers of all kinds for excellence in digital video recording and editing.

Looking to get away from the hectic vibe of Sundance and find a relaxing oasis conveniently located right on Park City’s Main Street? If so, Queer Lounge, a moviemaker-friendly space for both gay and gay-friendly festival-goers, might be just what you need. A program of GLAAD, the Queer Lounge made its Sundance debut in 2004 and, ever since, has featured an impressive array of renowned guest speakers and provided an informal forum for stimulating movie-making conversation.

What began 12 years ago in the basement of a little movie theater in Center City Philadelphia with a group of indie moviemakers scrounging up every big screen TV and movie projector they could find has become one of the most revolutionary film festivals in the country. With more than 400 projects shown to date, an audience of more than 10,000 and two separate bi-coastal events (one in Philadelphia and the other in California) being held annually since then, the FirstGlance Film Festival has come a long way from its humble basement beginnings.

For the last 30 years Mill Valley, California has welcomed moviemakers and audiences with open arms to its annual 11-day film festival. The long-running and well-loved event sells more than 40,000 tickets and attracts more than 200 international moviemakers each year. Hosted by the California Film Institute, the Mill Valley Film Festival focuses on featuring films that have yet to secure U.S. distribution.

Watch out, Midwest: A new festival is coming. It may sound a bit familiar though, for this new fest, the Kansas City FilmFest, is actually a joint effort of two former Missouri-based ones: KC Jubilee Film Festival and FilmFestKC. MM had the chance to ask festival president Fred Andrews a few questions about the new event, discussing both the issues and advantages that come along with re-creating a festival.

Moviemakers with heart, take note: The Angelus Student Film Festival is awaiting your next film. The 2008 festival, which will be held Sept. 13 at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Hollywood, honors future moviemakers as they create works that respect the dignity and complexity of the human condition. And after 12 years honoring the inspiring works of student moviemakers, Angelus has expanded to include an accomplished jury for their documentary competition.

While no one can say that Hollywood isn’t a great place to be as a moviemaker, with its star power and extensive history, it’s not necessarily the only place to be. In fact, in the past few decades, the thriving film community of Wilmington, North Carolina has been giving Hollywood a run for its money. There may not be a Grauman’s Chinese Theater or Walk of Fame, yet what Wilmington lacks in legendry it makes up in its hunger for independent moviemaking.

From Friday, June 27th through Sunday, June 29th, the moviemakers of Wilmington will be satiated when the inaugural Wilmington Inside the Film Industry Film Conference brings a chunk of Hollywood to the east coast.

He may be the world's best-known film critic, but the movies that Roger Ebert is most interested in celebrating at his annual Ebertfest are far from household titles. In fact, "overlooked" is the adjective Ebert himself would use to describe these films, which make up the program of the five-day fest, which kicks off on April 23rd at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, Illinois.

With plans to celebrate its eighth birthday April 3-10, 2008, the organizers of the Phoenix Film Festival must be proud of their young fest. In the eight short years since the event began, it has become the largest film festival in Arizona, a state with a burgeoning cinema scene.

Still trying to plan the perfect Valentine's Day? Whether you've got a special someone to spend it with—or are still on the lookout—Miami-area residents have a unique opportunity to turn the typical "dinner and a movie" date into something much more with the Romance in a Can Film Festival. Now in its second year, the Romance in a Can Film Festival puts a unique spin on the "genre fest" that we've seen so often with horror, sci-fi and comedy. Though based in Miami, Romance in a Can is a truly international event. Kicking off on February 10th, the festival will screen features from all over the world—including France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Finland and the gold old U. S. of A.

When it comes to truly independent moviemaking, few studios have been doing it longer—or better—than New York City-based Troma Entertainment. So it's not surprising that the folks at Troma have been bringing more movies to the people in the form of the TromaDance Film Festival, an eight-day celebration of the wicked, weird and hysterically funny, happening in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah this January 18 - 25th.

When it comes to Halloween in New York City, there are certain spine-tingling traditions that don't change, including the New York City Horror Film Festival, which will celebrate its sixth year when it kicks off a five-day event on October 24th.