The 7th annual Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival is happening this Saturday, May 25, at the Brimstone Museum Annex, 900 S. Huntington St., Sulphur.

Each year, the festival shows short films that are three to 30 minutes long from filmmakers across the area, country and  world. This year, the festival itinerary includes short films from Canada and Brazil, in addition to films from several states.

Festival Director Patrick Bennett said that the festival will feature narrative  films, documentaries, animation, music videos and student films, spanning genres like drama, comedy, sci-fi, horror, action and adventure.

Some of the filmmakers will be present at the festival, creating a great space for networking, he said.

The Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival is “spin-off festival” of the Lake Charles Film Festival that only features shorts. It was created due to a high-demand for film-based events in SWLA.

“After the Lake Charles Film Festival had been running for about 5 years, there were many people who had mentioned over the years they didn’t like waiting a whole year until the next festival,” he recalled. “That was the main inspiration behind creating the Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival.”

At the festival, Louisiana indie filmmaker Mitch Laing will give a presentation to discuss his most recent feature film “Sea of Madness” and speak to those interested in indie filmmaking.

Laing was chosen to speak because he is a Louisiana native who produces films with a low budget, which can resonate with aspiring filmmakers, Bennett said.

“He can teach filmmakers how to make films now with the resources they have and how to get it distributed.”

Following his presentation, Laing will host a Q&A.

The Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival is free and open to the public.

All ages are welcome, but the films are not rated and may include violence and adult language and themes. It is recommended that minors be accompanied by an adult.

Film Schedule

The doors for the festival open at 10:45 a.m.

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The first round of short films begin showing at 11 a.m.:

“Death by King Cake”

“I Can’t Stay”

“Bayou Tech”

“Lazarus Cloth”

“Smile Library”

“The System”

“Prescience”

“Urban Street Music”

“Bigfoot Unleashed, Part VII”

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Laing will give his presentation at 12:30 p.m.

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The second round of films will be shown at 1:30 p.m.:

“Freetown Shakeback”

“The Esteemed Priority”

“Collect Call”

“Art Shadow”

“Beacons of Light: Tackling Challenges in Louisiana”

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The third round of films show at 3 p.m.:

“The Day We Visited Earth”

“Polaris”

“American Dream”

“Sticky Fingers”

“Bay for Blood”

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The festival will be closed out with the awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m.