POLSON - It’s a special treat for movie lovers in Lake County this weekend as the 11th annual Flathead Lake International Cinemafest kicks off on Friday.
The event runs from Feb. 24 to Feb. 26 and features more than 40 films at Polson’s newly renovated movie theater on Main Street.
Films have a way of making the viewer feel an array of emotions, from happy, to sad, scared and shocked, those emotions will be on full display this weekend.
“Yeah, we laughed, we cried, we went through a whole range of emotions when we were judging and then scheduling the festival, we tried to do it in such a way that we don’t take you from the highest high to the lowest low, but give you a little bit of everything,” said event producer Jessica King.
That will be easy with 46 films being shown throughout the weekend at Showboat Stadium Six in downtown Polson, with screenings starting Friday night.
“Everything from shorts, to features, documentaries, narrative films, we have a few animations this year, so there really is something for everyone, no two films are even close to the same,” said King.
King said 11 of the films were made in Montana while others come from different countries around the world including Chile and Argentina.
“So, it’s really fun to see how different countries tell stories too,” added King.
Showboat Stadium 6 Theater Manager James Bauer said the event is a special treat for movie lovers in Lake County.
“It’s a great thing to do and it’s such a small community, so it’s a nice thing to have in this area, it’s unique for here.”
Bauer said directors of select films often stay to give question-and-answer sessions with the audience after their film screens.
“The customers and the people that come in to see the films, how excited they’re to be here and the energy in here is just completely different than any other night,” said Bauer.
King hopes the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest helps inspire the next generation of filmmakers in Polson.
“And yeah, hopefully, there are kids in our community who say oh wait they did that from a small town, so I can do it too.”
More information on the festival can be found here.
