Over 3,000 people are expected to attend the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City this year.
From Feb. 8-11, the historic Boulder Theater will screen over 100 short films created by students, hobbyists, indie filmmakers, and industry professionals.
Lee Lanier, who co-founded the festival 13 years ago with his wife Anita, has been in the short film business since 1989.
"There's less risk involved," he said while comparing short films to feature-length pictures. He added that there's less pressure to recoup the production costs of shorter movies, allowing for more creativity.
DSFF touts itself as the largest film festival in Nevada, which Lanier attributes to a slow and steady growth. Last year's "Best of Fest" presentation had a sold-out crowd of 400 people.
DSFF's growth follows a worldwide trend as film festivals gain traction among audiences. In 2013, there were about 3,000 active festivals, 75 percent of which were created in the past ten years.
So why the surge in popularity? Lanier thinks that with so much available content online, audiences look towards film festivals to find the good stuff.
"We act as curators for the community," said Lanier.
The Dam Short Film Festival is divided into 22 thematic programs that range from horror, drama, comedy, documentaries, international, and more. Tickets are $9 for an individual program, and a four-day pass is available for $100. Visit http://www.damshortfilm.org for more information.
