Pass the Canvas, directed by Samuel Karow

The Downtown Budget Cinema will be hosting the Chippewa Valley Film Festival, which will feature top-notch short films (20 minutes long or less) from local moviemakers (including students from Eau Claire elementary schools and UW-Stout) as well as directors from around the country and the world (including the Netherlands, Iran, and India). These films were carefully selected from more than 900 submissions the festival received, which ranged from documentaries and dramas to animated features and comedic clips. The event is laid out in two programs, with a small break in between for a Q&A session with the filmmakers in attendance. After the showings, audience members will have the chance to meet and talk to the filmmakers about their movies and ask more questions. Short films are a unique and complex way of discussing a variety of deep topics and themes in a very short amount of time. They do everything that full-blown feature films do – develop characters and provide a plot, conflict, and resolution – with less money, resources, and time. This festival will be the perfect chance to see outstanding creative talent and hear new ideas from people around the world, all from the comfort of a cozy movie theater seat right here in Eau Claire.

Chippewa Valley Film Festival • April 23, 7pm (doors at 6pm) • Micon Cinemas Downtown, 315 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire • tickets available at miconcinemas.com