A still shot from the Wisconsin-made thriller Blame, which will be screened at 8:30pm on Oct. 1. (Submitted photo)

After a year of accepting submissions, the Eau Claire International Film Festival is slated to hit the screens soon, this time with more movies than ever before. The festival was able to max out its venue – the Pablo Center at the Confluence – with a total of 45 films that are set to be screened Friday-Sunday, Oct. 1-3.

Chris Herriges, festival director, said he is extremely grateful for the number of films that are able to see the big screen at this year’s three-day event. “This is a chance to embrace and celebrate what Wisconsin has to offer in cinema,” Herriges said. The festival will debut films in a variety of genres, including narrative, documentary, childrens, and animated films. However, unlike previous years, an underlying theme connects many films: They’re representative of Wisconsin cinema.

A number of films included in this year’s festival come from the great Dairy State, and organizers aim to bring even more Wisconsin pride to the event through a new film genre: music videos – with many of them filmed right here in Eau Claire!

A total of four music videos will be played during the event, one being the world premiere of “I Don’t Want to Wake Up” by local musician Nancy Dawn Olson.

The Eau Claire International Film Festival will run from Oct. 1-3 starting Friday at 3pm and on Saturday and Sunday starting at 10am. Tickets can be bought as one-day ($17) or three-day ($40) passes online at the Eau Claire International Film Festival website at eauclairefilmfest.com.