Photo illustration by Juan Villa

The smell of golden popcorn kernels smothered in thick butter encompasses a large room barely lit by a huge screen. This same screen is projecting a film to dozens of eyes eager for the story that is about to unfold.

This nostalgia often associated with “going to the moviesâ€Â is something Fresno Filmworks hopes to keep alive, by hosting its fourth annual film festival this coming weekend.

Fresno Filmworks is a non-profit group committed to bringing a theater that will show independent, experimental and foreign movies to Fresno.

“Film Takes Flightâ€Â is the 2008 festival featuring close to 30 films showcasing six academy award winning shorts and several works made by local film makers, including a couple of Fresno State students, one alumnus and one student preparing to graduate this May.

This year’s festival opens with the French film “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,â€Â a movie that received dozens of major awards worldwide, but failed to make it to Fresno. The film tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the successful editor of French Elle, who believes he is living his life to its fullest when a sudden stroke leaves him in a life-altered state.

Teresa Flores, an art and design major with an emphasis in drawing and painting, is glad to have her film “Hotel Fresnoâ€Â featured this year. “Hotel Fresnoâ€Â marks her second entry for Fresno Filmworks, her first film “Joyâ€Â was featured at last year’s festival.

“I was so excited after having my work featured last year, that I was more than willing to be a part of this experience,â€Â Flores said. “Being a relatively new film maker, festivals like this are great and have cemented my passion for the art of film making and viewing.â€Â

“Hotel Fresnoâ€Â is a visual interpretation of local writer Dixie Salazar’s poem of the same name. Both Salazar and Flores will be attending the festival this weekend. Being a part of the festival and now having made two films has swayed Flores’ original career direction for when she graduates this May.

“I might go to graduate school now and take a few film classes, it’s a great place nowadays that essentially anyone with desire can try making films,â€Â Flores said.

Fresno State alumnus Tyrone HuFF has always had the desire to make films. HuFF said he always loved to write and tell stories and stumbled upon this talent, which led to what is proving to be a very promising career.

“I used to play around with my friends and a video camera in high school, and then I realized this is a way to tell stories like I love, but in a more entertaining and exciting way,â€Â HuFF said.

Since graduating from Fresno State, HuFF has worked on several commericials and is in talks with making his short “Chilesâ€Â into a feature length film. “Chilesâ€Â is his entry for this year’s Fresno Filmworks festival. This short film addresses the issue of interracial relationships.

“I felt interracial relationships, especially marriage is a very hot and controversial issue right now,â€Â HuFF said. “I know because I’m a part of it, my wife and I are not of the same race.â€Â

HuFF really appreciates what Fresno Filmworks is trying to accomplish and is glad something like this exists in Fresno.

“This didn’t exist when I attended State,â€Â HuFF said. “It’s wonderful that now there’s a place for local film makers to express themselves.â€Â