Every year around this time, in the weeks leading up to the McMinnville Short Film Festival, I find myself telling people about the terrific films I’ve been watching to prep for covering the event.

The question I’m asked repeatedly: “So how can I see these movies?”

As press, I enjoy the privilege of early access, but typically my brain jumps to the usual suspects: “Well, so-and-so has theirs on YouTube, I think,” and “You might find that one on Vimeo,” and “Look for such-and-such on their website.” Only afterward do I realize that the obvious and correct answer is: “Go to the festival, it’s literally a few minutes from your house.”

So sure, at some point all 107 films in the 14th annual festival probably will be available somewhere to watch online in the privacy of your home — some already are, in fact. But it’s not just blockbusters that are intended to be seen in theaters on big screens. There are short films this year, some just four or five minutes long, that also look awesome on a big screen, and that’s where film festivals come in.

Even so, the question points to a paradox. Unlike Captain America: Brave New World, these short films typically do not enjoy the advantage of a theatrical run.

“This is an excellent question,” said Heather Older, who in her third year as the festival’s executive director has assembled a festival that is bigger (it’s four days, up from three) and more glamorous (looking at you, Anuja, an Oscar-nominated short about child labor in India with an ending that will astonish you).

“The fact is that the general public doesn’t have an avenue to watch these films,” she went on. “Sure, some may show up on YouTube or another streaming service, but to some extent, independent and short films do not have widespread distribution deals. That is why supporting film festivals is so important! Film festivals like MSFF provide access to these films and to independent storytellers and voices from around the world.”

Sponsor

The festival starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at McMinnville Cinema 10 with a Native American film block. A couple of hours later, the environmental category gets its few minutes of fame. A mid-afternoon panel on how to include animation in live-action films and a filmmaker mixer (open to the public) is followed that evening with blocks for animation and “experimental” films at 6 and 9 p.m. respectively.

Ten more blocks will be screened over the next three days, Friday through Sunday, featuring films by college students, local filmmakers, documentaries, horror, and drama/comedy. The 107 films arrive from 15 countries and include 18 world premieres, six United States premieres, 31 Pacific Northwest premieres, and 27 Oregon premieres.

Film blocks are typically about 90 minutes and include an assortment of films running from a few minutes to nearly 30 minutes. They’re always followed by a talk-back with the filmmakers themselves, and increasingly, many are in attendance and enjoy hearing from people who just watched their work.

The festival has struggled over the years to get the word out to locals. This event is designed support indie filmmakers — how virtually all filmmakers start — but it is also for you to enjoy. It appears the festival has finally turned that corner. Older said that last year, for the first time, several screenings sold out.

“We’ve definitely accelerated the last few years,” said Older, who got her start with the festival as a filmmaker herself. “This year, we had the most submissions we’ve ever seen, so I’m really excited to see the numbers for this year’s festival.”

The festival markets itself as being very filmmaker-friendly (a few events, such as workshops, are scheduled strictly for those whose films are being screened), and I’ve never had a director tell me otherwise. Along with marching up in front of the audience to take questions after a screening, filmmakers also regard it as a terrific networking event that can lead to future collaborations.

One filmmaker who will be on hand this year is Gregory J.M. Kasunich, who wrote The Heart of Texas with Lauren Noll, who also stars in the barely 15-minute story. Noll plays Janie Mae, an aspiring country singer stuck in a paycheck-to-paycheck life whose life-changing break collides brutally with the dreams of Jesús (played by Carlos Moreno Cravioto), an undocumented worker she knows. She faces an excruciating choice, and Noll is brilliant in the role.

Sponsor

Kasunich and Noll made the film a few years ago because they were angry about the treatment and demonization of undocumented workers. He’s worked with some of the big dogs in the entertainment industry — Lucasfilm, Disney, Netflix, Marvel, DreamWorks Animation, and even Taylor Swift — but The Heart of Texas showcases what a film artist can do when they have complete creative control.

But along with the control comes the responsibility to get it out there in the world, which is what he’s doing, bringing it to events like the McMinnville Short Film Festival.

“We’ve been in 50 or 60 festivals, which has been really, really incredible,” he told me. “We’ve taken it all over the world and been very fortunate that we’ve won in about half those festivals; I think we have more than 25 wins under our belt.”

I told Kasunich I loved his film but at first found myself frustrated by the ending, which I won’t reveal here. It turns out that bringing The Heart of Texas to McMinnville is part of his larger vision for the film — turning it into a full-length feature, which would at least give it a shot at a theatrical run.

“We’re working hard on a draft and trying to get financiers and production partners and all that,” he said. “I personally have never had massive success in finding financiers at film festivals, but I’m told they’re there, and you know, a conversation can always lead to another that leads to, you know, getting your movie made.”

The Heart of Texas will be screened Saturday, March 1, in the drama/comedy block that begins at 12:30 p.m. at McMinnville Cinema. It’s one of eight films in that block, along with another immigration-themed title: American Daydream, a 15-minute film written and directed by Ziyu Luo.

This year’s speakers include Sandrine Faucher Cassidy, a producer who has served on the Tribeca Film Festival screening committee since 2015, Ellie Foumbi, an award-winning Cameroonian American filmmaker who was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine, and R.J. Daniel Hanna, an Irish/Canadian/Arkansan filmmaker who made the indie Hard Miles with Matthew Modine and Sean Astin.

Sponsor

The McMinnville Short Film Festival runs Feb. 27 through March 2, concluding with an awards luncheon (a ticketed event) at 2 p.m. in The Bindery in downtown McMinnville. All-access passes are $120, daily passes are $40, and tickets to attend a single block are $10. Tickets may be purchased through the website, where you’ll find complete schedules, descriptions of films, and much more.