POINT ARENA, CA., 11/1/24 – Love short films? Normally the only time one can see shorts in a theater is at a film festival. Lucky you! The second annual Arena Theater Short Film Festival heads into town Nov. 8-10. The festival showcases films across six categories, ranging from “shorts from afar,” highlighting international films, to “close to home,” films produced by local filmmakers and shot in Northern California.
The festival takes place at the historic Arena Theater in the heart of downtown Point Arena.
The exact opening date of the Arena is unknown, but theater historians Jean Ohman and Mitch McFarland estimate that the theater originally opened its doors in 1931 as a vaudeville palace. It was restored in 1996 with Art Deco furnishings.
Today, it offers a mix of film events, concerts and screenings. The theater features everything from first-run films and documentaries to art house and classic selections, as well as live telecasts from the Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre.
The eight-member Arena Theater Short Film Festival Committee is responsible for reviewing film submissions and selecting the shorts featured at the festival.
In an interview, committee member Gary Levenson-Palmer said that the group reviewed nearly 300 films to curate this year’s festival. He emphasized that he’s particularly excited about the local films program scheduled for Nov. 8, the festival’s opening night. Following the showing, local filmmakers will talk about their craft and why they chose the themes of their shorts.
“The locals program was for filmmakers who live between Santa Rosa and Eureka. We were trying to get filmmakers who live around us, and there were lots of them, and that was thrilling,” Levenson-Palmer said. He added that the festival helps bring tourism to the area. “The festival is a big draw for the city and for our theater. It lets people from outside our area know more about Point Arena and the Arena Theater.”
Levenson-Palmer added that the Arena Theater is a unique gem and a wonderful addition to the small community. “Point Arena has fewer than 500 people living in it, to think that we have an old theater that’s still in business, and still has first-run movies, is really something,” he said. “One of the reasons I got involved is because having a film festival like that helps people really want to see movies.”
The Arena Theater Short Film Festival begins on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. with its local shorts program. On Saturday, there will be comedy shorts, international shorts, and experimental shorts. The festival ends on Sunday with animal shorts and action shorts, followed by a closing reception.
The second annual Arena Theater Short Film Festival takes place Nov. 8-10 at the Arena Theater in Point Arena. Tickets range from $12-$85. Use the code Shorts24, now through Nov. 4, to take $15 off a three-day festival pass. Learn more and buy tickets at arenatheater.org.