I love film festivals - seeing new films, the excitement of talent and years of hard work recognized! This weekened, the Trimedia Film Festival will take place in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado. Held from September 5-7, 2008, the Trimedia Film Festival is Northern Colorado's premiere showcase for independent film, tv, and theatre.

I was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Carol Van Natta, the Trimedia Festival Co-Director, and President of Horsetooth Productions. Here's what she had to say...

WE: Please tell us about the Trimedia Film Festival...

CVA: The TriMedia Film Festival is Northern Colorado's premiere festival for film, TV, and theatre, and is held the weekend after Labor Day, Sept. 5-7, 2008. We're the only festival in the U.S. that shows independent film, TV pilots & specials, and original theatre performances in the same festival. Our audiences get the chance to meet a lot of the artists behind the entries over the three days of the festival. We are also distinguished by a PG-13 rating limit for our entries, which came out of community feedback, consideration of our sponsors, and the notion that PG-13 doesn't limit dangerous, edgy, and provocative work. We've since been thanked by people with films that were rejected by other festivals as being 'too nice.'

WE: What is the history of the festival?

CVA: The TriMedia Film Festival idea was started in 2005 based on an upswell of interest by various community groups. Horsetooth Productions, an educational nonprofit for film, TV, and theatre, was approached by several different groups with an idea for a film festival, and they thought Horsetooth Productions was the logical organization to lead the charge. With help from everyone, the first festival was held in 2006.

The second festival was Sept. 2007, and we increased attendance and artist participation by around 50-70%. We've expanded to 5 venues this year, all in historic and charming Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado.

WE: What are the highlights for this year?

CVA: Our opening premiere film on Friday, Sept. 5 is 'Coyote,' a fast-paced action-thriller about two guys who start the 'kinder, gentler people smuggling business,' but discover there's a price to be paid for crossing the line. We're pleased to welcome 7 people from this production as our VIP guests, including actor/writer/director Brian Petersen and producer Chris Wyatt, who were also part of the production team for the hit comedy, 'Napoleon Dynamite.' Saturday features something for everyone, including a Family Fun Fest for families with younger kids, world premiere one-act plays, a paired documentary and Dateline NBC episode that resulted in the reopening of an unsolved murder case and the subsequent conviction of four people for murder, and the world premiere Small Dark Places, a short film by a U.K. filmmaker who is coming all the way from London to be at our festival. On Sunday, the morning starts with the Film/TV/Theatre Professionals panel, in which audience members get to ask questions of actors, writers, producers and industry professionals, followed by the Emerging Talent Student Films section,

WE: Where can people go to find out more about Fort Collins - accommodations, food, etc.?

CVA: Our Web site has some information on coming to Fort Collins and attending the festival, and our friends at the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau have even more information. There are hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts to stay at, and a ton of restaurants for every taste and budget (especially in Old Town, where the festival venues are located).

WE: How can people give back, when they go? Are there opportunities to help, or small businesses to support?

CVA: We've had several volunteers from out of town who sign up in advance and schedule their vacations to coincide with the festival. The festival is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, which we encourage our audiences to buy from the businesses that support our festival.

WE: How are films, shows, and plays selected for the festival?

CVA: Each year, we hold a call for entries in the festival, and writers, filmmakers, and producers send us their work. Entries are sent to a community-based group of screeners who fill out evaluation forms on each entry. Those that make it past the screening process go to the Programming Committee, who pull together the festival program based on available time slots, venue size, complementarity, artist availability, and audience appeal.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

CVA: We love the chance to meet the artists behind the work because each one has a unique path that has brought them to our festival. And we love sharing our favorite entries with our audiences, and seeing their responses to our choices.

WE: Thanks so much, Carol! The events that you have planned are just incredible. Good luck!