FirstGlance Film Festival

Thu.-Sun., Oct. 22-25, various times, $8-$12, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., firstglancefilms.com.

by Josh Middleton

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The FirstGlance Film Festival has come a long way since its films were first shown on a couple of big screens in a Center City basement. Now hyped as one of the nation's premier platforms for aspiring independent filmmakers, this year's fest features a healthy mix of shorts, documentaries and feature-lengths. Opening the festival is Philly-born director Benjamin Pollack's Dark Room Theater, a Twilight Zone-inspired double feature that follows characters through ghoulish situations — just in time for Halloween. The flick that has the most to live up to, though, is Joe Leonard's big-budget How I Got Lost. Starring indie regulars Aaron Stanford and Rosemarie DeWitt, this self-discovery film is about two brothers who get stranded while on a road trip across America. Director Bill Ostroff says FirstGlance, now in its 12th year, has earned the title of one of Philly's most credible independent film festivals. "We present untainted, pure creativity," he says, "because the filmmakers don't typically have a studio breathing down their necks."

Thu.-Sun., Oct. 22-25, various times, $8-$12, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., firstglancefilms.com.