The Woodbury 10 Short Film Festival celebrated its 8th anniversary on March 19 at the locally owned theater.

The festival focuses on highlighting local filmmakers and serves as a food drive every year, with the price of admission being at least two canned foods per person for entry. The event also allowed audiences to view films that have been entered into this year’s Z-Fest, which takes place on May 19.

Z-Fest is an annual Twin Cities contest format film festival highlighting feature and short-length films from Twin Cities artists. It’s a great opportunity for local film lovers to support their community by engaging with these Minnesota-made film catalogs.

With Woodbury 10 being a locally-owned landmark in its community since 2003, it was fitting for the theater to see continued success with the film festival.

Owner Nathan Block ensures the craft in local cinema does not lose its light.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for local filmmakers to unite, benefit a local charity and be in a local theater. Really, tonight is all about Minnesota and what we can do for the greater good,” Block said.

With more than 100 people in attendance, the event was the biggest the festival has seen since before the pandemic. Woodbury 10 Theatre patrons Zachary Clemons and Justin Pierce expressed gratitude for the opportunity to give local filmmakers a platform.

“It’s always important to support local artists regardless of the medium, but when it comes to films, for these filmmakers to see their work shown on the big screen to movie lovers like us has to be a great feeling,” Clemons said.

Pierce echoed a similar sentiment.

“Obviously we all love seeing blockbuster type of films at the movies, but seeing low-budget, local work is just as exciting. This crop of local filmmakers that Minnesota has brings out the excitement in theatergoers,” Pierce said

The films shown at the festival varied in genre, spanning from dark comedies to sci-fi horror flicks.

For more on local cinema, you can visit the Z-Fest website.