With the eighth annual Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival comes over 20 new short films for Southwest Louisiana residents to enjoy.

The Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival is held each year at the Brimstone Museum Annex, 900 S. Huntington St., in Sulphur.

Independent filmmakers from across the country and the globe submit films that are three to 30 minutes long, or short scripts that are three to 30 pages long. This year, audiences can expect short films from eight different states, and the United Kingdom and Canada.

This year’s festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 31.

All genres are welcome. From drama to sci-fi to documentaries, attendees can expect a well-rounded cinematic experience.

The festival is split into three blocks where films will be screened, with question and answer sessions to follow each block.

Block One begins at 11 a.m., Block Two at 12:40 p.m., and Block Three at 2:45 p.m.

The festival ends with an awards presentation.

After Block One, a special 100th anniversary screening of the 1925 silent short film “Dr. Pickle and Mr. Pride” will be shown this year. The film features Stan Laurel, who plays Dr. Pyckle, a man who experiments with a drug that transforms him into a “compulsive prankster.”

At 2:10 p.m., the men of Filmsquatch – a podcast where SW La. natives Patrick Bennett and Kendall Fontenot watch sasquatch movies – will host a “History of Bigfoot in Movies” panel.

The Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival is free and open to the public. The filmmakers compete for second and third-place trophies in each category, or the top prize, a “Scallywag.”

All ages are welcome, but the films are not rated, and may include violence and adult language and themes. It is recommended that minors be accompanied by an adult.

The Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival is free and open to the public.