Fest Mania!

As one film festival closes in Newport Beach this weekend, another is in the works at the opposite end of the county. In yet another promotion to raise funds for renovation of the historic Fox Theatre, the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation is announcing its inaugural Fullerton Film Festival/F3, which is scheduled to run Aug. 3-6.

A promised "eclectic mix" of international, classic, and recent features and shorts, as well as music videos, animation and experimental works, will be presented at several downtown venues, including Plummer Auditorium, the Wilshire Auditorium, Fullerton College, Fullerton Museum, and indie storefront theaters Stages and the Maverick. Festival organizers are currently accepting any and all submissions, particularly from film students at Fullerton College, Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University. For deadlines and more submission details, visit the festival's website: www.f3filmfestival.com.

"There are many talented filmmakers, locally and from all over the world, telling compelling stories that both entertain and reflect our times," said Jon Wagner, the nonprofit foundation's executive director, in the festival announcement. "We want to bring those films to Fullerton."

For several months, the foundation has been staging outdoor screenings of classic films on the Fox's east wall to raise the money to reopen it. That's also how they intend to open F3, although no title has been announced. Once the Fox's renovation is complete, hopefully in 2010, organizers plan to move this festival into it.

For more information about the festival or renovation, call the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation at (714) 870-0069.