Barrington will host its first community film festival on the Town Hall campus this weekend, Aug. 6 and 7, from 5 to 11 p.m. 

“FLM FWD Festival is a small-town film festival conceived to encourage community building through art, performance, education, cultural enrichment, and entertainment,” stated a press release for the event. “This family-friendly event will offer live music, food and drink, kids’ activities, a community organization ‘village,’ as well as feature-length and short films selected by a professional jury. 

“The Town of Barrington is a community that welcomes opportunities to come together and share diverse perspectives and talents,” said Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha. “The festival will allow our residents and neighbors to celebrate our beautiful town and to experience the talents of the selected filmmakers, while coming together in unity.” 

FLM FWD Festival founder Lisa Lowenstein said viewing films together in a suburban setting, will encourage people to gather, build stronger connections and “build community.” 

“In 2021, expectations and gratitude are finding new spaces,” Ms. Lowenstein said. “While we are still enduring transitions, it’s a moment to come together. Our way is with FLM FWD. We hope that by throwing a stone in our little pond the ripples will be felt far and wide.”

Film Festival Artistic Director Don Mays recently announced that the festival had received more than 1,200 entries of short and feature-length from all over the U.S. A separate, ongoing submission category has been created for filmmakers who are Barrington natives or residents. This year, the festival theme is “diversity/empathy.” Special consideration was given to films made by filmmakers who are BIPOC, LBGTQIA, or from otherized communities, Mr. Mays said.  

‘Filmmaking is powerful,” Mr. Mays said. “It allows people to both sit back and observe the visual, while at the same time it draws them in, providing an emotional and sensorial experience. So much of today’s media is blunt and un-nuanced, like a blow to the head, and too often misleading. Good filmmaking is the opposite of that. It is storytelling that employs the use of metaphor and analogy to allow the message/story to develop in ways that resonate deeply, sometimes unexpectedly. It is with these ideals that we are creating what will be an engaging and provocative film festival for all of Barrington to enjoy.”

The festival also includes live music from local Barrington musicians BTown 5, Dan Sanfilippo, Guitars for Vets, and Joel Robby. 

Rain dates are Aug. 13 and 14. Festival tickets are free but registration is required at FLM FWD Festival on Eventbrite.