The Loft Film Fest at the Loft Cinema is featuring a host of exclusive international and independent films that are only available during the eight-day span of the showcase.

The cinema commences its third annual international festival this week, running through the weekend and continuing until Nov. 15.

An assortment of award-winning and favorite films from other renowned festivals will be featured, including winners from the Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and Telluride film festivals. The festival offers an abundance of cultural diversity to its audience, catering to Tucson’s diverse community in its showcase. The international festival will be showcasing intriguing short films from up and coming filmmakers, open forums between the filmmakers and featured actors and brand new international screenings from around the world. All of this will ensure insightful and exciting viewing experiences for any range of the independent film viewing preference.

This year’s festivities will build off of last year’s exciting live features of award winning directors, which have included famous production artists such as Richard Kelly, director of the award winning film “Donny Darko.” This year the festival is featuring more than 40 films from a vast range of genres including documentaries, horror, comedy and sci-fi.

The Loft Cinema has experienced many phases of existence in providing alternative films, and is now proudly establishing this year’s event in its newest and most elaborate form, introducing a brand new single-screen theater.

While the Loft has served its previous 40 years of existence as a non-profit foundation, it’s continuing to expand. The old gas station, which previously occupied the neighboring lot, was elaborately renovated and now resembles a modern movie theater with a 100-person seating capacity.

While the brand new single screen theater is the current extent of renovations, The Loft plans on continuing improvements in building upon its original structure in the near future. The newest addition’s grand opening will take place upon the festival’s commencement. If you’re looking for a bit of Sundance here at home, look no further than The Loft.

The Loft Film Festival at the Loft Cinema is located at 3233 E. Speedway Boulevard. Admission prices are $10 per ticket for general admission, and $8 for Loft members. Visit the www.loftcinema.com for tickets, showtimes, and specific features.

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