Updated guide: Fall film festivals in the region

Gem City Horror Film Festival at Englewood Cinema.

Gem City Horror Film Festival at Englewood Cinema.

Multiple diverse film festivals are happening across the Dayton region.

These events are uniquely crafted with opportunities to enjoy screenings ranging from regional premieres to profiles of legendary artists in front of and behind the camera. Here is a closer look at how to go:

🎬Dayton Independent Film Festival

When: Sept. 27-29; Friday screenings begin at 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday screenings begin at 1 p.m.

Where: Roger Glass Center for the Arts, 29 Creative Way, Dayton

Details: This fifth annual festival celebrates regional filmmaking and stories from Midwestern filmmakers. Hosted by the University of Dayton’s Communications Department, the festival is bolstered by its mission to “provide meaningful artistic and cultural programming to Dayton’s thriving community.

“We believe that through impactful storytelling, we can increase empathy, understanding and a sense of discovery,” the festival’s website stated. “Our goal is to provide a platform to foster rich dialogue within our community with an abundance of passion and creativity.”

The programming is divided into certain blocks such as perseverance, twisted, tension and hopeful. Range of films deal with such subjects as autism, immigration, marriage, boxing, teen trafficking, World War II, and Dayton’s influential funk foundation.

Cost: $8. Free for UD students and directors.

More info: daytonfilmfest.com

🎬Yellow Springs Film Festival

When: Oct. 4-6; Friday screening begins at 8 p.m., Saturday screenings begin at 10:30 a.m., and Sunday screenings begin at 11 a.m.

Where: Foundry Theater, 920 Corry St., Yellow Springs and Little Art Theatre, 247 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs

Details: The second annual festivities will kick off with comedian/musician Reggie Watts, who will perform at the Foundry Theater. Watts most recently starred as the bandleader on CBS’s “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” The opening night film will be the regional premiere of Nadia Conners’ drama “The Uninvited,” which premiered in March at South by Southwest. A Q&A with Conners in-person and actor Walton Goggins on Zoom will follow afterward.

On Saturday The Little Art Theatre will host the new documentary “Eno,” which chronicles the career of musician Brian Eno who is known for producing David Bowie, U2 and Talking Heads among many others. A conversation between director Gary Hustwit and filmmaker Steven Bognar will follow the screening. Saturday will also spotlight the 30th anniversary of “Pulp Fiction.” Prior to the screening live music from the soundtrack will be performed by Nick Kizirnis and a costume contest and trivia will be hosted by comedian Justin Howard.

On Sunday the festival will close with a 25th anniversary screening of “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” including a live Q&A with director Jim Jarmusch afterward.

Jim Jarmusch poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Asteroid City' at the 76th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Credit: Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

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Credit: Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Cost: $10-$35

More info: ysfilmfest.com

🎬Out Here Dayton Film Fest

When: Oct. 10-13; Thursday screenings begin at 7:30 p.m., Friday screenings begin at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday screenings begin at 12:30 p.m.

Where: The Neon, 130 E. Fifth St., Dayton

Details: The 19th annual festival celebrating LGBTQIA+ stories features nine programs over the course of the weekend, including 25 short and feature-length films. Films include “Lady Like,” a documentary about Lady Camden of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion” and two editions of Top Drawer Shorts. The festival was also recently awarded an ArtsRISE grant of $5,000 from the Ohio Arts Council.

RuPaul Charles poses at the premiere of the documentary film "Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion," at the Directors Guild of America, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

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Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Cost: Festival passes are $75; Single tickets are $10.

More info: outheredayton.org

🎬Gem City Horror Film Festival 2024

Gem City Horror Film Festival at Englewood Cinema.

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When: 7 p.m. Oct. 18 (doors open at 6 p.m.), 6 p.m. oct. 19 (doors open at 5 p.m.)

Where: Englewood Cinema, 320 National Road #21, Englewood

Details: This event on Night 1 wiill show Dayton filmmaker Victor Bonacore’s feature-length film called “Thrust!” and his latest short, “Our Amityville Apocalypse.” Night 2 has multiple films showing nd includes a costume contest with prizes and trivia.

Cost: $10 Friday, $15 Saturday or $20 for both

More info: englewoodcinema.com/gem-city-horror-film-fest

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