• Photo by Mark McKenna

Humboldt State University film students are at it again. Every year since 1967, they've solicited independent filmmakers from around the world to show them their shorts — those of the animated, experimental, documentary and narrative variety. The students judge the entries from September to March, narrow them down to the finalists and then present them to guest industry judges and the public in a three-night showcase known as the Humboldt International Film Festival, the longest running student-run international film festival in the world. This year the festival lights up screens at the Minor Theatre from April 18-21.

The 51st annual fest's guest judges are: Patricia Cardoso, director of Real Women Have Curves, The Water Carrier, Lies in Plain Sight; Hal Masonberg, writer, filmmaker, director and casting director; and Udi Aloni, filmmaker, writer and artist whose work focuses on the interrelations between art, politics and theology in Israeli-Palestinian history and German-Jewish philosophy.

There will be two showings of finalists each night at the Minor, one at 5 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m., with a Q&A with the judges at the second screenings. Catch animation and experimental films April 18 ($5), documentaries April 19 ($5), narrative finalists April 20 ($5) and the Best of the Fest on April 21 ($10). The Minor Theatre is an exceptional venue but it's intimate and the festival is a popular event, so advance ticket purchase is recommended.