Five or 10 years ago, film festivals in New Mexico were in short supply. The Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival made its mark throughout the ’90s, and the now-mothballed Alibi Short Film Fiesta gave local filmmakers a supportive outlet here in Albuquerque. Other than that, however, film lovers were obliged to make the trek to Telluride or Austin to get their hardcore indie film fix. Now, however, with the film scene in New Mexico exploding all over the map, film festivals--from the intimate to the extravagant--can be found in all corners of our state. A list of film festivals now would have to include: Rio Fest International Environmental Film Festival in Soccorro; White Sands Film Festival and Desert Light Film Competition in Alamogordo; Fiery Film Competition in Clovis; Gallup Intercultural Film Festival; Las Peliculas in Las Vegas; Taos Mountain Film Festival and The Taos Picture Show; Organ Mountain Film Festival in Las Cruces; Roswell Film Festival; Santa Fe Film Festival, Native Cinema Showcase and The Three-Minute Film Festival in Santa Fe; and finally, Local Shorts Film Festival, Duke City Shootout, Experiments in Cinema International Film Festival, Independent Indigenous Film Festival, Gorilla Tango Film Festival and Sin Fronteras Film Festival, all in Albuquerque.

Out of sight, out of mind. Physical separation forces those of us without direct links to Israel and Palestine to rely on mediated accounts for information about the troubled region. Filmmaker Elle Flanders knows Israel, as only one who's lived there can. Her grandparents played a role in the creation of the Jewish state, and with the discovery of images from the past, Flanders documented a story about Israel from inside its borders.

Guild Cinema:

Queens—7 p.m.

Set in Spain, Queens takes a comedic look at the nature of the relationships of three couples about to get married—not without bumps in the road, of course.

Another Gay Movie—9:30 p.m.

In the spirit of college-age comedies, four friends set out to lose their virginities and become men.

Scab—11:30 p.m.

After killing numerous people in the hopes of quenching his bloodlust, Ajay and his friends travel to Las Vegas and meet up with two girls as the body count rises. A classic vampire movie with a queer twist.

Opening Night Party—9 p.m.