Chrissy Ohlinger / Special to the PVT Film festival organizers Stephen W. Johnson, Tony Mendoza and Linda Kass display the winning poster by Cindy Mortenson. Advertisement

Pahrump is becoming increasingly well known as a budding artist community both locally and internationally, with good reason.

Thanks to the hard work of Linda Kass, founder of the High Desert Shorts International Film Festival, this fall will mark the third festival held inPahrump. The festival will run Nov. 6, 7 and 8, at the Pahrump Nugget.

As any event grows and develops over time, Kass and supporters of the film festival are excited to see that this year's festival will be better than ever.

Among the fresh talent and new faces coming together to help organize this year's event, there are a few that stand out.

The winner of the 2008 poster contest was Cindy Mortensen whose art will be used for the festival's promotional image. A recent transplant to Pahrump, Mortensen moved to the community in December 2007, from Salt Lake City. "I have loved graphic art and design as long as I can remember. Color has always fascinated me," Mortenson said. She works at Bella Pictures and also does freelance work.

Festival organizers are welcoming another new expert, Tony Mendoza, to the team. They have high hopes for his professional abilities and experience.

Mendoza has a degree in film production and has worked in the movie industry for more than eight years. During that time, he has gained various experience working on short films, commercials and promotional and music videos all over the Southwest. He also worked as a general manager for an online TV station, "Spirit Flow TV". One of his local films was the promotional video that Mendoza shot and edited for 'No To Abuse' in 2007.

A longtime resident of Pahrump, Mendoza has high hopes for the relatively new festival and what it could mean for the community. His goal is to expose more people to Pahrump and generate interest in the town. While one goal of the film festival is to provide a forum for networking within the entertainment industry, Mendoza hopes that watching the films will inspire both locals and tourists to get out and shoot their own movies.

"I've always thought it was a good thing to give (unsigned artists) a showcase and a voice," said Kass.

Mendoza and Kass see eye to eye on this issue. Kass said she started the festival more than three years ago because "there are a lot of incredibly talented people..." while in mid sentence, Mendoza finished the thought aloud with, "...who are undiscovered." The conjoined statement exemplifies the meeting of two minds on a single thought.

Naturally, a big focus of any talent showcase is youth. Thursday, Nov. 6 will be dedicated to young artists of the community. Middle school- and high school-aged students will have the opportunity to participate in a cinematography workshop.

Participants will break into teams to work on the area of their interest: sound, lights, acting, cameras, etc. They will work with professionals and get hands-on experience before coming together with all of the teams to create their own short film. Kass and Mendoza hope this activity will help broaden the horizons of upcoming young visual artists in Pahrump.

Artists who participate in the film festival may be unsigned and little known, but if all goes according to plan, participating in future High Desert Shorts International Film Festivals could be a big career move. If the festival continues operating within guidelines of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for three more years, including this year, then the event will become eligible as pre-qualification for Oscar nominations for its filmmakers.

Some compliance guidelines must be met for five years running in order to qualify. They include maximum 40-minute length of a film, the festival must be a competition, and the winners must be selected by a jury of industry professionals.

This year's film categories will include: drama, comedy, science-fiction/horror, documentary and music.

The festival has already received the first submission titled "Code 7." The drama was produced and directed by Andrew Hutchings from New Orleans, La. Hutchings is currently employed by Paramount Pictures and worked on the set of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" starring Brad Pitt. He said, "The High Desert Shorts Film Festival is among the top recommended festivals to enter this short film by several New Orleans filmmakers, students and professors."

Anyone may submit to the festival, but film submissions must be made before August 31, of this year.

Discounted tickets to attend the festival will be available online or at the door. For detailed information visit the Web site, www.highdesertshortsiff.com.