Film buffs are faced with a theater of riches in upcoming days â€" and no, we’re not talking about the release of the new “Bee Movie.”

With activism on the brain, the 24th year of the Olympia Film Festival begins tonight with its usual combination of feature films, shorts, videos, special theme nights and live musical performances, presented by the Olympia Film Society.

More than 20 filmmakers will be in attendance to present their work. OK, that’s huge. But the Olympia Film Festival is not about size or world premieres.  It’s about discovery: documentaries, low-budget independent finds, local works, on-the-spot filmmaking and panel discussions.  It’s about hanging out in an artsy cool town, dodging people in black, watching innovation in a classic movie house then escorting your deep thoughts to the back bar of King Solomon’s Reef and letting them fly among the eccentrics.   

Scared?

If this were high school, you know what you’d do. You’d reach for the booklet with that telltale bumblebee pattern and cram madly. What you need are Cliff’s Notes for the Olympia Film Festival.

Better yet, the World Wide Web.  Check it here for the complete schedule.

Tonight
Opening Night at the Olympia Film Festival is always a blast. Fire dancers, party favors, wackiness, beer garden and a quality film are just a few items to expect tonight.

Tonight's film is the highly-acclaimed "Outsourced."  Check out the review that ran in the Weekly Volcano. â€" Suzy Stump