CHRISTOPHER WOOD: TACOMA ON THE BIG SCREEN >>>

I made my way past pools of filmmakers huddled under the Rialto Theater’s sparkling marquee last night and ducked inside the small lobby. Besides the smell of warm wine, something else lingered in the air as well â€" anticipation. A special feeling of excitement pervades every film festival. The experience finds greater meaning particularly at a community-driven event like the annual screening of the Grand’s 72-Hour Film Contest entries. “There’s a real buzz here,” noticed Greg Youtz, a first-time attendee. “The celebration of local creativity is fabulous.”

The filmmakers certainly deserve accolades for their hard work. Each team had only three days to complete a short film in which four required elements had to appear: the line of dialogue “I feel like I’ve been here before,” a fortune cookie, a museum, and a person blowing bubbles. Throw in a rain-drenched weekend and the challenge produced some very determined (and weathered, literally) artists. And through it all they kept sight of the ultimate goal: creating an entertaining story for viewers. “We’re just hoping to get a lot of response,” said J.D. May before the premiere of his fast-moving drama Roadside. Winning is an afterthought. When asked about his team Psychic Playtime’s uncanny ability to walk away with a major award every year, Isaac Olsen smiled and humbly predicted, “The winning streak will definitely come to an end tonight.”

Above the heads of over five hundred audience members (the event’s biggest attendance to date), the lights in the expansive theater dimmed as the show got underway. The evening progressed with several strong opening entries, including Lost Path (notable for its startling life-spanning match cut), and The Bored Room, which shows a corporate drone battling ennui by concocting some comical fantasies about his coworkers. The three-hour, 28-film whirlwind passed surprisingly fast.

Then the big moment arrived â€" the Grand’s Executive Director Philip Cowan announced the evening’s victors. Best use of dialogue went to Phoebe Moore’s parodic portrait of a washed-up starlet, Forgettable.  Fortune’s 11 most creatively used bubbles in its crime caper plot. Bryan Johnson’s Tacoma-loving team showcased the city’s Art Museum in T Minus 72. Risky Business grabbed the award for best prop. Lost Path received an Honorable Mention from the judges, and gave Scott Gribble’s beautifully shot Army of Two the Best Film award. And as for Olsen’s winning streak, it decided to stick around a little longer â€" the audience voted his frenetic and hilarious Foolish Games as their favorite (along with do-director Kurt Kendall.

Will film in Tacoma eventually win out as well? Only time â€" and maybe a fortune cookie â€" can tell.

Scott Gribble and his family accepted the 72-Hour Film Contest's Best Film award for Army of Two last night at the Rialto Theatre.