SEE LOCAL FILMS AT ART ON THE AVE >>>

Want to sample some of the best in Tacoma film, and for free? Art On The Ave hits Sixth this weekend, and a chilled summertime mix of local cinema will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 10.

Though now making its thirteenth annual appearance, Art on the Ave has finally decided to add a movie dimension to its art panorama. Festival Director Angela Jossy called on a former collaborator, Randy Sparks, to assemble a lineup. With all his connections inside the neighborhood indie scene, it didn't take long for Sparks and partner Dave Graham to wrangle 29 shorts by 17 filmmakers (as of this writing).

Music vids, documentaries, dramas and comedies. Stop by the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church for at least an hour on Sunday and you'll get a decent dose of unique film, Tacoma style. This offer comes with the Sparks Guarantee: "You're not going to see one bad film. They're all fantastic."

Speaking of "bad" film, check out the never-before-released Bad Idea by News Tribune scribe Craig Sailor, a jolly woods-romp featuring that equally elusive Sasquatch. Viewing and reviewing films for years is one thing, but Sailor describes "a huge learning curve" with his maiden voyage as writer-director-star of his own work. Bad's great visuals come from the hand of Hollywood cinematographer Patrick Neary - an "invaluable" contributor, Sailor states, both on set and throughout the editing process.

If you've frequented the Grand Cinema's 72-Hour film viewing parties these last years, you should recognize a few favorites this Sunday, like works from Isaac Olsen and Ryan Loiselle. The latter's first entry was 2007's Vinny Vegas. The clever premise brings to the screen a real persona, star Brandon Boote, a performer at weddings and events. Loiselle teaches computer graphics and digital photography at Lincoln High School, and besides Vegas will show three other shorts.

So does this mean film in our area earned status as serious "art"? Sparks definitely believes so: "When I look at this list of films, I believe Tacoma has taken a giant step forward. And it's only going to get better, because these guys aren't quitting. And I'm not quitting."

We viewers can join the effort and endorse this burgeoning art.

So this Sunday, let's go to church.

[Sixth Avenue, Art on the Ave., Sunday, July 10, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sixth Avenue between Cedar Street and Trafton Street, Tacoma, onsixthave.com]

[Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, Local Filmmakers Showcase, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., 2520 Sixth Ave., Tacoma]