Two cities, two film festivals

Grab some popcorn and a soda: It's film-festival season. And we're not talking about Venice, Toronto or Telluride. You can get a quality film-festival experience this week—without buying a plane ticket—by attending the Nevada City Film Festival (Thursday, September 5, through Saturday, September 8) and the Sacramento Film & Music Festival (Wednesday, September 11, through Sunday, September 15). Here's the skinny on both:

The 13th annual Nevada City Film Festival blends live comedy, film and food. It kicks off with a screening of the classic Clint Eastwood Western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (6 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, at Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street). The event is followed by a reception featuring sweets, live deejays and a full bar. Then, on Friday, September 6, after an evening of film that starts at 6 p.m. (also at the Foundry), catch comedians Nick Rutherford, Moshe Kasher and Brett Gelman at 9:30 p.m.

The festival continues Saturday, September 7, with film panel discussions, more comedy and film (comedic shorts, features, children's films and a special music-video program featuring Nevada County bands) at the Miners Foundry and the Haven Underground (226 Broad Street). And at 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 8, NCFF closes with a Best of the Fest afterparty at Ol' Republic Brewery (124 Argall Way), featuring awards, a film screening, food trucks and local brews. For more information, visit www.nevadacityfilmfestival.com.

Highlights of the Sacramento Film & Music Festival, happening at the Crest Theatre (1013 K Street), include music-video screenings, a filmmaker challenge, a fashion competition and a night of locally made films inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. SFMF starts on Wednesday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m. with a reception, awards and a screening of Stolen Moments (see “Long shots,” SN&R Arts&Culture on page 18 for more details). Thursday, September 12, offers more films (documentaries, a music video and a feature) and a panel discussion on digital distribution.

Then, the festival kicks into high gear over the weekend, starting with a fashion challenge and those Poe-inspired films on Friday, September 13. Saturday, September 14, features short films in the morning and afternoon, music videos and a feature film in the evening, and more shorts—this time, the late-night variety—to close the evening. Sunday, September 15, begins with documentary and narrative shorts, a feature, and films from the 10X10 Filmmaker Challenge, in which filmmakers had 10 days to make 10-minute shorts about a specific, secret theme. SFMF ends with an afterparty at a still-to-be-announced location. Visit www.sacfilm.com for more information.