There’s something about sitting in a dark theater with a room full of strangers. For a little while, the outside world fades, the lights dim and the only thing that matters is what’s unfolding on screen.

And for a couple of hours, everyone in the room agrees to be transported somewhere else.

But what if that experience was only a small part of the night?

Imagine an evening where multiple films share the spotlight, filmmakers and fans mingle under the same roof and the audience doesn’t just watch the awards — it gets a say in who takes them home.

That’s the kind of weekend the Story Mode Independent Short Film Awards, better known as SISFA, has in store for Colorado Springs.

The two-day festival will make its Colorado Springs debut Friday and Saturday at the Louisa Performing Arts Center and RoadHouse Cinemas, featuring 40 films, red carpet events, filmmaker panels and an interactive main event.

From home videos to the big screen 

What started as a movie-loving family’s passion has turned into 15 years of an independent film festival. 

For festival director Brian Salay, the festival’s origin began in a Pueblo basement. Every summer, Salay and his family made movies together from the comfort of their own home and eventually that family tradition turned into their legacy.

After attending film school in Denver, Salay saw firsthand how difficult it could be for independent filmmakers to get their work into festivals, he said. Instead of waiting for an opportunity, his family decided to create one themselves.

“We really loved movies and storytelling,” Salay said. “I wanted a platform to give other people so they could share their own stories and connect with other film lovers. That’s how it all began.”

SISFA’s first iterations took place at Pueblo Rawlings Public Library before moving to Pueblo Memorial Hall years later, where its 2019 festival became the biggest one yet. 

Then came COVID-19.

The pandemic effectively wiped out the momentum the festival had built, forcing SISFA online for a couple of years. Then, returning in 2023 to Colorado State University Pueblo, it spent two years rebuilding its audience.

Now, Colorado Springs will get to host the festival for the first time.

“The film industry here has welcomed us with open arms,” Salay said. “The hope this year is to combine our old crowd in Pueblo and the new crowd in the Springs. We want to unite those two together.”

A weekend built for film lovers

Across Friday and Saturday, this year’s festival will screen 40 films — the most in SISFA’s history — with three feature-length films and 37 shorts ranging from two to 40 minutes. 

The festival officially kicks off Friday night at the Louisa Performing Arts Center with a red carpet reception, giving filmmakers and festivalgoers a chance to mingle before the films begin at 6:30 p.m.

Once the screenings wrap, the celebration continues at Colorado Mountain Brewery for the festival’s Friday night kickoff party.

Saturday shifts to RoadHouse Cinemas, where films will run throughout the day in two screening rooms. In between the showings, filmmakers will take the stage for a rapid-fire industry panel, while the weekend’s main event comes Saturday evening at the Louisa Performing Arts Center.

Instead of simply handing out trophies, SISFA is turning the night into a show of its own. Actors, props, lights and lasers will help tell an interactive story onstage, woven between screenings of the night’s featured short films while handing out awards. 

Audience members will also have a say in the evening as they vote for their favorite films, while local artist Altarviolet provides a live musical performance.

Whether you’re there for a few films, looking to spend the whole weekend immersed in independent cinema or hoping to meet the filmmakers behind the stories, the $15-$36 passes give festivalgoers a way to build their SISFA experience around what they want to see.

Where filmmakers find their people

Out of the record-breaking 100 submissions, 23 Colorado films made the final lineup. The rest come from filmmakers across the country, including California, Washington, Texas, Maryland and more.

The festival also accepts short screenplay submissions, giving writers another way to have their work considered. Once submissions are in, a panel of industry professionals — including Emmy-nominated producers and actors — narrow down the finalists.

And every genre gets its moment, as SISFA hands out trophies across 16 categories.

Even the trophies themselves are designed to connect filmmakers back to the community, with a Pueblo potter handcrafting each award and engraving it.

“We wanted each filmmaker who wins to take a piece of the community home with them,” Salay said. “Each one was made in a kiln and engraved, and it was very important to us that it’s local. They gave us art, so now we want to give them a piece of art they can take home.”

For Salay, that exchange is at the heart of what a film festival can offer.

“I’d like to think we’re providing opportunities for filmmakers to get their work seen and screened, especially locals,” he said. “It allows locals to connect with other filmmakers from all over the United States. That’s the beauty of film festivals. You meet your people and now maybe you get to work together on something.”