Film buffs, open your ears. 

A local film is making it big, and a local arts group is looking for talent.

You may remember the Art Words review of the wrap party for The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something last December at the Pufferbelly. This hilarious "midlife crisis" story of a twenty-something slowly sliding past his prime has been picked up by Maverick Entertainment and will officially be released on DVD on Oct. 4. It is available now for pre-order on BestBuy.com and Amazon.com. 

Producer, writer, director and lead actor, Larry Longstreth, is stoked. Especially since most films made are never selected for festivals or picked up by distributors. Look for this film on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Redbox, and Blockbuster. 

"The first feature film I ever made has been purchased. A movie I made for almost no money in my hometowns of Kent, Stow, and Akron is going to be in stores across the country! I can't say how proud I am of my crew. Even more ... it's just the beginning." Longstreth said. 

Longstreth and friend Marc Ordesky (Lord of the Rings producer) have two new projects in production. They will be produced under Longstreth's new company, "Eddy Spaghetti" productions.

Nice job crew. I saw the film during the screening and I must admit — it is pretty funny. 

As a twenty-something slowly fading past her prime, I have to admit my laughs sounded a bit nervous.

Local filmmakers have another opportunity this year to submit to Standing Rock Cultural Arts 9th Annual Standing Rock International Short Film Fest. 

Last year's fest was pretty stunning with young boys making apocalyptic trips to the mailbox and awkwardly funny wannabe actors totally failing at life. There are some big shoes to fill this year. 

SRCA is looking for independent filmmakers and videographers to submit short films, DVDs and/or videos (in VHS, Hi-8, mini DV or DVD format, 15 minutes or less) 

Following tradition, there will be a cash prize for the top three People's Choice films. There will also be a juried choice award decided by a jury of Mike Hovancsek, Cindy Penter, and Jeff Ingram. 

A new addition this year, however, is a music video competition. Music videos must be original music or receive permission from the artist to create the video. There is a minimum of 10 music videos needed to hold the competition. Prizes will be awarded in this category as well. 

Stay tuned film lovers, this event will be held at the Kent Stage on Jan. 28, 2012.

If you are interested in applying, the deadline is Nov. 30, but SRCA will accept applications until Dec. 31. Just visit the SRCA website for an application form. 

The film viewing duo of Jeff Ingram and Mike Hovancsek will review the applications. Generally, the fest shows 50 to 60 percent of the films they receive, which is enough to fill 70 to 90 minutes of screen time. 

I always look forward to the Film Fest. Truly, the hardest part is choosing the best film.