Great things start small; that's how trees grow from seeds. So it's only natural the first Vacant Era Film Festival began with a small but vocal audience Thursday night at the Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St.

"I'm really delighted to be here tonight to say a couple of words about this film festival and to add my best wishes for a great festival," said Mayor Cindy Rosenthal in the film festival's opening moments.

"A little over a year ago, Cory (Allen, the festival's director) came to see me at City Hall and told me he had this vision for a film festival in Norman and I knew at the time that I met him and had a chance to visit with him that this was a vision that was going to be realized ... So here we are a year later and I think already this great idea has come to fruition and already has planted the seeds of great success not only this year but, I hope, for many years to come."

Rosenthal praised the festival's contribution to the local arts community and how it built links and developed educational opportunities within the local filmmaking community.

"I think that this will in the future be one of the those things that we look to as part of the things that are a surprising and rich part of our community."

After a humorous skit involving short video clips chronicling the antics of the character Pego the Jerk, an "imaginary filmmaker" protesting the Vacant Era Film Festival for not showing his nonexistent film "Squirrel Nuts Taste the Same in Space," production manager and festival coordinator Meleah Montgomery took the stage.

Or did she?

As it turns out, the rascally Pego was back, impersonating Montgomery while wearing a floral-print dress and welcoming the audience to the "Pego the Jerk Film Festival." The real Montgomery ran him off moments later, shifting the ceremony back into a serious tone.

"Sorry about that," she said. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming out to the first annual Vacant Era Film Festival."

Montgomery thanked the event's sponsors, including NONzine, Riverwind Casino, the Marc Heitz auto family, Crazy Ladies Book Shop, the Firehouse Art Center, Coach's Brewhouse, Action Arts, Standing Buffalo Indian Art Gallery and Gifts, Winans Fine Coffee and Chocolates and KREF 1400 AM.

"Establishing a film festival isn't easy or cheap, and these companies and organizations were instrumental in helping us to put this on by providing one or more of the following: Financial support, contacts, venue space and a belief in the project."

Montgomery thanked the filmmakers, musicians, artists and volunteers involved with the festival as well for their hard work and dedication.

Montgomery then detailed the evolution of the modern film festival from unlikely roots under the rule of Benito Mussolini, who "created a monster" when he supported the first Venice Film Festival during its formative years in the 1930s.

Montgomery gave recognition to Vacant Era organizers, including Randy Aspell, Carey Bell, Madison Belanger, Katie Avila, Anthony Pego, Dallas Pay and Bianca Ferrer, then introduced festival director Cory Allen.

Allen apologized for the festival's slow start and a few minor technical difficulties, then spoke about the film festival's goal of helping fund the setup of a nonprofit group that would fund future festivals and other arts and arts education programs in the local community. After going through all the usual hurdles, of course.

"We're currently working on that to get it all legalized," Allen said.

Allen discussed his formative years, in which he dreamed of becoming involved in every stage of the filmmaking process "like Charlie Chaplin."

After being told by numerous people that if he wanted to succeed in film he needed to "go to Hollywood or leave the state," Allen said he became discouraged and joined the military.

"Through time, I kept in tune with the entertainment world and moving back to Oklahoma, I wanted to pursue it, filmmaking, but at the same time I was really passionate about ... when I was a kid, growing up here, turning that around to provide more opportunities. Luckily I was able to meet Randy (Aspell) and meet more and more people."

Allen said the Vacant Era Film Company "really started when we all got together. It didn't really start with just me or Randy. We were working on scripts and I guess we really started working this year with everybody involved."

He gave his appreciation to everyone who worked to make the festival happen and said the unofficial motto of the festival was that it was an event to get to know independent filmmakers, not just their films.

In keeping with that spirit, the Vacant Era Film Festival, unlike many other festivals, charged no submission fee for any of the films submitted.

Allen said the festival is here to showcase the works of anyone "from emerging artists, from student filmmakers, to ... veteran filmmaker(s)."

Also part of the festival, Allen said, are films from filmmakers hailing from Chicago, Florida, Washington state, France and Canada.

"It's that diversity that's going to help Oklahoma see what's going on outside of the state," Allen said.

Next, Bill Moore of the Oklahoma History Center, which opened in 2005, narrated a series of clips from the first 60 years of filmmaking in Oklahoma, which was followed by a performance by local musician Ali Harter.

The evening wrapped up with events including a showing of the film "Stark Fear" and a discussion with the director of the 1962 full-length thriller, Ned Hockman.

The festival, which also includes workshop sessions at Winans Fine Coffee and Chocolates, 207 E. Main St., and musical performances at Coach's Brewhouse, 110 W. Main St., continues through Sunday.

Adam Scott 366-3533 pop@normantranscript.com