But it's not all fun and games.
Film festivals need financial backing -- and lots of it -- as well as community support and the fledgling Staten Island Film Festival is no exception.
The festival, which is being presented by the Richmond County Savings Foundation, will take place June 1-4 at various venues throughout the borough and will feature more than 100 films from several countries.
It will include feature films, documentaries, short subjects, animation, student projects, youth films and family-oriented films by local, national and international artists.
And just like the films that will be screened, the festival has a story of its own that sounds like it could be the plot of a blockbuster movie -- a small idea that grew into a monster.
A FESTIVAL IS BORN
During the summer of 2004, officials at the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) were on a retreat, tossing around ideas to promote the borough and stimulate Island economic growth.
That was when someone -- no one is sure who -- came up with the idea of holding a film festival.
"We looked at the demographics and we are a borough of more than 450,000," said Cesar Claro, executive director of the SIEDC. "Look at all these small towns and neighborhoods that have film festivals. Why couldn't we?"
A few months later, they hired Manhattan film consultant Kim Jackson of Streetwise Pictures, who performed a feasibility study to see if the Island could support a film festival. "She came back and said it was doable," Claro explained.
But there were two major hurdles: Money -- more than $500,000 -- and community support.
"We didn't hold back," said Claro of the SIEDC's push to make a film festival happen. "Once the time opened up, we attacked it and just started running with it."
DIFFICULT TO SELL
At first, the festival was "very difficult to sell," said Claro, but once they got major sponsors on board, especially the Richmond County Savings Foundation and KeySpan, "it made it a lot easier."
"If you have a good idea, and are committed to it, people will step up and help," Claro said.
"It's the first time this borough has had one group holding multiple events on multiple days at multiple venues," he said. "We were worried we'd not get enough films -- we got 450 films. We were worried we wouldn't get enough good films -- 113 qualified. We were worried we wouldn't raise enough money -- we are. We were worried we wouldn't get enough volunteers -- we have more than 130 volunteers."
"We've raised the money, now it's about people going," said Claro.
The festival backers hope to attract between 3,000 and 5,000 people to the four-day festival.
A film festival can bring many benefits to a community, including economic growth, cultural diversity and increased visibility.
The Garden State Film Festival, held in Asbury Park, N.J., was founded four years ago with its main focus being to bring together young film makers and professionals.
However, its secondary goal was to help revitalize the city, which was once a major vacation destination, but has fallen into disrepair over the years.
Diane Raver, co-founder and director of the Garden State Film Festival, said the festival has helped provide a spark to the ocean-front town, where numerous development projects are blooming.
"We've made it a destination for a demographic that has the opportunity to buy condos and for introducing filmmakers to the location," she said.
"We've had a lot of films born at the festival. We've had people looking for places to shoot (in Asbury Park) ... they will stay in the hotels, buy the lumber, eat at the restaurants (while they are shooting a film). It's huge."
The Staten Island Film Festival backers are hoping for similar results.
The festival "will raise cultural awareness and improve the image of the borough," said Claro.
"Most people don't identify Staten Island with cultural progressiveness. It will show people in the other boroughs we are truly open for business."
In addition, organizers are hoping the people who will be attending the screenings will also be spending money in Island restaurants and businesses.
The Staten Island Film Festival is a project of:
The Staten Island Economic Development Corporation; The Staten Island Board of Realtors, Inc.; The Building Industry Association of NYC, Inc.; and the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island.
Sponsors of the Staten Island Film Festival include:
The Richmond County Savings Foundation; KeySpan; Time Warner Cable; the Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro; Pro-Sho Productions; Creative Media; SI Bank & Trust Foundation; the Staten Island Board of Realtors, Inc.; the Staten Island Hotel; the Staten Island Advance; Pratt Industries; Universal Roots Music; and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.