It’s time once again for the Hobnobben Film Festival, the gathering of filmmakers that has put Fort Wayne on the cinematic landscape. Featuring local, regional and national filmmakers, Hobnobben has grown tremendously in its now three seasons of existence and has let people outside the area know that our city not only has a great downtown gem for films – Cinema Center – but also is home to a terrific arts community, one that is more than happy to pool its talent for the cause.

Opening night is held on June 7 at the Auer Center for Arts & Culture, with the events taking place in both the ArtsLab black box as well as Artlink. The evening provides an opportunity for the community and filmmakers to chat about the films and events in the weekend ahead. There will be a screening of the festival’s opening film, Hearts Beat Loud starring Nick Offerman, in the ArtsLab as well. Admission to the opening night festivities comes with the festival passes which can be purchased for $79 to $99.

The following day, June 8, is Blocknobben which has become a big event in and of itself. Open from 6-10 p.m. and free and open to the public Blocknobben will feature music from Calder, Rosalind & The Way and Horizon Arcs. There will also be short films, and food and beverage will be on hand from local eateries and breweries.

But the main course is fims, of course, and while those are too many to mention, there will be shorts and features by a variety of filmmakers with women making a bigger showing than ever before. There is also an increasingly large presence from folks from all over, not just northeast Indiana. There could be no better proof of Hobnobben’s growing stature among film festivals.

It all comes to a conclusion on Saturday, June 9 when Cinema Center hosts the event’s Awards Ceremony and Reception. Between 7 and 9 p.m., the evening provides a perfect cap to the weekend’s heavy dose of film and a great opportunity for those who attended the films to find out more about those and the talent people who made them.