The fifth annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival kicks off today with the first of its 30 documentaries, 28 short films, 20 features and nine music videos.

Among them are a dozen student films, and perhaps three dozen with Western New York ties, all of which will be screened through April 17 in the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre in Buffalo and the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls.

Promising to make the 10-day showcase an event to remember will be the induction of acclaimed character actor William Fichtner, who was raised in Cheektowaga, into the festival’s newly inaugurated “Walk of Fame” at 6:30 p. m. Saturday at the entrance to the Market Arcade building, a few doors from the theater. The ceremony will include the imprinting of his hand and feet in concrete, an autograph signing and a full color guard for the actor whose lengthy credits include “Black Hawk Down” and “Armageddon.” (See interview on Page 7.)

There also will be a tribute to the late actor Robert Culp, an appearance by Kaitlyn Maher of “America’s Got Talent” fame, a showing of “We Can Shine: From Institutions to Independence,” about autism; and a closing awards ceremony.

The main event, though, is the opportunity for emerging filmmakers to have their films — which run the gamut from dark comedies and musicals, to thrillers and human interest stories — projected onto a theater screen with a live audience.

The frosting on the cake for some will be having friends and family there to share the moment.

“I’m excited and I’m nervous,” said Joe Izzo, who cowrote and produced “Uncle Louie,” a feature about a gangster summoned back from the dead through a voodoo witch doctor to deal with a loan shark. “This is our first film festival, and it happens to be the birthplace of my mother and father. My family will all be there. I think it is extraordinary synchronicity.”

The festival will also be a homecoming for David Matthew Douglas, who graduated from Niagara Falls High School in 1986, and produced the quirky comedy short, “Dottie’s Thanksgiving Pickle,” starring Olympia Dukakis. The 11-minute film will be shown at the Rapids Theatre, a half mile from where Douglas’ parents live.

“Short films don’t get shown in theaters other than festivals or on the Internet. That’s the joy of seeing it in front of an audience,” said Douglas, who studied acting at Niagara County Community College.

Margot McDonough, who’s from Lockport and lives in Los Angeles, is also expecting a big family turnout for “Rideshare,” which she said is the first feature entirely filmed using an iPhone. She produced the film, and her husband, Donovan Cook, directed.

“This is our first film festival. It’s pretty cool. It’s going to turn into a family and high school reunion. It’s nice to premiere with a friendly atmosphere,” McDonough said.

Festival founder and president William Cowell, who helped select the films, said he was excited about the entries.

“There is a lot of hard work in there, and some of the films are exceptional,” Cowell said.

“In general, it’s a lot easier with [today’s] technology for these filmmakers to get their voice out there, but the competition is greater. That’s why they are on the festival circuit, and that’s why we can help them.”

Here’s a brief rundown of some of the other films:

• “Anna Klapakis: Making a Difference.” 13 minutes. The story of Bennett High School’s dedicated special-education teacher.

• “Bflo. Pnk 1.0.” 96 minutes. Former Buffalo News reporter Elmer Ploetz tells the history of the early years of Buffalo’s punk scene.

• “Building on the Past for Our Future.” 222 minutes. Diedie Wang’s film discusses efforts to revitalize Buffalo’s low-income neighborhoods.

• “The Desperate.” 32 minutes. Ben Hur Sepehr’s film of a Jewish surgeon forced to perform emergency surgery on the son of a fearsome Nazi general. The film features TV regular Peter Mark Richman and Josie DiVicenzo, who was in Kavinoky Theatre’s “Rock ’N’ Roll” that closed Sunday.

• “Ghosts: The Musical.” 91 minutes. Ghosts return — singing! — to save an old theater.

• “La Verite du Ciel” (“The Truth of the Sky”). 26 minutes. Documentary filmmaker Jim McSherry examines the lives of families forever impacted by the downing of a passenger jet that killed 90 people in France nearly 20 years ago.

• “Lick.” A mock documentary in which a candy company marketer creates an ad campaign to find how many licks it takes to get to the center.

• “Nickel City Smiler.” Scott Murchie and Bret Williams chronicle a Burmese immigrant family’s struggle to adjust to life in Buffalo.

• “Not An All-Star Cast.” 84 minutes. A series of sketches are seamed together by a single dollar bill, with an all-Western New York cast.

• “Pola Negri: Life is a Dream in Cinema.” 88 minutes. The life of silent-film star Pola Negri is recalled by Hayley Mills and others.

• “Saberfrog.” 91 minutes. A dark road movie featuring local spoken word artist Liz Marinari and actor John Karyus.

• “Under the Boardwalk: The MONOPOLY Story.” 88 minutes. A documentary on the classic board game includes 2009 U. S. titleist Richard Marinaccio of Snyder as he competes for the world crown.

• “Unscripted:Lorna C. Hill.” 15 minutes. The artistic director of Ujima Theatre is celebrated as a director, teacher and person.

• “Unseen Tears: The Impact of Native American Residential Boarding Schools in Western New York.” 31 minutes. Native Americans look back on their painful experiences in boarding schools.

• “Victor James.” 29 minutes. Former Niagara Falls resident Thomas Gidlow’s debut concerns the choices made by a young couple living a life of crime.

• “Webdultery.” 90 minutes. A woman and man who are unhappily married unknowingly find solace with one another online as anonymous “friends.”

The festival also has a screenwriting competition, which includes Hamburg native Dina Corsetti’s “Nina,” an adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” She hopes the exposure can attract interest from a literary agent or producer.

“The festival gives credibility and validation to one’s work, and helps get it to the next level,” Corsetti said.•

PREVIEW

WHAT: Buffalo Niagara Film Festival

WHEN: Through April 17

WHERE: Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, 639 Main St., and Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls

TICKETS: $10, $5 seniors and students; $25 day pass, $12.50 seniors and students; $100 week pass, $50 seniors and students.

INFO: www.buffaloniagarafilmfestival.com

msommer@buffnews.comnull