Arlington International Film Festival Gearing Up for 2nd Edition

It has hardly been three months since Arlington residents April and Alberto Guzman . But they’re already back to the grind.

Starting Jan. 1, the Arlington International Film Festival has begun accepting entries for its second edition, which will happen once again at the on Oct. 17-21, 2012.

For April Guzman, the focus of the festival is to foster a stronger understanding between cultures. “We really feel that people can learn about each other’s cultures through film, and it can be entertaining as well as informative," she added.

Last year, the with a local documentary telling the story of surviving the Massachusetts Wampanoag language. There was also an Armenian film, a documentary commemorating the 10 years of the American war on Afghanistan and features from Nepal, Sweden and other parts of the world.

This year, the Arlington International Film Festival is welcoming submissions in a number of categories, including: narrative features and shorts, documentary features and shorts, experimental and animation.

There is also a special category for shorts by Massachusetts high school students (must be 18 or younger), who will be eligible for special recognition and awards.

Submission deadlines and entries are as follows:

• Early entry: May 31 ($15 for shorts, $35 for features)
• Official entry: June 30 ($30 for shorts, $50 for features)
• Late entry: July 31 ($45 for shorts, $65 for features)

For more information on how enter, head over to the festival's website at www.aiffest.org.