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Attention film buffs and self-proclaimed movie critics: the SoCal Independent Film Festival is back and has made Huntington Beach a destination for movie lovers.

Projectors will be running through a gauntlet series of 73 movies for the festival’s third annual celebration of non-studio produced films. The festival, founded by Brian Barsuglia of Huntington Beach and Vince Lara of Santa Ana, kicked off Wednesday and continues its run through Sunday.

For some filmmakers, the festival may be one of the few places for audiences to see their work.

“If you’re not making movies for a studio, the festival circuit is how filmmakers get their movies seen,” Barsuglia said.

The films to be shown in Huntington Beach come from a diverse group of people. Students, first-time directors, professionals-turned-movie makers and professionals populate the hefty list of filmmakers.

Some of the featured films are by seasoned industry insiders such as “Lethal Weapon” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” writer Shane Black. Black wrote the short film “A.W.O.L.” starring John C. McGinley and David Morse, which will be screened Sunday.

W. Scott Peake’s full-length feature “Permanent Vacation” will be a highlight of Saturday’s run with names such as Frank Harper and David Carradine in credits.

To Barsuglia, it’s important to show the films that wouldn’t otherwise get released in theaters. He said with the time people put in to the art of film, they deserve a forum for it, especially because much of the material is of high quality, despite the lack of Hollywood support.

“They’re incredibly well made, but may not be getting the distribution,” Barsuglia said.

The festival is considerate to the movie-goer as well, keeping much of the program free and the rest for less than $6.

“They’re not paying $10 for multiplex movies,” Barsuglia said.

The films come to Huntington Beach from around the world. The festival accepts movies from any independent director. Some of this year’s films come from as far away as Germany, Mexico, Canada and the Netherlands.

The broad range of movie makers has led festival organizers to offer an equally diverse range of films. There are documentaries, comedies and dramas in both feature-length and short film formats. There’s even an animation category which will feature “everything will be ok,” a short by Oscar-nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt. “everything will be ok” won the Jury Award for the Best Short at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

The films are juried and compete for titles in their division. Some lucky flick will be named as the Best Short, and another will be Best Feature. The crowds will also get their opportunity to speak as they select the Audience Choice Award.

A screenwriting competition was added as a new component to the SoCal’s competition list. Writers submitted screenplays which were judged and finalists chosen. The finalists will have their screenplays read at the festival.

A special mixer has been added to Saturday’s schedule this year to let filmmakers, audiences and industry professionals meet. There will be an acoustic band and photo opportunities with the filmmakers attending from 3 to 5 p.m. Barsuglia said this will allow an exchange of ideas and dialogue between film consumers and producers they wouldn’t get otherwise.

“It’s a chance for film watchers to mix and interact with people from the industry,” Barsuglia said.