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Garner that won't be widely released until Oct. 5.
• And that's just a sampling. About 100 filmmakers entered their works; about half of those were accepted, organizers said. Many of the films have cast or crew from the Upper Great Plains.
• "We'll tear about 1,000 tickets over the course of the weekend," Black said.
• Scholtz, who made his first film in 1997, said Aberdeen -- population 27,000 -- will continue to lure him because it's a "filmmakers' festival."
• "Everyone in the film community in the Midwest is aware of the festival," he said. "Average people won't have heard of it, but they have a really good reputation with filmmakers."
• Black said that while the festival is heavy on Great Plains artists, it also draws filmmakers from Florida, Washington state, Washington D.C., and the rest of the country. People don't just love showing their work in South Dakota, he said, they like making it here, too.
• Not only does the state offer the picturesque landscape that made "Wolves" star Kevin Costner a lifelong fan, but it's cheap for film workers, Black said. South Dakota doesn't have the income tax, union labor or hefty sales tax of some other states, he said.
• "You may think Chicago isn't the middle of nowhere, but it takes a lot longer to get to Chicago for most people," Black said. "We're actually the perfect place."
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