GRASSROOTS movies

Hey did you see that movie? You probably haven't seen any of these.

Starting today and running through March 2, The Big Muddy Film Festival at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will show 78 films -- styles range from documentary and experimental to animation and narrative.

Organizers tout it as one of the oldest film festivals run by film and art students in the U.S. The point -- as with any indie film festival -- is to promote grassroots filmmaking and viewings.

This year more than 300 entries from 20 different countries were judged. This year's tribute is to two world-renowned directors, Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni. Viewers will get to see Antonioni's "L'Avventura" and "Through a Glass Darkly" by Bergman.

Named for a tributary of the Mississippi River, the festival started in 1979 and is now run by the Department of Cinema and Photography at SIU Carbondale.

The three jurors this year are Naomi Uman, Jonathan Caouette and Usama Alshaibi.

For more information, call 618-453-8301 or visit www.bigmuddyfilm.com/30th-2008.