The annual Finger Lakes Film Festival returns to Geneva this weekend, February 28.

Going on its fifth year, the one-day Finger Lakes Film Festival highlights short films from across the world, with a special focus on Upstate New York.

“The Geneva Business Improvement District is proud to support the Finger Lakes FilmFestival for the fifth year in a row,” Executive Director of the Geneva BID, Sydney Schumacher said. “It’s a terrific addition to downtown Geneva’s seasonal arts and cultural scene.”

The festival will be held at The Dove Block Project’s Jim Spates Theater and the Smith Opera House. It will include five feature-length blocks of short films, which will all be followed by filmmaker Q&As.

This event is free and open to the public. Here’s what to know about the 2026 Finger Lakes Film Festival.

FLX Film Festival at The Dove Block

The first three blocks of the festival will be held at The Dove Block, 465 Exchange Street in Geneva.

Doors at the theater will open at 10 a.m., and the screenings will run from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first block will start at 10:30 a.m., followed by the second block at 12:30 p.m. and the last block will start at 2:15 p.m.

There are no tickets required, but festival organizers suggest getting there early as seats at The Dove Block will fill up fast.

Each block will contain multiple short films that will be followed by a short intermission and filmmaker Q&A.

For a full list of short films playing at The Dove Block, visit fingerlakesfilmfestival.org/program.

FLX Film Festival at the Smith Opera House

The second two blocks of the festival will be held at the Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca Street in Geneva.

Doors will open at 5 p.m., and the premiere of the locally produced film, “Geneva Falls,” will start at 5:30 p.m. The programming blocks will start at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., finishing up around 11 p.m.

Each block will be followed by filmmaker Q&As. After the screenings, a filmmaker meet and greet will be held at The Linden Social Club, from 11:00 p.m. until close.

For a full list of short films playing at the Smith Opera House, visit fingerlakesfilmfestival.org/program.

— Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who covers breaking and trending news for the Finger Lakes region. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Finger Lakes Film Festival returns to Geneva this weekend

Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

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