Couch Fest Films

Rosa is one of nearly 60 short films being featured during Couch Fest Films.
Image courtesy Couch Fest Films

The popcorn comes straight out of the kitchen this weekend when dozens of houses in Iceland, Haiti, Peru and elsewhere temporarily transform into Couch Fest Films movie theaters.

Couch Fest Films — arguably the world’s most cozy film festival — will screen nearly 60 short films in makeshift home theaters on Saturday. Its self-described “Captain,” Craig Downing, launched the festival in Seattle in 2008. This year the geographic scope of the fest has expanded to 10 countries total.

It’s a cool idea, but what’s wrong with regular movie theaters?

“We had been thinking about how people usually just sit in the dark, watch a film, and then go home,” Downing explained in an email to Wired.com. “We wanted to create an event that would encourage people to come together. We figured by having a film festival in strangers’ houses it could be a great physical and metaphorical way to encourage people to open the door and talk to each other.”

Downing, now working as a cameraman in Reykjavik, Iceland, adds, “I know it’s cheesy, but we have a crippling weakness for developing community. Our mission has always been to bring people together with mind-blowing films.”

Ten U.S. cities will host Couch Fest Films movies, including Jesus Orellana’s fantastical short film Rosa (pictured above). For a complete list of Saturday’s locations, check the map here.

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