The 11th annual Southside Film Festival (SSFF), through June 14 in Bethlehem, brings 75-plus films from around the world to the Lehigh Valley.

About one dozen film-makers are expected for question and answer sessions about their films being shown at SSFF 2014, which kicked off with a June 9 fundraiser and June 10 opening night party.

Look for the crew from director James Arrabito's dramady feature, "Brooklyn Umemployed"; Craig Colton, director, "Cat Power" comedy short; and Amy C. Elliott, director, "Wicker Kittens," a documentary feature about competitive jigsaw puzzling.

With 2,000 likes on the SSFF facebook page and thousands expected to attend, the five-day alternative cinema festival has become a Lehigh Valley arts and entertainment mainstay.

"We did away with the [festival] themes last year," says Jeff Vaclavik, SSFF board president. "People found it confusing. The feedback we get is that people prefer it without the themes.

"It kind of opened it up to a lot more films," says Ben Bertalan, who, with Vaclavik, is a SSFF founding member.

Approximately 200 films were submitted to the SSFF. Other films were curated by Bertalan, known as the SSFF film wrangler for attending film festivals.

"This year, it's a wide array of films. We have documentaries, dramas, comedies, and two blocks of animation," Bertalan says. "I think it's going to be a great festival."

There are also three documentary blocks, three drama blocks, one comedy block and one miscellaneous block. A block is when shorter films are grouped into one screening program. A block varies from one hour, 20 min. to one hour, 45 min. Some films and some of the blocks have multiple screenings.

"I think we have the most stacked lineup of films since I volunteered," says Glenn Koehler, SSFF director, who began five years ago as a festival volunteer.

This year, SSFF added three new countries (Austria, Columbia, Hungary), bringing to 87 SSFF films' countries of origin. That's in addition to 42 states in the United States from which films have been shown.

An additional 40 films, selected by youth judges and their parents-guardians, are in the Children's Film Series. The "Red Carpet Premiere Night" is 6 - 9 p.m. June 11, Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, with Charles Kiernan of the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild opening the program. The youth-oriented film program resumes 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. June 13 and 14.

There's a Late Night Screening, "Witching and Bitching," 11 p.m. June 13. Closing Night Party is at Comfort Suites, Third and Brodhead streets, Bethlehem, with food, cash bar, music and mingling with SSFF filmmakers.

Each SSFF official was asked to select some SSFF "must-sees."

Vaclavik: "George Tice: Seeing Beyond the Moment." Peter Bosco, producer of the documentary feature about the well-known New Jersey-based photographer, is expected to attend. "There's a possibility that he [Tice] might show up," says Vaclavik, who also recommends "Letters on A Record Home," a six-minute documentary about recordings made by GIs shipping out for World War II made by John Kurash, a Nesquehoning native with whom Vaclavik attended school.

Koehler: "Burt's Buzz," a documentary feature about Burt Shavitz, founder of Burt's Bees products. "Most people don't even know that Burt is a real person," Koehler says. "We have a lot of great animation blocks. 'Me + Her' is animated [stop-motion] completely with cardboard. The amount of detail and time that must have gone into it, I can't even imagine." Koehler also touts "A Noontime Found," a three-minute experimental drama by Bethlehemite Anthony Delluva, and "The Dam Keeper," an 18-min. animated short sound engineered by Liberty High School graduate Andrew Vernon ("Monsters, Inc.").

Bertalan: "OJ: The Musical," a mockumentary about a thespian's quest to produce a musical based on O.J. Simpson. The film unreeled at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. "Michael Moore is quoted as saying it's a 'brilliant satire,' " Bertalan notes.

SSFF venues, in addition to Godfrey Daniels, are Broughal Middle School, Brodhead and Morton streets; Sinclair Lab Auditorium, Lehigh University, Asa Drive, off Packer Avenue, and Victory Firehouse, Columbia and Webster streets, all southside Bethlehem.

A SSFF All-Access Pass gives you admission to parties and films.

Information, directions, SSFF films, screening times: soutsidefilmfestival. com