The "Wild Rose" features 20 "indy" films

Iowa’s own version of the Sundance Film Festival is underway this weekend. The Wild Rose Independent Film Fest is featuring more than 20 movies which fest director Kimberly Busbee says you won’t see on any traditional theater screens. The films were submitted from all over the U-S including several big markets like L-A and New York, in addition to two foreign films, one each from Mexico and Canada. Busbee explains how they obtain the unusual collection of movies for the four-day film fest.Several Iowa filmmakers are being featured, including “On Account of Amber,” the directorial debut of C-E Doss of Des Moines, “Space Rocket,” a science fiction spoof by Dan Mundt of Denison, and a re-cut version of Muscatine resident Max Allan Collins’ “Shades of Noir,” an anthology of short pieces about crime, punishment, and hard-edged irony. Busbee says there’s a wide range of movie topics and lengths. They range from comedic shorts and animation to full-length features, student projects, documentaries and more. Screenings run through Sunday at The Vaudeville Mews and at the Fleur Cinema and Cafe, both in Des Moines. For a full rundown, surf to “www.ariesworks.com” or call (515) 707-1533.