Waterville has one. So does Camden. So why not Bangor?

The first-ever Bangor Film Festival kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at the Bangor Opera House. It will feature two days of screenings and panels, as well as a filmmaking competition, the 28-Eighty Film Shootout, that officially starts on Thursday.

Organizer Joshua Gass and sponsoring organization River City Cinema felt it was important to differentiate the Bangor festival from other Maine film festivals. Where the Camden Film Festival features documentaries, and the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville features mostly films from other countries, the Bangor Film Festival will focus almost solely on films from Maine.

“We were trying to do something that’s a little bit different,” said Gass, a Bangor native who now lives in Los Angeles, working in the film industry. “We want to put the spotlight on Maine film, because I don’t think people realize the talent and diversity that’s right here in state.”

The inaugural festival will feature three programs of short films, ranging from “Vacationland,” directed by Lance Edmands, about a bicycle trip taken across the state, to Gass and his brother Seth’s own “The Legend of Cody Collins,” about a crazy ’70s hairdresser, complete with big mustaches and leisure suits.

It will also feature shorts made by the teenage students at the Windover Arts Center in Newburgh, as well as a few non-Maine films, like Angela Ottinger’s “The Donut King,” a very short film about a boy who loves doughnuts, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

“All the shorts range in genre, from comedy to drama. They really showcase the diversity you can find in the short film world,” said Gass. “People don’t get exposed to short films very often, either, so here’s an opportunity for Bangor-area film fans to see a lot of really great ones.”

Another first for Bangor that’s debuting at the festival is the 28-Eighty Film Shootout. Modeled on other 48-hour filmmaking competitions held all over the country, 28-Eighty gives filmmaking teams exactly two days to conceptualize, write, shoot and edit an eight-minute-or-less film. Each film must contain one specific element, given to the teams at the start of the competition, which for 28-Eighty is at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 27. The resulting movies will be shown at 7 p.m. on Saturday night at the festival.

“We’re trying keep it fun, and give people freedom. A lot of these competitions, they cram you into one genre or style. We want to keep it a little more open,” said Gass. “But what ties all the films together is how each team interprets this one thing. I can’t give it away, but I’ll say it’s musical in nature. I’ll give you that much.”

Though both the Gass brothers live in Los Angeles, they return to Maine several times a year to work on film-related events, such as the Bangor Film Festival. The Maine film scene is small but growing, and Gass sees lots of opportunities for continued development, both for local filmmakers and for those with skills that could be utilized by big, out-of-state studios coming into Maine to film.

“A lot of times you see productions coming in from out of state, and they bring crews with them. They do hire locally, but the state needs to do more to promote itself as not only a place to film projects, but also that there are production resources within the state that can be used,” observed Gass. “I also hope that events like this will bring different elements of the film scene in Maine together, so they can connect and network and support each other.”

What festival organizers most hope comes out of the Bangor Film Festival is a chance to do it again next year, and make it bigger and better.

“We’re testing the waters this year. We have a long-term goal of doing this annually, with more days with more films,” said Gass. “The response we’ve gotten so far has been really great, via the Web and word of mouth. We’re really excited.”

A full schedule of screenings and panels, as well as after parties and other related events, can be found at www.bangorfilmfest.com, as well as details for registering for the 28-Eighty Film Shootout. All festival passes are $20; single admission for the three shorts programs are $5. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.