Area movie fans get two treats this weekend, as the second annual Bangor Film Festival gets under way, and the Grand in Ellsworth on Saturday finally unveils its new 35mm film projector, after more than a year of operating without a working projector.

Last year’s inaugural Bangor Film Festival was the brainchild of Bangor native Joshua Gass, a filmmaker who currently lives in Los Angeles, but makes the trek home each year to put on the festival with the help of River City Cinema. This year’s festival, which officially started last weekend with the 28-Eighty Film Shootout, features many of the same elements of last year’s festival, plus a few new additions.

Tonight’s screenings are at Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School, and include a program of short films by local filmmakers, including Eric Erbes’ animated short “Why I’m Moving to Maine,” Kate Kaminski and Beth Carson’s documentary “21st Century LP” and “Nonstop Transcontinental Journey Across the United States,” a comedic short by Sherman Kew. These are followed by a screening of the documentary “A Call to Action,” a film by Bangor native Chris Gaspar. It highlights the positive impact popular music can have on our communities, and its ability to create social change in America.

The festival continues on Saturday at the Bangor Opera House, with a 2 p.m. screening of the feature film “The Hammer,” starring comedian Adam Carolla. At 7 p.m., the films from the 28-Eight Film Shootout will be screened. The competition requires that filmmakers write, direct and edit their films in 2,880 minutes – 48 hours. One element must be included in each film. Last year’s element was a clip of some Hawaiian ukulele; what’ll it be this year? Admission to all BFF events is $5; for more information, visit www.bangorfilmfestival.com.

Meanwhile, at The Grand, film programmer Benjamin Speed and projectionist Tamara Crawford will help unveil the theater’s new 35 mm film projector – a piece of equipment The Grand has been working on acquiring for more than a year now, after the old projector broke in the winter of 2007.

The Grand has been a long-standing outlet for art house and independent cinema in eastern Maine, and the loss of the projector meant a loss of a valuable resource for film fans around these parts. New 35mm projectors aren’t cheap – they can cost upwards of $25,000 – so it wasn’t exactly easy for The Grand to just go out and buy one. This summer, after lots of fundraising and penny-pinching, The Grand purchased a Horizon All-In-One 35mm Projector.

Saturday’s film gala starts at 6 p.m. with a reception featuring live music and refreshments. At 7 p.m., Grand staff will ceremoniously say goodbye to the old projector and welcome in the new one, followed by a 7:30 p.m. screening of the critically acclaimed film “Young @ Heart,” a 2008 documentary about a choral group made up of senior citizens. Admission to the reception is $7; $6 for kids and seniors, and $5 for Grand members. For more information, visit www.grandonline.org.