11th annual ashland independent film festival: April 12-16, 2012 The ashland independent film festival is a non-profit that puts on five days of the highest quality independent film in this historic town the Washington Post called "a dream you'll never want to leave." Every Spring, Southern Oregon is buzzing with the excitement of the AIFF. Over 6000 film lovers gather at the historic art-deco Varsity Theatre in downtown to watch over 80 films in five days. Filmmakers of the documentaries, features and shorts come from around the world come to engage with the audience after each screening and at the festival’s Opening Night Bash and Award Celebration parties with local wine, beer and gourmet food. Special guests have included Helen Hunt, Albert Maysles, Bruce Campbell and more. The film festival is one of the reasons Ashland is included in the popular travel guide A Thousand Places to See Before You Die. The Oregonian newspaper's Shawn Levy, said the AIFF "offers movie lovers that same sense of being in a magical place...Southern Oregon doesn't have anything else like it -- nor, in fact, do most places on Earth."