Access Sacramento has been challenging script writers to show what Sacramento is about in 10-minute films for more than a decade. On Oct. 3 the organization will be holding their 11th annual film festival, “A Place Called Sacramento” at the Crest Theatre.

Access Sacramento is a nonprofit public-service organization in Sacramento.

“Our mission is to give voice and help all Sacramento County residents to tell their story by using state-of-the art technology,” said Ron Cooper, Access Sacramento executive director.

Of the 45 films submitted, a panel of judges chose the 10 that best represented Sacramento. The film festival will present nine of the original films. Access Sacramento lost contact with one of the producers, and the film was dropped from the festival.

The films include “Thugs Need Hugs,” “Treasure Chest of South Sacramento,” “Butterscotch,” “War at Home,” “Bar Time,” “Little Thieves,” “The Golden Tree,” “Three Words for Dacia,” and “Are You My Girlfriend?”

The films had to feature a unifying theme telling something insightful about life and people in Sacramento. Filmmakers’ options were to use recognizable landmarks, human characteristics and stories that challenged the audience to see Sacramento with fresh eyes and ears.

The writer/producers who get their scripts chosen go through a five-month-long process before their films are shown. This may seem like plenty of time, but for those who were selected it was all about cramming.

The script writers had to have their 10-minute scripts submitted by April 19. One month later, on May 19, the script writers were introduced to the actors and production teams at Access Sacramento’s cast and crew call. The production teams were formed, and the films were produced over the summer.

Dennis Curry, program director for Developmental Disabilities Service Organization (DDSO), directed two of the films: “Thugs Need Hugs” and “Are You My Girlfriend?” He challenged his screenwriting class to write scripts for the film festival. He said it has been a longstanding dream of his to train a production team.

To be considered developmentally disabled, a person has to be diagnosed before the age of 18. The students involved in the production of the two films have disabilities that include autism, brain injury and cerebral palsy.

“The key is pre-planning,” Curry said.

In Curry’s case, some of the equipment was provided by the staff at DDSO. However, Access Sacramento helps those who don't have the equipment by providing it for them. The films were shot in high definition. Curry was provided an HD camera by Access Sacramento. “Once you go HD, you don't go back,” Curry said.

DDSO has its own recording studio, and the final song in the film, “Are You My Girlfriend?”, was recorded in the studio. The song was sung buy Autumn Sky, a local performer who auditioned for the part. The song was written by the husband of one of the teachers at the school.

The script for “Three Words for Dacia,” was submitted by Sean Stueve and written by Luke David.

“His film is stylistic,” Cooper said. “It's very high in black-and-white contrast with hints of color. Each character has a color associated with them,” Stueve said.

“The time frame wasn't quite long enough,” Stueve said adding that one of the hardest parts was the film length. When he was done editing, it was 13 1/2 minutes long. “Cutting out 3 1/2 minutes is a lot for a 10- minute film,” Stueve said. Another challenge he faced was finding locations that would let his team film for free- coffee shops, bars and hotel lobbies.

“Access Sacramento offered their help any chance they could,” Stueve said.

At the end of the festival, each writer/producer will be given an honor and an opportunity to thank everyone involved. There will be an audience award given and a producers’ favorite.

“A Place Called Sacramento” will be held at the Crest Theatre at 1 p.m. Oct. 3. Tickets are available at tickets.com or at the Crest Theatre box office. The Crest Theatre is located at 1013 K Street.