Short film lovers will have the opportunity to view about a dozen three-minute pieces at the Crest Theatre on Thursday. The shorts are from “Open Reel,” a film competition held by the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, as part of the center’s sixth annual Capitol Artists’ Studio Tour. The event starts at 8 p.m. and is free. One film at Thursday night’s screening will receive an award for best use of color as determined by judges Jenny Stark and Ed Ortiz. Stark is an associate professor of communication studies and film at Sac State, and Ortiz is a Sacramento Bee music critic, playwright and Sac State screenwriting instructor. A second award will be presented for the audience favori

A press release from the Capitol Artists' Studio Tour organizers: The deadline to participate in the 2009 Capitol Artists' Studio Tour is July 2 (5pm). The CAST is an annual, self-guided art tour featuring Sacramento artists in their studios. Building upon the tremendous success of the last three years, the tour is open to all artists who have a studio within a four mile radius of the museum at 1519 19th Street, Sacramento. There are important changes this year, including the opportunity to have your work seen at the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento in a show which will open August 21 and run through the tour, which includes the evening of Second Saturday, September 12. Please fi