The 17th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival begins tonight Oct. 30 in the newly revamped Overton Square in Memphis, Tenn. The festival will run through Nov. 2, and includes more than 45 features and documentaries.

The festival will appropriately kick off the Halloween night with a midnight showing of the 1978 horror hit "Halloween,” followed by a “Halloween Ball” after the screening.

Saturday will feature workshops by independent film greats Ted Hope and Mike Ryan, and Sunday's events include a workshop on raising money for film budgets through crowd funding.

The Hometowner Awards, given only to Memphis area filmmakers, will be presented on Saturday evening. This year's awards are presented by The Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission and are sponsored by state Sen. Mark Norris and Commission Board members Dr. O'Farrell Shoemaker and Dr. Richard Ranta.

The Indie Memphis Film Festival is ranked by MovieMaker magazine as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” and expects to draw crowds over 12,000 strong across the four-day festival.

For passes to the “Halloween Ball,” a detailed schedule of workshops and a complete list of film screening times, please visit indiememphis.com or call 901.888.4128.