ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) ─ A stateline film festival, now in its 15th year, is ready to kick off once again.

The Beloit International Film Festival celebrated “FestEve 2020” Thursday night at IronTek, 635 3rd St.

The 10 day festival starts Friday, February 21st.

Venues across Beloit will highlight short and feature films, along with documentaries.

Founders of the event say they were inspired to bring a festival to Beloit after an experience overseas.

“The films were shot on the outside of buildings and Becky and I had had a few beers and we looked at each other and went this would be cool,” said Beloit International Film Festival Co-Founder Rod Beaudoin. “We came up with a strategy to reach out to the community and get the support to do it and it happened.”

Eyewitness News is the official media sponsor for the event.

You can find more information here.