After calling Derry home for the past three years, the New Hampshire Film Expo is finally bringing its show to the creative heart of the Granite State.

From Friday to Sunday, NHFX will screen 33 independent and student films by filmmakers from New Hampshire, New England and beyond. In addition to screenings of films vying for awards, there will be special screenings of a handful of high-caliber independent films with appearances by such stars as Johnny Depp, Billy Zane and Seth Meyers.

Festival organizers culled these films from 122 submissions. New technology has drastically reduced the cost of creating films-digital technology has filtered down to affordable equipment-resulting in an explosion of small-scale filmmaking and creating a democratization of movie making. Even high schools have filmmaking classes and labs filled with digital editing equipment.

Four years ago, a bunch of friends got together to celebrate the growth of this phenomenon in their neighborhood. NHFX was dreamed up in early 2001 during a casual coffee shop conversation between Dan Hannon, Chris Proulx, Brett Parker and Judy Krassowski. Its original incarnation was as a forum for the four to promote the various projects they were involved with at the time. But once they found a forum and added a few more films, they realized they had a festival on their hands. Each year they have grown their core and picked up interested people along the way.

why Portsmouth?

"As we continued to grow, we wanted an environment to grow within," says co-founder Dan Hannon. "It's the whole fishbowl analogy: a fish is only going to grow as much as the capacity will allow."

Sometime between the second and third festival in Derry, the pond started to feel too small. Portsmouth was at the top of the list. The state film office was for it, and Nicole Gregg, event director for the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, was looking to start a film festival (she's since also become the director of development for NHFX).

The Seacoast should make a good home for NHFX. Independent films and festivals-from Telluride by the Sea to the Banff Mountain Film Festival-are heavily attended, and NHFX offers something maybe even more unique and attractive. Many of the small-budget films that will be shown this weekend showcase an experimental, heart-felt brand of filmmaking that cannot normally be found at the cineplex.

more than just movies

In the past, NHFX has more or less accepted all comers. Last year's edition screened around 75 films over four days. This year, with growth, they've tried to increase the quality by becoming more selective. The finalists will be screened at The Music Hall and the Sheraton Amphitheater in downtown Portsmouth.

NHFX is also a meeting ground, a place where filmmakers, actors and producers are accessible. There will be workshops for aspiring directors, producers and screenwriters at the Sheraton and the old Customs House; a trade show at the Connie Bean Community Center; and a number of events for young filmmakers at Strawbery Banke.

New Hampshire steps to the plate

Most film festivals find a niche to fill. The Maine International Film Festival pulls in famous guests every year (Ed Harris, Campbell Scott, Jonathan Demme, Sissy Spacek). The Vermont International Film Foundation is concerned entirely with human rights and environmental issues. Where does NHFX fit in?

"Our niche is that we hit the extremes," says co-founder Hannon. "We're very accessible with student films. We promote student filmmaking. We teach ourselves with our workshops. Then we also go the other way. We bring in special screenings of films that have spent a lot of money. We try to get celebrity guests if we can get a hold of them and the timing is right."

Last year's big score was an appearance by Brian Austin Green. This year Sean Carrigan (from The Next Action Star reality TV show) and Alicia Witt, and producers Tracy Becker and Hannah Minghella will all make appearances. The festival is only in its fourth year, and it seems to be growing and heading in the right direction.

Here is a small sampling of films to get excited about:

The Amazing Floydini, Friday at 8 p.m., The Music Hall, 102 min.

Floyd decides on the day before his 40th birthday to follow his lifelong dream of being a magician. "It is absolutely amazing," says NHFX director of development Nicole Gregg. "The acting is phenomenal, the crew, the editing-everything about it is absolutely great."

Thunder Road and Maestro, playing back to back on Sunday at 3:15 p.m., The Music Hall

Both short films-written, produced and directed by Doug Stradley-star Bedford native and Saturday Night Live actor Seth Meyers. Meyers narrates Thunder Road, a 15-minute-long short about a kid's quest to win his Cub Scout troop's pinewood derby (in competition for NHFX film award). Meyers also stars in Maestro as a bowling alley attendant who encounters a mythical piece of music that will either make him famous as a conductor or ruin him as it has everyone who has attempted it before him.

Beat Box Philly, Saturday at 3:30 p.m., Sheraton Amphitheater, 5 min.

An animated short consisting entirely of a journey through various Philadelphia neighborhoods accompanied by the human-generated beat box music of Edward Snyder.

Call Me, Sunday at 6 p.m., The Music Hall, 23 min.

Locally produced in Dover by Michael Nicholas and BrainAche Productions. "Uncle Henry," a mentally-challenged senior citizen, is interrogated from his jail cell about a heinous crime that he has been manipulated into committing.