When the Seacoast and the rest of New England are busting with leaf-peeping tourists this fall, we can find refuge in a dark theater. Let the tourists have their foliage; we know that fall is for film.

The film season begins Sept. 17 with the Telluride by the Sea weekend at The Music Hall. The Telluride Film Festival in Colorado (held Labor Day weekend) has only one requirement for entry: that your film has not previously been shown in North America. Out of the 30 or so films that show at Telluride, six will be flown to New Hampshire to make a second North American appearance at The Music Hall. Everyone's very secretive right now about what films will be shown, but tickets and passes are available at The Music Hall. You can find out more about Telluride at www.telluridefilmfestival.com and about Telluride by the Sea at www.themusichall.org, where Portsmouth's six films will be announced on Friday, Sept. 3.

Oct. 1-3, Newburyport will host the first Northern Lights Documentary Film Festival to highlight some of the best new documentaries from New England, the country and the world. Awards will be given for best New England film, best sports film, best feature-length documentary and other categories. For more information, visit www.northernlightsfilmfestival.com.

The Fourth Annual New Hampshire Film Expo, Oct. 15-17, is moving from Derry to Portsmouth. The expo includes independent and student film screenings, a tradeshow, workshops, awards, live music and more. The deadline for entries has passed, but the schedule hasn't been posted yet. For updates, check out www.nhfx.com.

And Nov. 12-14, the SNOB (Somewhat North of Boston) Film Festival takes over Concord. This is the festival's third year, and it's earned a reputation for quality short and feature-length films, intriguing discussion with unusual guests, and general fun, such as 2002's showing of Nosferatu accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. Tickets go on sale Oct. 1; visit www.snobfilmfestival.org for more details.

UNH sociology professor and documentary-filmmaker James Tucker has finished his most recent effort, entitled The Nice Man Cometh. The film follows Lothar Patten, a formerly homeless man from Portsmouth, as he tries to contact ghosts, visits his old haunts and meets every Democratic candidate who visited New Hampshire last summer and fall. Originally, Tucker had just meant to make a film about Patten. One day while filming, John Kerry happened to make an appearance in Market Square, and both men thought it would be a good idea to try to get some footage of Patten meeting Kerry. Then the focus shifted to a documentary about Patten confronting the Democratic candidates, particularly over the issue of homelessness in America.

"We had no preconceived ideas for the film," says Tucker. "Lothar was able to engage the candidates and provide his own unique take on the entire process. Most importantly, however, I hope that the film shows Lothar to be a thoughtful and sensitive man who, in many ways, is more interesting than the men and women who want to live in the White House."

Tucker is currently working on setting up a Web page where people will be able to order the film. In the meantime, Patten is personally distributing copies of the film. If you spot him at Breaking New Grounds, you can ask him about it.

Local singer/songwriter Laurel Brauns' work will accompany filmmaker Bill Millios' most recent film, Dangerous Crosswinds. The film is about a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who returns to his New Hampshire home to assist in the mercy killing of a friend.

"Laurel's music is so refreshing that it will balance out the darker aspects of the story," Millios said in a press release. "We're thrilled to have a musician of her caliber attached to our project."

Millios hopes to have Crosswinds, much of which was shot on the Seacoast, wrapped up on June 12. For more information, check out Millios' production company's Web site, www.backlotfilm.com.

-Mike Campbell