Bill Graham / The Meridian StarFilmmaker Michael Williams of West Point adjusts his camera during the filming of "A Son Inherit" at Jean’s Restaurant in Meridian Friday afternoon. The short is one of four on tap for the Flash Film Festival at the Temple Theater Sunday.

Film crews flocked to Meridian this week, where they’ve been busy creating short movies for the upcoming Flash Film Festival.

The results will be shown at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 22 at The Temple Theater and feature four cinematic shorts.

On tap are “A Son Inherit” by Michael Williams of West Point, “Little Sister” by Jake Mardis of Starkville, “Ahura” by Miles Doleac of Hattiesburg, and “The Windingo Killer” by Josh Walton of Meridian.

The 10-minute films were shot over a 60-hour time span from Thursday night to early Saturday morning, according to Elliot Street, a veteran actor and teacher who organized the fest. 

Street hopes the artists leave with new experiences and skills after shooting has wrapped.

“People know how to act, but they might not know the technical part of filmmaking,” said Street, who runs the Angels’ Film Academy. “If we want to get any kinds of films made in Meridian — it’s a burgeoning industry — it would behoove us to be able to teach the technical parts of the film.”

Williams, who directed “Royal” for last year’s fest, said he returned this year for several reasons.

“I love any chance to film in Meridian,” said Williams, who spent Friday afternoon at Jean’s Restaurant working on his movie with a crew of dozen or so actors and technicians. “I know there’s so much more here. Even the short film I’m doing now just breaks the surface of what Meridian has to offer.”

Williams said he also jumped at the opportunity to return to Meridian “where people are so accepting and so willing to see movies made here.”

“Sometimes the hard part is having the resources to make a movie,” he said. “But when you have people making those resources available to you…it makes it easier to get something done.”

The festival is not a contest, and no prizes will be handed out Sunday. However, the directors, actors and crew can expect to receive  scholarships, which come via grants from the City of Meridian and the Phil Hardin Foundation, which provided major support.