Film critics and moviegoers alike will gather in Madison March 31 to April 3 for the seventh annual Wisconsin Film Festival.

Festival Director Mary Carbine oversees the production of the event, to take place at venues throughout Madison and the University of Wisconsin campus, including the Orpheum Theatre and the Overture Center for the Arts. She said she organized a team who helped pick films for the festival.

“We’ve put together a terrific lineup that I think people will enjoy,” Carbine said.

The festival, which will feature more than 150 films this year, is a public program with many sponsors, such as the UW Arts Institute. The event will show a variety of experimental films, documentaries, shorts, independent projects and a total of 65 projects by filmmakers with Wisconsin ties.

Kim Straka, director of communications and public relations at the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the film festival is one of the biggest events the organization promotes here this time of year. She said they highlight events like the festival because it attracts more visitors to the downtown area.

“It adds to our quality of life in Madison,” Straka said.

Straka said the festival has grown in popularity each year since more people continue to hear about it.

“People look forward to this event,” Straka said. “It’s going to be packed downtown.”

UW senior Rebecca Leib said she has watched films in the festival throughout the past few years. Leib, an art major, said she is looking forward to a number of animations and documentaries.

“It’s really interesting to see what people are making in Wisconsin,” Leib said.

Leib agreed the event is popular in Madison, because dedicated moviegoers are given the chance to see movies they wouldn’t normally be able to see.

“It’s a gateway into local and international filmmaking,” Leib said.

According to Straka, people who come to the event stay at Madison hotels and eat at the restaurants on State Street, which she said is beneficial to the city’s economy.

Straka, who plans on seeing a number of the films, said the city enjoys seeing things that aren’t mainstream — and the festival offers the type of variety its residents seek.

According to Carbine, there is not anything similar to the festival in Madison, and its popularity reflects the support from the community and UW students.

“It offers an opportunity for a really unique cultural experience,” Carbine said. “We’re bringing the world to Madison.”

This year, films will be shown from 27 countries including Argentina, South Korea, Mexico and France.

Carbine said the event offers a chance for first-time filmmakers to showcase their work.

“It’s a really exciting moment,” Carbine said.

Tickets for the film festival are currently on sale at Memorial Union in the Annex Room or can be purchased over the phone. The Wisconsin Film Festival website, www.wifilmfest.org, is where individual film summaries and the event schedule can be found.