Dubbo will once again become the Cannes of the Central West this Saturday night, November 22, hosting the 13th annual One Eye Film Festival at the Dubbo RSL Theatre.

For just $20, festival fans will get to see 17 curated short films produced by regional, national and international filmmakers and enjoy an evening that celebrates creativity, collaboration and storytelling.

Promoted as "a big night of short films", the One Eye Film Festival is an initiative of Dubbo Filmmakers, a volunteer-helmed and run not-for-profit that promotes and advances screen content creation and the screen industry in Dubbo and surrounding region - a sector that is quietly thriving.

The festival gains its striking and unusual moniker from the fact - unknown to many - that video cameras originally used for filming generally had only one lens, or "one eye", event spokesperson and Dubbo Filmmakers president Kellie Jennar said.

"Even though cameras have evolved and now you have multiple lenses... that's how it started, and we want to keep to its roots," Kellie added.

It's important to know that the festival is not a competition and there are no prizes. It provides an opportunity for filmmakers to have their work shown to audiences in a theatrical setting.

One young filmmaker whose work will be featured in the festival is travelling from Victoria with his family to attend, Kellie said.

Local writer, social commentator and self-confessed storyteller, Jen Cowley OAM, a strong advocate for the arts in all their forms, was honoured to be asked to curate the entries submitted to this year's One Eye Film Festival and chose the final line up.

"I've been going to the film festival for some time, and I'm always astonished by the diversity of the films and where people contribute from," Jen said.

"It was a really tough gig, because we have had submissions from not only all over the region, but all over NSW, Australia and internationally.

Her experience and interests guided her choice for the final 17 films for the festival program from well over 20 entries submitted.

"As a film goer, I was looking for a combination of entertainment and education and storytelling, because I'm a storyteller myself," Jen explained.

"I tried to choose films that would connect with the audience on all those different levels: the creative aspect, the educational value, and also share entertainment."

With mobile devices making it easy for everyone to tell stories and produce content for consumption nowadays, Kellie is quick to point out that quickfire content creation is for individuals to consume alone, while filmmaking is about screening a story to an audience of people in the same space

"The main differences [distinguishing filmmaking from general content creation] are storytelling, creating for a live audience, and having a message or a question you're asking someone watching," Kellie explained.

Jen Cowley says it's important for the wider community to support local creative initiatives like the One Eye Film Festival, which the organisers are putting on for community entertainment.

"I would just really urge people to get behind groups like this and come along on Saturday night. Come along, support it. Get down to Dubbo RSL and have a look at what people are doing in filmmaking," Jen said.

Festival goers also have the opportunity to join Dubbo Filmmakers on the night - one of the cheapest creative organisations around at just $20 per year.

"We welcome everyone," Kellie said.

"If you want to jump on board and just be part of a project, you're more than welcome. We'd love to have you, or if you want to be on the committee and help drive the direction of the organisation, we'd also love to hear from you," she concluded.

Doors open at 7.00pm on Saturday, November 22 for The One Eye Film Festival at the Dubbo RSL Theatre. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased via the link on the Dubbo Filmmakers website.