Filmmakers will have their moment on center stage at this year’s George Lindsey University of North Alabama Film Festival, according to event organizers.

“We have worked hard this year to find ways to help them get to the festival, and we expect to have a record number on hand to present their films,” said Cynthia Burkhead, an English instructor and festival organizer.

The annual festival begins Thursday.

She said there would be question-and-answer sessions after each block of film screenings, and “we’ve also scheduled a ‘Meet the Filmmakers’ session for Friday, so audiences can spend more time getting to know our guests.”

The festival is in its 14th year at UNA, and it remains one of the few film festivals to take place on a university campus. The event was founded in 1998 in part by UNA alumnus and actor and entertainer George Lindsey.

Lindsey’s career has included several roles, including the character Goober Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Burkhead said the festival’s longevity has to do with the cultural role the event has taken on in the Shoals.

“Our founders established a mission of bringing education about independent film to the community and celebrating those artists making films,” she said. “Coupled with the efforts of the extremely talented filmmakers living and working in the Shoals, the vision helped to make film a thriving part of the Shoals arts scene, and the community has embraced it.”

UNA spokesman Josh Woods said the event enhances the artistic scene already entrenched in the area.

“It’s an opportunity for the university to expose students to a lot of these independent filmmakers, but it’s also an opportunity for the greater community,” he said. “Film is one of the great art forms of the 20th century, and in terms of cultural significance, it’s right up there.”

Each year presents its own scheduling challenges, Burkhead said, and this year was no different. The Salute to George Lindsey that was scheduled for Friday, for instance, has been postponed until April 30. Lulu Romans and Ray Stevens will be on hand, and Burkhead said the venue for that event should be announced soon.

Even with the delay in the tribute to Lindsey, Burkhead said this year’s festival really does get back to its roots.

“One way we are bringing those elements together is in a panel on Southern rural humor,” Burkhead said. “The three experts on that panel will talk about why the type of comedy found on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ endures on television and in film.”

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 256-740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@TimesDaily.com.