Texas is many things... and it's also bigger than France. This Friday, September 2, Rooftop films in Williamsburg, Brooklyn presents "Bigger than France," a collection of Texas-based and/or themed short films. At 8:30 p.m. there will be live music by PG 6, and at 9 p.m. the screenings will begin. There will also be a BBQ in celebration of Labor Day. Make sure you dress warmly-- it gets chilly on the roof.

New York's short film festival, the Manhattan Short Film Festival has joined forces with the Martha's Vineyard Film Society in bringing a selection of short films to Martha's Vineyard on September 17 and 18 at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, Spring Street, Vineyard Haven.

Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival presents an evening of audience favorite shorts from the 2005 festival on August 24 at 8 p.m. The screenings will take place at the Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina, Toronto. Featured shorts include "Who's the Top?" by Jennie Livingston (director of "Paris Is Burning") and "Irene Williams: Queen of Lincoln Road," among others.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will host the Brooklyn premiere of the short film, "Bullets in the Hood: A Bed-Stuy Story," an award-winning, teen-produced documentary on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Produced at New York City’s Downtown Community Television Center, the film focuses on the tragic consequences of gun violence in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant community. Sponsored by City Council Members David Yassky and Letitia James, the free screening will be followed by a panel discussion and spoken word performances, as well as a reception at BAMcafé. The film’s creators, Terrence Fisher and Daniel Howard will be in attendance along with friends, family and community leaders from Bed-Stuy. RSVP Required: dcbutler@yahoo.com (646) 335-5548

San Francisco's Film Arts Foundation will host the latest installment of its True Stories series Aug. 17, featuring a pair of shorts about the work and legacies of two Bay Area artists.

Jane Levy Reed's “My Eyes were Fresh: The Life and Photographs of John Gutmann” profiles of an artist raised in the German-Jewish culture of Breslau and Berlin before religious persecution provoked him to start a new life in the United States. The event's organizers recognize Gutmann (right) as someone "whose art and life forged a link between the European modernism of the early twentieth century and the burgeoning artistic culture of SF Bay Area in the second half of the century."

Karina Epperlein's “Phoenix Dance” takes a closer look at Homer Avila, a professional dancer who lost a leg to cancer, yet recovered and returned triumphantly to the stage. Epperlein will be in attendance to discuss her film following the screening.

Each film runs 30 minutes, and the program starts at 7:30 at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.

Tonight in Manhattan, Gen Art hosts Ignite! 2005 NYC at the Puck Building. The multimedia event features more than two dozen short films in a multimedia viewing environment—including live performances, video installations and DJ work by Tommie Sunshine.

Among the films showcased are Chris Conforti's animated Frog—about the troubling misadventures of a frog searching for water—and Talmage Cooley's Dimmer, a documentary look at blind street kids in Buffalo, N.Y., with music by Interpol.

"At Gen Art Ignite!, audiences can kick back living-room style with a beer in hand while indulging in the best in short-form cinema art," said Gen Art film division director Jeffrey Abramson. "Last year, we drew 2,000 people to this event in New York."

The event starts at 8 p.m. at the Puck Building, 293 Lafayette St.

A still from Slink Moss' latest film, Factory (Photo: Slink Moss)

The NewFilmmakers Series continues at New York's Anthology Film Archives tonight with a program appropriately titled, "The Glorious 4th, A Few Days Late." Four hand-picked short comedies will precede Roy Szuper's feature, Gonzo Music Diaries.

Kelly Sebastian's "A Girl and a Goldfish" kicks things off, followed by Dave Mulkoff's "Gof Cart Driving School"--the story of a Hollywood go-fer who must attend driving school after running a stop sign on a studio lot.

Slink Moss' abstract "Factory" provides a set of surreal images from a demolished factory in upstate New York, dwelling on everything from dreams to airplane food. Finally, Jay Critchley's "Providence Dirt Newsreel" manipulates old newsreel footage to recount the colonial history of Providence, R.I.

"It's basically our late Fourth of July," said NewFilmmakers executive producer Barney Oldfield. "We do it every year with beer and some food. We've had action films, and last year we had a rock and roll show with a live band. We really try to make it fun."

The L Magazine is having Short Filmmaker Showdown, a competitive film series tonight at Crash Mansion at 199 Bowery at Spring Street in NYC, with free Kronenberg from 6-9 PM and the filmmakers showdown from 7-10 PM.