BY EVAN HENERSON
Staff Writer

The West Valley goes movie crazy for the next seven days, and - for the 10th consecutive year - there's a "Method" to the mania.

Honoring the craft of acting, the Method Fest Independent Film Festival spreads screenings of some 25 feature films and 48 shorts on a pair of screens in Woodland Hills and Calabasas.

The festival kicks off Thursday with the Zackary Adler-directed family drama "Familiar Strangers" and concludes Wednesday with Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda and Virginia Madsen scheming to sell a rare baseball card in "Diminished Capacity."

In between, the ever expanding festival will offer parties, receptions, workshops, an indie music night and an awards ceremony, which typically honors performers who aren't exactly regulars along the red carpet. Actors Richard Jenkins (of "The Visitor") and Melissa Leo ("Lullaby," "The Cake Eaters") are special award honorees.

Producers, directors and stars will be on hand for post-screening Q&A sessions and - they hope - to meet with potential distributors. Past films that have screened at Method Fest before reaching theaters include "Lonely Hearts," "Jindabyne" and the 2007 opening night film "Waitress."

"We're looking first for how strong is the acting and next, how powerful is (the) story," says Method Fest executive director Don Franken. "Last year, I was so proud. We had our strongest lineup in our history. This year, we're 100 percent convinced that we're better."

Method Fest administrators have worked their way through some 700 submissions to assemble the 2008 roster. Although the common link of any Method Fest lineup is inevitably its acting, the 2008 festival contains a high number of films either set in Los Angeles or made by L.A. filmmakers.

International entries come from Greece ("Eduart"), Brazil ("Corpo"), Australia ("Unfinished Sky") and Canada ("Portage," "La Lachete," "This Beautiful City" and "The Stone Angel.") The shorts are grouped by subject ranging from "Sexual Healing" to "Fair Weather Friends."

Helen Hunt makes her feature film directing debut and stars opposite Colin Firth, Bette Midler and Matthew Broderick in "Then She Found Me," (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.) about a New York schoolteacher experiencing a midlife crisis. Mary Stuart Masterson's first directorial effort, "The Cake Eaters," (Saturday, 2:30 p.m.) concerns two rural American families coming together over a loss.

"Then She Found Me" is one of the few festival entries that already has theatrical distribution, along with "Diminished Capacity" and "The Visitor," actor Thomas McCarthy's first film since 2003's "The Station Agent."

For the rest, festival exposure - and word-of-mouth buzz - is critical, says Brennan Howard, writer/director/producer of "Low." The drama imagines the final days of boxer Sonny Liston and musician Chet Baker.

"We're kind of the David among Goliaths," says Howard, whose film screens Saturday at 2:30 p.m. "Some of the other films have Helen Hunt, Matthew Broderick and Ellen Burstyn. We don't have names like that."

"Lullaby," the newest film by South African director Darrell Roodt ("Sarafina!" "Cry the Beloved Country") features Melissa Leo as a mother looking to ransom her son out of the clutches of a drug lord with the help of the son's pregnant girlfriend. According to producer Richard Finney, the film is a showpiece for veteran character actress Leo, who will accept the Method Fest's Maverick Award after the screening.

"A lot of actors these days are either flowing into TV series or are going the B-movie route," says Finney. "Then you've got what Melissa is doing - doing small independent films for the Screen Actors Guild minimum wage and not staying at the Four Seasons.

"You have to give credit to actors who are supporting small independent films," Finney continues. "That kind of commitment is driving the independent film scene, and that's what I love about these film festivals. You're really celebrating that commitment."

All of the films will screen at either Viewpoint School's Carlson Family Theatre or at the Louis B. Mayer Theatre at the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Prices range from $10 for individual screenings to $195 for a total access VIP pass. Information: (800) 838-3006, www.methodfest.com, www.brownpapertickets.com.

Evan Henerson (818) 713-3651

evan.henerson@dailynews.com

Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images