Click here for a schedule of films: http://tinyurl.pdnptfilm

PORT TOWNSEND — This weekend’s Port Townsend Film Festival is not only a program of 70 diverse movies, but also a reflection of the community that has hosted the event for 12 years.

The three-day festival in its second day today — and which honors special guest Buck Henry, a writer and actor — has a strong homegrown component.

Three of the films include contributions from people who grew up in the Port Townsend environs and have channeled the community in some way to yield a unique result.

Said actress Jennifer Ewing: “I am a product of Port Townsend in all the best ways; the most important things to me are family and community.

“So I am happy to be here, to give something back to Port Townsend.”

All three films will be shown at the Peter Simpson Free Cinema in the American Legion Hall at 209 Monroe St.

“Electric Man,” scheduled at 3 p.m. today (Saturday), features Ewing, a 2006 Port Townsend High School graduate who is making much of her living as an actress in New York.

The movie is a modern update of “The Maltese Falcon” where the object of value is a rare comic book.

Ewing, who portrays the sultry female lead, was chosen for the role partially because of her participation in a series of comic book-oriented short films on YouTube.

Ewing is currently “on Broadway” playing the role of a theater concession-stand attendant, which puts her in proximity to the big time.

She has also acted in off-off Broadway and has generally kept busy.

“I’ve fallen in with a good group of people who are always working,” she said.

“We are not the type to sit around and wait for a big break.

“We make work for ourselves.”

Working in the theater, even pouring drinks, gives her access to the plays, which allows her to watch and learn.

Ewing said there are two types of actors: those who seek fame and those who want to refine their craft.

She places herself in the second category.

Ewing, 22, is learning her craft while seeking to grow.

“When I was 19 and working in a restaurant, a woman came in and said that I would be gorgeous when I was 40,” she said.

“That was a hard thing to hear because I didn’t want to wait that long.

“I’d like to be an actress like Helen Mirren, who didn’t reach her peak until she was a little older.

“Right now, I’m not old enough to play roles that match my face and too old-looking to play people my own age.”

“Clarity,” a short film written and directed by 21-year-old Chimacum native Tristan Stoch, will be screened at 3 p.m. today at the Simpson theater and at 6 p.m. today at the Rosebud Cinema, 235 Taylor St.

Stoch filmed his movie in Port Townsend in January, telling what he described as a universal tale.

The movie tells the tale of two friends whose lives diverged, based on Stoch’s own experience.

It is set in Port Townsend, with many recognizable landmarks, but Stoch said the theme is universal: how good friends can follow different paths.

He is pleased with the outcome, though he still notices little flaws.

“It’s a beautiful little film,” he said.

“It captures the feeling of a particular time and place.”

Stoch, 21, said the film took him six years to make.

Several Jefferson School students appeared as extras, so it will be a special treat for them to participate in the screening, according to the head of the school, Paulette Lack.

Lack said her students benefit from learning filmmaking techniques and often produce their own documentaries about the school’s yearly expeditions.

“Technology makes it possible for kids to do this,” she said.

“They take advantage of any tools that are available.”

“The Last of Us,” which was screened at noon Friday at the Peter Simpson Free Cinema, is a Holocaust drama told through a series of flashbacks that is “a celebration of family,” said co-director Sam Force, the 29-year-old son of Janette Force, film festival director.

Adapted from a play by Wes Cecil and filmed in Port Townsend by Sam Force and Jeremiah Morgan, the film tells of an old man who returns to Prague to relive memories of his family killed by Nazis in the Holocaust.

“It’s a good movie; it’s full of passion,” Sam Force said.

During the festival, films are shown at six venues.

Two are showing films for free: the Peter Simpson Free Cinema and the Taylor Street Outdoor Cinema.

The others are The Uptown Theatre at Lawrence and Polk streets, the Pope Marine Park Theatre at Madison and Water streets, the Rose Theatre and Rosebud Cinema, and The Upstage Restaurant and Theatre at 923 Washington St.

Passes are available online at www.ptfilmfest.com — which also contains a full program of films and events — and at the hospitality center, 607 Water St., from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.