You don't have to bring a jump-rope to the Santa Fe Film Festival's screening of the documentary Jump!, but be prepared to sweat.

Helen Hood Scheer, who wrote, directed and produced the film about six American teams of jump-rope competitors, plans to teach audience members a few basic tricks of the sport at the two film screenings, 5:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday at Tipton Hall on the College of Santa Fe campus.

But before you get hopping with Jump!, note that the eighth annual film fest kicks off at 7 p.m. tonight with a screening of Forgiving the Franklins at the Armory for the Arts. This dark comedy, which focuses on three members of a deeply religious Christian family who go through an unexpected spiritual conversion after suffering an accident, features Santa Fe's own, actress Aviva. Aviva, who will be in attendance, made a cinematic splash as a good-time girl in last summer's teen comedy hit Superbad.

The five-day marathon includes screenings of about 240 movies (including shorts), panel discussions on filmmaking, some parties and the annual Milagro Awards Ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. The event honors both participating filmmakers and five invited tributees: film and theater actor Alan Cumming, cinematographer John Bailey, film editor Carol Littleton, and documentary filmmakers Marina Goldovskaya and Alanis Obomsawin.

According to Jon Bowman, executive director of the fest, about 170 filmmakers will be in town for the event. "Santa Fe is interesting in that the filmmakers usually find that the audience here is more literate — they 'get' it," he explained. Plus, Bowman said, a lot of programmers from other film festivals will be on hand to see if they want to show any of these titles in their fests.

For visiting filmmakers, this event can be delightful or disastrous, depending on how their movies hit patrons. "The joy is sharing my film with an audience and meeting other filmmakers," said Scheer, whose Jump! has already been screened at six film festivals. "But it's definitely nerve-racking walking into a theater and wondering how many seats are going to be filled."

She shouldn't worry. According to Bowman, one screening of Jump! is nearly sold out. And seriously, Sheer will bring some jump-ropes to the screenings — and with the help of some jump-rope team members from Albuquerque, give a live demonstration.

Filmmaker Matthew Bardocz, whose documentary, Off The Rocker: The Senior Side of the Strip, will screen here, also enjoys the film fest atmosphere. "It's sort of an honor for a filmmaker if somebody buys a ticket to come see your film," Bardocz said. His documentary looks at the wild, older side of the Las Vegas, Nev., strip, focusing on the social lives of the over-60 crowd. It screens at 9:15 a.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Saturday at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture.

Bowman, best described as a movie nut, co-founded the Santa Fe Film Festival in 2000 in an effort to provide a venue for (mostly) independent filmmakers. With an annual budget of about $350,000, the festival maintains a volunteer staff of at least 300 people, he said. He figures that somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 patrons bought roughly 20,000 tickets for last year's festival. He's expecting about the same turnout this time around.

"It's not a festival that you can put one face to," he said. "Its appeal lies in the fact that it is diverse. It's like a big pool complex — there's the wading pool, the swimming lanes, the high diving board, and people have to figure out where they want to jump in."

Contact Robert Nott at 986-3020 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com.

SANTA FE FILM FESTIVAL

• When: Today through Sunday
• Where: Various venues in Santa Fe
• Cost: $10 individual ticket, $75 for 10-film pass; $300 for all-film pass; $450 for all-festival pass
• More information: 989-1495; www.santafefilmfestival.com
• Note: Some titles are already sold out.