The Columbia Maryland Film Festival will return for its eighth season Sept. 7-13, featuring more than 55 local, international, and U.S. films. Selections include feature films, shorts, and documentaries. The opening night will feature The Best of the 48 Hour Film Project, a global challenge in which emerging filmmakers write, shoot, and edit a short film all within 48 hours. Ruppert will attend the opening night event, where he will share how he built what is said to be the world’s largest and longest-running filmmaking competition. The closing celebration will spotlight short films by Maryland filmmakers, followed by an in-person filmmaker Q&A and community reception.