The “Tuesdays at the Gish” will kick off its fall film series with the Ann Arbor Film Festival Sept. 11 at 9 p.m.

Established in 1963, the Ann Arbor Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It is the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America, according to aafilmfest.org.

The AAFF at the University will feature short experimental films from student and independent filmmakers across the world, said Cynthia Baron, a professor in the Theatre and Film department and one of the curators for the Gish.

“Both in the fall and in the spring, we start off with work that is from student and independent filmmakers,” Baron said.

After the films premiere at Ann Arbor in the spring, venues across the nation can show them, Baron said.

For the past few years, the curators have organized the Gish Tuesday series so that it starts with this festival, she said.

According to aafilmfest.org, the festival premieres in Ann Arbor in March with over 180 films from more than 20 countries of all lengths and genres. After the Ann Arbor premier, the festival, which then offers 25 short films, goes on tour to more than 35 theatres, universities, museum and art house cinemas across the globe.

The University Film Organization will host the AAFF, said senior and UFO President Ryan Featherston.

“I’m very proud and very happy that the department of theatre and film gives us this opportunity because that’s what we’re all about is film,” Featherston said.

Before the screening starts, UFO plans on giving a short introduction on what the AAFF is about.

“We’ll talk about getting the films and the festivals and let students know that there are films outside of commercial, Hollywood film,” he said. “There’s lots out there.”

The goal is to introduce students to the wide variety of films that are being made, particularly experimental.

“The idea is that real people make movies that real people see,” Baron said.

These are also the types of films that may inspire students interested in making films, she said.

“If people are making films with their friends, they may think, ‘how do I get from where I am to Steven Spielberg?’” Baron said. “It’s the kind of work for students to do because it’s short, experimental and low-budget.”

Baron said experimental films are usually non-narrative and try to convey a specific feeling or mood.

“They’re like visual poems,” she said. “Sound and image carry an important metaphorical meaning.”

Featherston has seen some of the films that have been shown at the AAFF before and said they are different than what most people are used to.

“I’ve seen some in the past and they’re very experimental,” he said. “The filmmakers are definitely pushing the boundaries.”

As always, any screening at the Gish is free and open to the public, Baron said.

Featherston said he thinks any student, not just film students, would enjoy the AAFF.

“I would encourage students who haven’t had much filmmaking experience to attend,” he said. “It’ll have all sorts of perspectives that students might not be familiar with.”