Bringing a film festival to Lawrence is only a dream right now, but the idea is getting some attention, according to Judy Billings, director of the Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau. Hopefully, local residents will get behind this effort.

Lawrence has three downtown sites — Liberty Hall, the Granada and the Lawrence Arts Center — as well as the Lied Center and other possible locations that would be suitable viewing venues. It’s easy to imagine 1,000 or 2,000 people strolling from theater to theater in downtown Lawrence, stopping for a meal or coffee, staying in a downtown hotel.

Lawrence may not have the same tourist reputation as some other film festival sites, but all the basic ingredients are here. The city is full of knowledgeable film buffs of all ages, but particularly the all-important college demographic. It’s close enough to pull viewers from Kansas City and has an unusual number of filmmakers, some of whom, like Kevin Willmott, are garnering national attention.

Finding a date is a problem, Billings said. It would need to be during a season when there’s a good chance the weather will be pleasant for pedestrians, and it would have to be scheduled around major KU events. It may not be easy to find a good time, but it doesn’t seem impossible.

Hollywood we’re not, but Lawrence seems like the kind of high-energy community that could make the dream of an independent film festival into a workable reality.