Movies on a Shoestring celebrates its 50th anniversary this year as the world's longest continually held short-film festival. Its inaugural partnership with the High Falls Film Festival means a few changes, most notably in a venue switch to the Little Theatre and $8 admission to each program (except Friday, which will be free in honor of MOAS's anniversary). OK, I know the entire thing used to be free, but if you calculate the half-century of no-cost entertainment previously provided by some of the planet's most talented amateur filmmakers, you're still coming out ahead.

One highlight of MOAS this year is the Golden Retrospective that's part of Friday's free program, showcasing a mere smattering of the 1,062 short films that have been screened since the festival's inception. The other highlights? Read on...

Wednesday, April 30: MOAS 2008 kicks off with "Instant Karma," a cunning look at an unlucky guy who thinks his fortune's changed upon meeting a particular dame, but you know what they say about karma (hint: it totally rhymes with "bitch"). "Temporary Virgin" is a magnificently abstract animation about love and stuff, like a Rorschach test come to life with splashes of vibrant color.

Thursday, May 1: The wonderfully acted "Replacement Child" shakes the faith of a troubled young man when his ailing friend's parents decide to place matters in the hands of a higher power rather than a medical professional. "Medium Rare" is stylishly filmed, a tense piece about a man seeking refuge from thugs under the restaurant table of a woman who enjoys other pleasures besides a juicy steak.

Friday, May 2: "Pismo" is an ambitiously dramatic mini-epic about a Russian soldier whose test of his wife's devotion backfires upon his return. "Speed Dating" is among the best of this year's shorts, a goofy look at the bone-breaking lengths a single Los Angelena goes to in order to meet a nice guy. Actually, make that any guy.

Saturday, May 3: The claustrophobic and sad "Cosmos" watches as a Mir cosmonaut, cut off from communication with Earth, goes slowly bonkers as his family eyes the skies. The silly (in a good way) "Edgar and Elizabeth" is a love story about a secretary, a copy repairman, and the dangerous duplication device that brings them together. And my favorite is "Penguin: The Musical," a giddy, dizzying short in which a man professes his love to his Antarctica-bound girlfriend via song, and thanks to the wisdom of a giant stuffed penguin.