ManaSota Films celebrates its third anniversary tonight with a new venue and a slightly tweaked format, promising the same dedication to local film but perhaps a bit more of a streamlined event. With a slate of films including at least three premieres, along with door prizes to commemorate the milestone, ManaSota founder Mark Troy is celebrating not only three years presenting local film, but a new home at Parkway 8 Cinemas.

With the partnership between Lakewood Ranch Cinemas and ManaSota Films running its course and ending this past fall, Troy and other ManaSota cinephiles were left in the cold, cancelling the monthly meet-up in October but determined to find a solution in time to celebrate the looming anniversary. “We all wanted that to be a big deal,” said Troy, “and suddenly we didn’t have a place to do it.” Taking the month to search for venues, the group found support at Parkway 8 Cinemas, offering, like Lakewood Ranch before, a theater space once a month to screen local films. Troy has no crystal ball, but said, “That will be our home for the foreseeable future.”

Bradenton writer/director JB Whirtley’s award-winning Bullet of Madness, which garnered multiple awards at the Florida Horror Film Festival, including Best Director for Whirtley and Best Actor for Troy, will receive its Sarasota premiere, and the latest episode of the Sarasota-based webseries The Neighborhood from John Lagerholm. Also premiering is Headlocked, a short comedy starring Troy as an ex-professional wrestler encountering his old nemesis one last time, and the result of a collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Continually looking to expand the community, Troy offered no specifics at the moment, but said, “I am working on strengthening that relationship between our community and our peers in Savannah. Hopefully we can create a bridge there and bridges with other film communities.”

The third anniversary ManaSota Films monthly meet-up begins tonight at 6:30pm at Parkway 8 Cinemas. The event is free and open to the public.

Update/Correction: A previous version of the above article incorrectly stated that ManaSota Films was receiving use of Parkway 8 Cinemas free of charge.