SKANEATELES - An interesting attribute of the Syracuse International Film Festival is that unlike larger festivals such as Tribeca or Sundance, which utilize a committee of programmers, the Syracuse festival allows everyday citizens to have a voice in deciding the films it features.

In the months prior to the annual festival, which will be held this year from April 24 to May 3, the festival holds a handful of screenings in communities throughout the central New York region.

One such screening took place Saturday evening at Creekside Books & Coffee in Skaneateles, where about 30 guests viewed several short films being considered by the festival, then gave both written and oral responses to them.

“The audience tonight will function sort of like a pre-screening jury,” Syracuse International Film Festival Artistic Director Owen Shapiro said prior to the affair.

Along with the festival judges, he explained, the festival relies on the opinions of citizens when choosing its films.

“This is a way to have the community feel involved with the festival by understanding what it takes to select films,” he added.

The festival was created in 2004 by Shapiro and his wife, managing director Christine Fawcett-Shapiro. Through the years the festival has grown. Owen said the festival will feature more than 120 films from across the globe this year.

Saturday's program was held in the bookstore's main area, and guests squeezed into every available seat. Shapiro distributed pre-screening summary forms that gave those attending the chance to list each film's strengths and weaknesses and allowed them to rate them from one to four, with four being a definite entry.

Waiting for the screening to begin was Skaneateles resident Steve Frackenpohl, who said he missed the event last year at Creekside but was happy to have a chance to attend this year.

“I'll be attending the festival itself, too,” he said, “and I think it's fascinating to have a venue like this where we get to help choose.”

After a short talk by Shapiro, guests settled in to watch a 27-minute Turkish documentary called “Vernaya,” which told of the joys and sorrows of everyday Turkish life.

Other films viewed included “Truth or Consequences,” a documentary produced at Ithaca College about the effect on children of testifying in court, and a group of short films distributed by the Rome (Italy) International Film Festival.

After the viewings Shapiro opened the floor for some lively discussion of the films' pros and cons.

“These screenings are really as valuable as anything in helping us pick the films,” Shapiro said.