When most people think of Abilene, it evokes images of West Texas -- oil rigs and mesquite, barbecue and cowboy boots.

But to independent filmmakers across the globe, the Friendly Frontier offers a chance to introduce films to a new audience.

The 24fps International Short Film Festival, at the Paramount Theatre on Friday and Saturday, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a bonus for moviemakers and their audiences.

The entry rules now allow a film to be 20 minutes in length, up from 15 minutes. That gives filmmakers 33 percent more time to tell their story.

The length of the films isn't the only thing that's grown. The festival continues to attract talent from the most unexpected locations. Festival director and founder Barry Smoot, also the Paramount's creative director, said the festival received more than 200 entries this year -- and about 70 percent of those came from outside the United States.

"It's really exciting," Smoot said. "We're bringing films and filmmakers to Abilene that the people in the region would never have a chance to see."

The quality and production value of the films submitted is another aspect of the festival that's seen growth. "Tony Zoreil," from French filmmaker Valentin Potier, recently screened at the Cannes Film Fest, while "The Mantis Parable," by Josh Staub, has earned 17 awards from film festivals around the country.

"We selected 20 films, but there were probably 60 that were deserving," Smoot said.

Staub's digital animation entry demonstrates the true spirit of independent filmmaker. As the arts and visual design director for Cyan Worlds, Inc., which makes video games, Staub worked full-time on video games, while creating the eight-minute piece of film on the side. He spent 18 months devoting his spare time to the film, doing everything involved from story and visuals to animation, sound and music.

The films to be screened this weekend vary from rudimentary and 3D digital animation to a horror film and a collection of vignettes. A panel of jurors will select their favorites and the winners will be announced after Saturday's program.

Eli Kaufman, who's "Winning the Peace" earned the bronze medal at the 2006 24fps festival, returns with "California King," about a mattress salesman and a customer.

"They're all at different places as to where they are as filmmakers," Smoot said. "We wanted to show a wide range of filmmakers, from people doing it from their homes to independent film production companies."

The festival is limited to independent filmmakers or student films. There is no entry fee and there are not multiple showings of the films, making 24fps unlike a large number of film festivals. And the Internet opens 24fps to the world.

The Abilene festival is registered on a number of world film Web sites, reaching filmmakers from every corner of the world. The 2008 24fps program includes the first 3D animated short film produced in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and shorts from France, Germany, Africa, Sweden and Spain and the United Kingdom.

"As the Internet and global communication gets broader and broader, we can communicate with each other across the globe," Smoot said. "Someone with a Mac in an obscure part of the world can make a film and send it to Abilene."