Wondering what not to miss?

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to view everything before the festival, but we did see some flicks that really wowed us.

One standout was “Shooting Beauty,” a documentary about aspiring fashion photographer Courtney Bent, who starts visiting people at a cerebral palsy center in Massachusetts and introduces them to what she knows: photography.

First, she takes their portraits. Then she gets them all cameras, some of which have to be jerry rigged and set up on tripods duct-taped to wheelchairs.

Despite whatever physical limitations they have, Ms. Bent figures out a way for everyone to take photos. (One man has to press the button with his tongue.)

The photos they take are stunning in their originality and unique viewpoints. The art not only has an effect on the people who see them, but on the photographers as well. They see their world differently, and they see themselves differently.

• “Shooting Beauty” is a moving documentary about the power of art to

change lives. – 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at

Silverspot Luxury Cinemas and 7 p.m. at

The von Liebig Art Center

•“Nerdcore Rising” captivated me within the first two minutes. It opens with MC Frontalot, a 30-something white guy, in performance, stalking the stage, dancing spastically while reciting his complex rhymes.

This is hip hop like you’ve never heard it before.

The man is Damian Hess, and he’s the father of “nerdcore hip-hop,” a term he coined. It’s hip-hop for geeks and nerds, for anyone who was ever on the school audio-visual staff. In fact, it glories in its geekiness, referring to computer programs, role-playing games and “Star Wars.”

The film follows MC Frontalot as he and his trio go on their first national tour and meet their fans in other states. –

6:45 p.m .Saturday, Nov. 7, and 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8, at Silverspot Luxury

Cinemas.

• “Official Rejection” shows what filmmakers go through to get their work accepted at film festivals. Director Paul Osborne’s film is about another director, Scott Storm, and his journey to have his film, “Ten ’til Noon,” accepted at festivals.

We learn how commercial Sundance has become, how filmmakers have to fill out forms and pay fees in order to enter festivals, how much they spend on creating promotional material, and the indignities of small-town, ineptly run festivals.

A behind-the-scenes look at what happens before a film gets to a festival, it might give some viewers vertigo, attending a film festival and watching a film about other film festivals. Although it could’ve benefitted from some editing (the documentary is close to two hours long, and a little of Mr. Storm goes a long way), it’s entertaining and educational.

– 2:15 and 3:45 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and

closes the festival at 6:45 p.m. Sunday,

Nov. 8, at Silverspot Luxury Cinemas.

And don’t miss the kids’ programs Saturday morning at Silverspot. From 10-11 a.m. is the “Younger Kids Flix/Kids Flix Mix” for ages 3-8; from noon to 1 p.m. is the “Older Kids Flix/Party Mix.”

Both programs are from the New York International Children’s Film Festival, which is the largest film festival for children and teens in the U.S.

If you think just because these films were created for kids means they’re babyish or somehow inferior, you’re wrong. They’re totally fun for adults, too.

– Nancy Stetson