People generally bristle at the sight of someone whipping out their cell phone in a movie theatre auditorium - but if you’re attending the Laugh Out Loud Short Film Fest, screening at theaters across the country—including the Goodrich Quality 16, at 3686 Jackson Road—you’ll be asked to do just that.

"Our film is a compilation of 17 short comedies," said Joe Edick, director of the Laugh Out Loud Short Film Fest, in a press release. “While it’s typically a distraction and regarded as rude behavior, our audiences will be using their cell phones during the end credits to vote for their favorite short comedy.”

It’s an unusual spin to the typical film festival product. Most festivals are held in a single location and show film over the course of several days - requiring a huge time commitment and expense.

“We’ve strung together 17 short comedies from 6 different countries,” added Edick. “The time commitment is just under 2 hours and it’s screening at traditional movie theatres—not makeshift venues that are often found on the traditional film festival circuit."

Filmmakers submit their work to festivals around the world hoping to gain notoriety that leads into a feature film career. "Every filmmaker dreams of having their work seen at theatres across the country on the same screens as the big budget Hollywood blockbusters,” states Edick. “We’re simply helping them get in front of traditional theatre audiences a little quicker."

Two awards will be given to filmmakers by the Laugh Out Loud Short Film Fest. An award for best short comedy is being judged by 6 industry film-booking professionals from the motion picture industry. Audiences attending the LOL Short Film Fest will ultimately determine the audience choice award. “At the end of the film, information appears on-screen telling movie-goers how to text-vote for their favorite short,” said Edick. “Vote totals from each city will be added together to determine the winner. The text voting is going to be fun for the audience and definitely won’t be a distraction.”

The 2012 Laugh Out Loud Short Film Fest opens Sunday at Quality 16 and will complete its theatrical run by March 29. For local times and tickets, see the theater's website.