Thank you, Couch Fest Films. For getting us out of our comfort zones and into someone else's VW van. (That's not as creepy as it sounds.) See, the one-day film festival, now in its fifth year, started as a friendly gesture by indie filmmaker and Austin transplant Craig Downing to get Seattleites to, you know, talk to each other. People volunteered their homes for an afternoon of experimental shorts, comedies, and conversation. The idea was so popular, it's since grown into an international event, with 10 cities in the U.S. and nearly 30 international cities from Montevideo to Kathmandu (not kidding) organizing a Couch Fest this year.

The "homes" have grown increasingly creative, too—boats, cafes, court houses, the aforementioned VW van (in Seattle!) and this year, a castle in Germany. There's a guy who applied to host out of his Nissan Sentra, parked in front of a Target with a mini TV roped into his front seat. Cozy! (Check out the Flickr page of some of these impromptu movie theaters.)

Seattle's Couch Fest happens this Saturday at four homes across the city. Pick your passion—an hour-long program of Truth and Fiction, Comedy, Animation, or Experimental and Intense—and don't forget the popcorn.

Couch Fest Films
Nov 10, screenings at 1, 2:30, 4, & 5:30, free