Movie lovers won't have to travel far to get the experience of a film festival.

The first-ever Mount Vernon Film Festival is beginning this week featuring dozens of movies from various countries. More than 40 films from six different countries will be featured, including a film from Denzel Washington, who was born and raised in Mount Vernon.

Organizer Osiris Imhotep, a Mount Vernon native, says he hopes to bring arts and entertainment back to rejuvenate the city and its people. "I don't understand how Mount Vernon went from "Money-Earning" to "Murderville." That's not the city that we are," says Imhotep.

The festival opens on Thursday in the theater at the Doyle Community Center on South 6th Avenue.