Nic Beery doesn't want to give away the details, but he will say he has a surprise in store to kick off the fifth annual Carrboro Film Festival, which will be held Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Century Center.

"We have a pretty neat interactive opening set up," said Beery, co-chair of the annual festival of locally made short films. "I can't give away any more than that. ... OK, I will say it has something to do with Carrboro High School."

Come on, Nic. Give us another hint.

"Hmmm," he said, and paused to ponder. "Nope, can't do it. That's all I can say. You'll have to come see for yourself."

Chances are, that'll be a good idea anyway, even without the surprise opening. The Carrboro Film Festival has only gotten better since Beery co-founded it five years ago, and this year's crop of 28 films, he said, is the best yet.

"All of us on the committee were stunned by the quality of the submissions," he said. "We were blown away. We could easily put another hour and a half's worth of films on the screen that are just as good as the ones we have, but that we just don't have time to show.

"In terms of technical quality and storytelling, the filmmakers have really stepped it up a notch this year. They've been honing and refining their craft."

The festival has only a few rules for submissions. It's a one-day festival, so films have to be short.

Other than that, the only real requirement is that the filmmakers have, at some point in their lives, "lived, worked or played" within 50 miles of Carrboro.

In practice, Beery said, very nearly all of this year's crop of films were made by filmmakers who still live in the Triangle, most of them in Orange County.

"Some of them we see year after year," he said. "Some are full-time filmmakers who work at UNC-TV or corporate video and do their own projects on the side. Others are people from other walks of life entirely, but who have a passion for filmmaking."

Their films cover a vast scope. The festival offers dramas, comedies, documentaries, animated films, music videos and experimental pieces.

"We have everything from a powerful documentary about the BP oil spill to a light comedy about two women fighting over who gets to eat the last crumpet," Beery said.

The films are presented in three groups, or blocks, which each run about 75 minutes.

Each block is followed by a 20-minute Q-and-A period with some of the filmmakers.

The Century Center is at 100 N. Greensboro St., in downtown Carrboro. Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for kids age 12 and under.

All the goods are at www.carrborofilmfestival.com.