Short films typically have a short life span, according to Portland-based filmmaker Michael Harrington. “You make a film, send it to film festivals, post it online, and that’s about it. It’s not that often that a short film is purchased by a distributor and shown in theaters,” he said. But he is trying to expand the reach of shorts with his newly established Wandering Film Festival, which is traveling to 20 spots along the West Coast this fall to show independent short films, mostly in rural areas that lack a movie theater. It will be Bolinas this Friday, Nov. 20. Each event screens five or six of 33 shorts that the project has assembled. One, titled Birthday, is in the running for an Oscar this year, while another is 15 years old. The festival usually presents the short films into themed programs—for instance, one grouping is called Encounters, about unlikely meetings. However, Mr. Harrington is selecting a unique grouping of films for the Bolinas show. The offering includes My Saltwater Sanctuary, which portrays the ocean-centered life of those living on the coast of New South Wales, Australia; Discipline, set in a grocery store in Switzerland, which explores a quickly escalating encounter that draws in customers; and The Chair, in which a mold is killing the residents of a small South Carolina town. After the screenings, attendees usually chat and ask questions about the films, Mr. Harrington said. Friday’s screening will also be followed by a concert with local musicians Danny Vitali and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, as well as a lightshow by Jeff Manson. See the calendar listing for more information.