What makes people bust their gut in Bangladesh may not have the same effect in Stalingrad.

Humor and its vast potential for variety will be explored in this year's Chiaroscuro (Kee-ar-oh-skyur-oh, Italian for light/dark) film series.

Inspired by the 2011 Grand Rapids LaughFest, Chiaroscuro aims to show how

different humor can be depending on the origin. The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts will be hosting the event for the sixth straight year.

"We were influenced by Toronto Film Festival, which I try to attend every year," said President of Chiaroscuro Film Series, Gretchen Minnhaar. "Of course, we aren't nearly as big, but we do have high hopes for the series."

Starting out from the ground up was the toughest thing for the series. The Grand Rapids Community Foundation funded the first year, and the turnout was big enough that they gained followers and more sponsors, such as Grand Valley State University, Meijer and Steelcase. The sponsors allow the event to be free to the public.

Along with the free admission, complimentary drinks are served after the show, along with a discussion.

"The discussion after the film is my favorite part of the gig," Minnhaar said.

She also hopes to raise enough money to fly in several directors of the films, so they can join in the debate. In order to keep the discussions fresh, each year the series has a new theme. Earlier seasons followed topics such as women directors, food and muses.

The new theme each year also helps in the film selection process by narrowing the search. President (Minnhaar) and vice president (Zulema Moret) hunt for films online and watch as many as they can. Out of the films they view, they select six to present. In addition to these films, the two accept short film submissions from local talent.

"All the short films we show are from people in West Michigan," Minnhaar said. "How many short films do people see these days? Practically zero. We want to change that. All these talented people do not get many opportunities to get their films seen, so we give it to them."

Many of the short films accepted originate from Calvin College, Grand Valley State University, Kendall College and Compass Film Academy.

Minnhaar hopes for more people to attend the series this year, and for Grand Rapids to continue to develop as a well-rounded, internationally represented city.