She quickly found a kindred spirit in neighbor Daniel DeFabio, who had only left the City of Angels about a year earlier.

For more than a decade, Coady and DeFabio lived in the same city and worked in the same industry, yet their paths never crossed. Now, they live on the same block.

Coady interpreted their strangely similar circumstances as a sign that they were destined to work together on a project. This summer, they’ll be bringing a little bit of Hollywood to the Capital Region with the Ballston Spa Film Festival.

The first-time event, which will be held on Aug. 1 and 2, aims to celebrate quality short films created by locals, professionals and students. Each night, an indoor screening will take place at 7 p.m. at Malta Avenue Intermediate School and an outdoor one will be done at 9 p.m. in Wiswall Park. All of the screenings are free.

“This will be a fun thing for everyone in the village to enjoy,” Coady said. “It’s a great chance to check out some new, young filmmakers and to socialize.”

DeFabio, the organizer of the festival, said the venues are only located a few blocks apart, so people can easily walk from one to the other. He added that Brookside Museum may wind up being added as another screening location or as a place for film discussions.

In addition to watching the films, folks can look forward to a few parties afterwards at nearby restaurants and an awards ceremony that Sunday to honor the winners in the young filmmakers and general categories. So far, four film professionals have agreed to judge the entries and DeFabio said he’s in talks with a few others.

“Daniel is doing an unbelievable job,” Coady said. “I’m helping him out however I can, but this is his baby.”

DeFabio grew up in Clifton Park and recently moved back to the area to raise his family in a small town environment. He earned his undergraduate degree in Broadcast Communications from Boston College, and currently works as a movie marketer and film maker.

Last year from June to October, DeFabio screened free family films outdoors as part of First Fridays. The response to the monthly movies was very positive, so he decided to team up with the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association on a more daring endeavor.

“Originally, I’d only planned on doing a night of short films. Then I decided, if I’m going to do that, why not a whole film festival,” DeFabio said.

At this point, DeFabio said they have approximately three hours worth of short films. He believes there will be a surge of new applicants once it gets closer to the April 10 deadline.

Anyone can enter a short film, between five and 15 minutes in length, though DeFabio said preference will be given to work rated G or PG since the festival is a family-oriented event.

Guidelines are available on the festival’s Web site, www.bspafilm.com.

DeFabio expects to draw approximately 300 people per screening. He said he would love to see even more than that.

“If you have any interest in film, then you can’t lose. It’s local, it’s free and it’s going to be a little bit unusual,” he said.

People living in Ballston Spa really only have two options when they want to see a movie, DeFabio said. Either they can drive to the Wilton Mall or they can head down to the Spectrum 8 in Albany.

“This is a way to bring some films that aren’t on most people’s radar,” he said.

For more information about the Ballston Spa Film Festival, visit www.bspafilm.com.