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In the era of Airbnb, online dating and ride-sharing, new and invasive\u2014but oftentimes fun\u2014forms of people-connecting have proliferated. The paradox that living in an age where we’re “more connected” than ever has equated to less face-to-face interaction has prompted many people to open their door to strangers in the name of human interaction. Long Beach resident Kathy Payton is one of those people who believes in the philosophy of open doors\u2014particularly if it means an opening her door to a short film festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n Couch Fest, created in 2007 by Seattle filmmaker Craig Downing and launched in 2008, is the largest one-day shorts festival in the world, with this year\u2019s festival taking place in tons of homes spread across 35 cities across the world.<\/p>\n When it was first launched, Seattle was the only host city. However, word spread quickly to other metro centers with people loving the idea of the awkwardly awesome idea of sitting on someone else\u2019s couch to watch films. Think of it as a metaphorical way to encourage the opening of doors and talking to one another, all the while permitting your derri\u00e8re to visit exotic places (like Downtown Long Beach). Since its inception, cities in Iceland, Haiti, Thailand, Scotland, Nepal, India, England, Peru, and others have hosted Couch Fest.<\/p>\n