The hunger for independent films and original screenplays has ramped up of late in anticipation of this week's Spring Hawaii International Film Festival.

Call it "Slumdog Milllionaire" hangover: Everyone wants to be the first to find the next hidden gem and surprise Oscar winner.

More than 10,000 tickets were sold for the spring event last year. This year, higher sales are anticipated with more than 20 films on tap starting tonight and running through Thursday at Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Cinemas.

We admit that "Slumdogs" are few and far between, but even if you find a "Gran Torino," or "The Wrestler" in the mix, you're going to be happy.

This week's festival features three films from India: "Ghanji," "Rab ne Bana di Jodi," and "Lucky By Chance."

"Ghanji" (6:30 tonight) set box-office records in India as the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time. It stars Aamir Khan, one of the top actors in India, and is based on a Tamil film of the same name. The Tamil film was a remake itself of Christopher Nolan's "Memenot."

"Rab ne Banadi Jodi" (6:15 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Monday) is a Bollywood-style film featuring Sh Rukh Khan, also one of India's top actors; and "Lucky By Chance" ( 12:15 p.m. Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday) is a film that satirizes Bollywood. (If you're looking to get introduced to Bollywood cinema, this film's for you).

More than 20 films are featured at this year's festival. Some others that may catch your eye:

"TREELESS MOUNTAIN"

Showing at 3:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Thursday, this is a South Korean film in which local filmmaker Anne Misawa served as cinematographer. It's an emotional tale told through the eyes of little girls forced to grow up too soon when their mother deserts them.

"FOOD INC."

6:15 p.m. today and noon Saturday. Animal activists will be intrigued by this flick that's all about industrialized meat processing. (We'll leave the rest of the description to your imagination). It features best-selling authors Eric Schlosser ("Fast Food Nation,") and Michael Pollan ("The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," and "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.")

"BURMA VJ"

The Danish film was a late addition, but it shows Tuesday at 9:15 p.m. It's a gripping tale documenting the Burmese reporters who faced down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country. This looks at the 2007 revolt when more than 100,000 people, led by Buddhist monks, took to the streets to protest the cruel dictatorship. Foreign media were banned from covering the uprising. Here, the story is told from the inside.

"EVANGELINE 1.O: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE" AND "THE SKY CRAWLERS"

Two anime films are sure to draw attention. "Evangeline 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone" shows at 3 p.m. Sunday and "The Sky Crawlers" shows at 6 p.m. Sunday and 9 p.m. Wednesday. "Evangeline" is about Shinji Ikari's reunion with his estranged father, General Ikari, and his introduction to EVA-01, the giant robot he's destined to pilot. This series has a famously deep storyline.

"The Sky Crawlers" features beautifully drawn anime and is a futuristic tale where countries settle their differences through battles in the air rather than in full-scale war.

"20TH CENTURY BOYS" (PART I AND II)

6:30 p.m. Monday, 3 p.m. Tuesday. This is the U.S. premiere for two films that are part of the popular Japanese trilogy based on an epic manga series of the same name. When childhood memories come back to haunt Kenji, a plague of bizarre and dangerous events take place. The source of the occurrences: a comic book Kenji and his friends made long ago. Highly acclaimed film.

"MA'ILI LAND: STORIES OF HOPE"

11 a.m. Saturday. This is one everyone should take in because of its local ties. It's an uplifting shorty (25 minutes) featuring three stories of hope taking place on the Wai'anae Coast. The local film was created and shot by youth in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Maili Land Project, a transitional housing program. HIFF, Big Brothers, the University of Hawai'i Academy for Creative Media and film programs at both Wai'anae and Nanakuli high schools worked together on the film. The kids who worked on the film are between ages 11 and 17. The film shows a brighter, uplifting side of the struggles teens on the Wai'anae Coast often face.