Filmmaker Lukas Huffman had long dreamed of programming his own film series. "I've made a lot of short films and screened at a lot of festivals over the course of the last 10 years," he said. "And half the time it's a great experience." The rest of the time, he said, he's been disappointed by the programming: the quality of the other films or the lack of a strong thematic link among them. While touring with his latest film, "Bloodroot," a portrait of two brothers throughout their lives, he watched two other Vermont films and had a "lightning-bolt moment," he said. "I saw 'Bad Mother' and 'The Thaw' and was excited, not only by the quality of the films but how such differently crafted films can tackle the same subject matter — family dynamics that are unique to Vermont," he wrote in a press release. A fourth film, "I Guess It Might Be Selfish," which Huffman helped produce, would complement the others, he decided, and his first film series was born. "Family Matters: A Tour of Vermont Short Films" will play in St. Johnsbury, Putney, Burlington and Montpelier, starting on Saturday, September 28. Question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers will follow each screening. The four films — set and shot in Vermont — range from horror to dramatic comedy. With "Bloodroot," Huffman set out to show the dramatic passage of time in Vermont. After living in New York City for 15 years, he moved back three years ago to his hometown, Montpelier, and was struck by the way relationships with his family became more complex. Coupled with that was a recognition of the prominent role Vermont's landscape plays in his life, he said. He filmed on the Millstone Trails in Websterville. "The location itself is like a lead character," Huffman said. He also filmed in Websterville when directing "The Quarry Project," which captures the 2022 dance performances at the Wells Lamson Quarry choreographed by Hannah Dennison. In "Bad Mother," a mother copes with her husband's confession of infidelity on the eve of a funeral. This first film from writer-director and East Thetford native Molly Longwell was awarded the grand prize at the 2023 New York Shorts International Film Festival and best drama at the 2024 Fire Island Film Festival. "The Thaw" is a horror folktale written and directed by Sarah Wisner and Sean Temple of Montpelier. In the 19th…