Mustache film festival to be held in Maine

This year's 2012 Stache Pag will feature contestants wearing all manner of mustaches, from handlebars to horseshoes, Callanan said. There are also the walrus and Fu Manchu styles, he said.

"It's just about men expressing themselves," he said.

To be considered for the festival, films must be eight minutes or less and have a mustache theme or a main character with a mustache. Callanan said he has received submissions from as far away as Norway.

The films will be screened ahead of the pageant, which has been held annually for five years at bars, bowling alleys and elsewhere, he said.

What began as a gathering of friends mushroomed into an event that attracted some 450 people last year, he said.

The pageant includes categories for various types of mustaches, including the "Magnum, P.I.," named after the amply mustachioed television character played by actor Tom Selleck.

Popular Hollywood movies that would be considered "mustache films" might include "Smoky and the Bandit," starring Burt Reynolds with a thick mustache, "Tombstone" with Val Kilmer or films featuring action star Chuck Norris.