LEWISTON – The second annual Lewiston Auburn Film Festival was hailed as a success Sunday night by Festival Director Joshua Shea on several fronts.

The three-day festival featured more than 75 films shown at nine locations throughout the Twin Cities. The festival tripled in days from last year’s one-day event and attracted more than 1,800 people to Lewiston-Auburn from as close as Maine to as far away as California.

“It went very good actually,” Shea said Sunday night. “It’s been an exhausting weekend, but a great weekend.”

Shea said the event was considered a success by organizers. Even more than breaking even financially to put on the event, Shea said the bigger deal is getting people to check out the Twin Cities as a viable, vibrant destination.

Eager moviegoers may have paid to come to the festival and check out the movies. But hungry moviegoers paid to eat at local restaurants and out-of-town visitors made a weekend of their trip staying in local hotels.

Shea said that was part of the plan for the festival was to introduce Lewiston-Auburn to the audience as a great Maine destination.

Friday’s Don McLean concert was just 20 tickets shy of selling out, and the Gala Dinner and Awards Show on Saturday night was sold out, as well as all the V.I.P. packages for the festival. Shea said more than 850 people bought tickets to the shows on Saturday and another 200 came out Sunday for the re-showing of the award-winning films.