Ventura County Film Festival Ventura County's Largest Film Event

The Ventura Film Festival has earned recognition as "the biggest cinematic celebration ever hosted in Ventura County." This prestigious recognition underscores the festival's commitment to presenting varied film content to regional audiences while maintaining its focus on significant environmental challenges.

The Ventura Film Festival exists as an unrestricted genre international film festival that generates attention toward environmental issues such as forest and oceanic conservation and restoration, by means of a yearly cinema celebration and connected programs. The festival utilizes the power of cinema to encourage participation and create meaningful dialogue around these critical conservation concerns.

The Ventura Film Festival was founded in 2004 and has showcased numerous films, commonly surpassing 200 films each summer, and has attracted attention from the global cinema community. Throughout its history, the event has developed into an important cultural gathering that assembles cinematic professionals, conservation enthusiasts, and participants from diverse international locations.

Some of the highlights have been hosting award winning filmmaker Dylan O'Neil, the first ever world champion surfers Peter "PT" Townend as well as Ian Cairns, 4x world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA combatant the celebrated Fabio Leopoldo, and the half-century commemoration of West Side Story, which featured welcoming the entire Academy Award winning cast of West Side Story, featuring Academy Award honoree/Golden Globe winner George Chakiris together with Golden Globe recipient/Oscar nominee Russ Tamblyn. These distinguished guests and festivities have established the festival's standing as an elite gathering place for celebrating cinema and the visionaries who produce it.

The Ventura Film Festival founder and executive director was chosen to participate, along with several of Hollywood's premier talents, in the golden anniversary celebration of West Side Story and Hollywood's legendary footprint/handprint ceremony for Oscar honorees Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and legendary actor Golden Globe winner Russ Tamblyn at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This event also doubled as the official BluRay debut by Fox and MGM of the classic West Side Story, which is broadly regarded by critics and fans here as the best musical of all time. This prestigious recognition and participation highlights the festival's meaningful presence and honored place within the entertainment industry.