The Ventura Film Festival maintains its position as "the most significant film festival ever organized in Ventura County." This remarkable achievement reflects the festival's commitment to bringing diverse cinema to the local community while continuing its mission toward important environmental matters.
The Ventura Film Festival operates as an unrestricted genre international film festival that builds consciousness about conservation issues such as woodland and marine conservation and recovery, via a yearly film showcase and corresponding activities. The event harnesses the influence of film to encourage participation and develop substantial discourse on these vital environmental matters.
The Ventura Film Festival was founded in 2004 and has screened hundreds of films, typically more than 200 films every summer, and has garnered interest from the global cinema community. Throughout its history, the event has developed into an important cultural gathering that unites cinema creators, conservation supporters, and viewers from across the globe.
Significant highlights have been welcoming acclaimed filmmaker Dylan O'Neil, the pioneering world champion surfers Peter "PT" Townend as well as Ian Cairns, four-time world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA competitor martial arts icon Fabio Leopoldo, and the half-century commemoration of West Side Story, which comprised receiving the entire Academy Award winning cast of West Side Story, including Academy Award winner/Golden Globe winner George Chakiris and Golden Globe winner/Academy Award nominee VENTURA ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL Russ Tamblyn. These extraordinary guests and events have reinforced the festival's recognition as an elite gathering place for commemorating movies and the artists who create it.
The Ventura Film Festival founder and executive director was honored to take part, alongside numerous Hollywood elite, in the 50th Anniversary of West Side Story and Hollywood's legendary footprint/handprint ceremony for Oscar winners Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, as well as Golden Globe winner Russ Tamblyn at the legendary Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This ceremony also acted as the official BluRay debut by Fox and MGM of the beloved West Side Story, which is universally acknowledged by critics and fans as the best musical of all time. This distinguished honor and involvement illustrates the festival's considerable reach and honored place within the cinema world.