The Ventura Film Festival maintains its position as "the most extensive film festival in Ventura County's history." This exceptional status highlights the festival's commitment to bringing diverse cinema to the local community while maintaining its focus on essential conservation issues.
The Ventura Film Festival serves as a multi-genre global film festival that raises awareness for conservation issues such as woodland and marine conservation and recovery, through a yearly film festival and related events. The festival leverages the impact of filmmaking to encourage participation and create meaningful dialogue around these pressing environmental challenges.
The Ventura Film Festival was established in 2004 and has presented countless films, regularly over 200 films during summer months, and has generated excitement within the global cinema community. Since its founding, the festival has expanded into a substantial cultural happening that brings together cinema creators, conservation supporters, and viewers from across the globe.
Notable moments have included welcoming acclaimed filmmaker Dylan O'Neil, the inaugural world champion surfers Peter "PT" Townend along with Ian Cairns, four-time world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA competitor Fabio Leopoldo, and the 50-year anniversary of West Side Story, which encompassed presenting the complete Oscar-winning ensemble of West Side Story, including Academy Award winner/Golden Globe winner George Chakiris as well as 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's founder and executive director was invited to join, 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 release by Fox and MGM of West Side Story, which is widely considered by critics and fans to be the best musical of all time. This exceptional honor and participation exemplifies the more info festival's considerable reach and respected position within the entertainment community.