Media Arts Santa Ana

08/16/2026

NEW SANTA ANA MULTI-MEDIA INSTITUTE (SAMMI) CLASS STARTS SAT., AUG. 22 @ 11AM - Learn how to make movies with MASA Artist in Residence Pocha Peña, an award-winning media artist, indie filmmaker and producer of projects for MTV, Fox Latin America, HBO Latino, and Telemundo. Ages 16 and up!
Sign up for this fun and FREE Saturday SAMMI class by registering at: www.masamedia.org

Starting on Sat., August 22, Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) invites you to meetup Saturdays from 11am to 2pm for a free eight week class to produce a community interest show called “WHAT’S UP SA?”

The SAMMI program is offered free of charge by Media Arts Santa Ana, and will feature on-location meetups, guest instructors, and movie screenings in the TVGB Digital Maker Space on the ground floor of the Santa Ana Arts Collective building, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana (at 17th St, across the street from Norms).

Our first SAMMI class of Session 3 takes place on Saturday, August 22 at 11am in the Digital Maker Space. We’ll have a quick orientation, learn the basics about cameras and movie magic.Register for the SAMMI class and follow instructions to capture the best of OC for free!

Sign up at www.masamedia.org!

What’s Up, SA?

Media Arts Santa Ana invites you to sign up for our new FREE class, the Santa Ana Multi-Media Institute (SAMMI), which starts on Sat., August 22 and runs thru Sat., Oct. 10!

Sign up for a FREE 8-week digital media production class with award-winning producer POCHA PEÑA!

Master filming skills, using production apps, recording interviews & dynamic storytelling!

SATURDAY SESSIONS from 11 am to 2 pm
• Starts Sat., August 22.
• Explore Genres like TeleNovelas, Documentary, Comedy & more!
• Great Guest Presenters!
• Ages 16 and up!

The Santa Ana Multi-Media Institute (SAMMI) is a free, multi-faceted intergenerational program that teaches artists and community members how to impact positive community change via digital production skills, citizen journalism, mini-documentaries, social media commentaries, podcasts, video poems, public service announcements and innovative digital media campaigns.

08/14/2026

Hello, Friends! Pocha and I invite you to check out some of our cool new art prints and some classic work at our PALETA PRESS SUMMER PRINT SALE taking place this weekend, SAT., AUG. 15 & SUN., AUG, 16 from 11am-7pm at MASARTE Gallery, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana (easily accessible from the 5 freeway at the 17th St exit). Spread the word!

Artist walk through Sat., Aug. 16 @ 6pm.

Meet the artists and learn how Paleta Press can help you with your printing needs! For more information, visit www.masamedia.org or email [email protected]. See you there!

08/14/2026

Attn OC Animators!!! Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) invites you to share your work and network with other animators at our monthly AniMeet meetup, the last Tuesday of every month @ 7:30pm at our TVGB Digital Maker Space, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana, at 17th St across from Norms and inside the Santa Ana Arts Collective building!

Were you animating in the 1970s? 80s? 90s? 21st Century? We want to meet you!

* Network with OC Animators
* Discuss Tools & Techniques
* Participate in the Animation Slam!

For more information, please visit www.masamedia.org or email [email protected].

Free Street Parking is Available on 16th & Bush Streets, and in teh Dollar Tree parking lot (1514 N Main). Metered Parking on Main and Sycamore Streets is Free after 8pm!

08/12/2026

NEW SANTA ANA MULTI-MEDIA INSTITUTE (SAMMI) CLASS STARTS SAT., AUG. 22 @ 11AM- Learn how to make movies with MASA Artist in Residence Pocha Peña, an award-winning media artist, indie filmmaker and producer of projects for MTV, Fox Latin America, HBO Latino, and Telemundo. Sign up for this fun and FREE Saturday SAMMI class by registering at: www.masamedia.org

Starting on Sat., August 22, Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) invites you to meetup Saturdays from 11am to 2pm for a free eight week class to produce a community interest show called “WHAT’S UP SA?”

The SAMMI program is offered free of charge by Media Arts Santa Ana, and will feature on-location meetups, guest instructors, and movie screenings in the TVGB Digital Maker Space on the ground floor of the Santa Ana Arts Collective building, located at 1666 N Main in Santa Ana (at 17th St, across the street from Norms).

Our first SAMMI class of Session 3 takes place on Saturday, August 22 at 11am in the Digital Maker Space. We’ll have a quick orientation, learn the basics about cameras and movie magic.Register for the SAMMI class and follow instructions to capture the best of OC for free!

What’s Up, SA?

Media Arts Santa Ana invites you to sign up for our new FREE class, the Santa Ana Multi-Media Institute (SAMMI), which starts on Sat., August 22 and runs thru Sat., Oct. 10!

Sign up for a FREE 8-week digital media production class with award-winning producer POCHA PEÑA! Master filming skills, using production apps, recording interviews & dynamic storytelling!

SATURDAY SESSIONS from 11 am to 2 pm

• Starts Sat., August 18.
• Explore Genres like TeleNovelas, Documentary, Comedy & more!
• Great Guest Presenters!
• Ages 16 and up!

The Santa Ana Multi-Media Institute (SAMMI) is a free, multi-faceted intergenerational program that teaches artists and community members how to impact positive community change via digital production skills, citizen journalism, mini-documentaries, social media commentaries, podcasts, video poems, public service announcements and innovative digital media campaigns. Explore how to use different genres such as comedy, TeleNovelas, music videos, green screen, TikTok videos, memes and other tools to create content that gets your message out, and you let’s have fun doing it!

This program centers artists and community members to collaborate on, develop and produce a magazine-format arts and cultural affairs series called What’s Up, SA? that addresses community issues, such as social justice, health and wellness, housing insecurity, historical erasure/trauma, poverty and immigrant and LGBTQ+ rights. SAMMI will utilize acclaimed instructors who foster creative social change through their work to empower and inspire participants to use technology and creative expression to heal, uplift, and transform the historically under-resourced and marginalized Santa Ana community.

SAMMI sessions will take place at MEDIA ARTS SANTA ANA’s TVGB Digital Maker Space, located at 1666 N Main St in Santa Ana (at 17th St across from Norms). Free parking is available in the Dollar Tree lot, located at 1514 Main St.

SAMMI is presented by Media Arts Santa Ana. This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.

Sign up at www.masamedia.org or https://forms.gle/bzqL2826gg5Vs6uY9. For more information, email [email protected].

08/09/2026

17th OC Film Fiesta LAST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
Extended Deadline: August 28, 2026
Submit at https://www.filmfreeway.com/ocfilmfiesta

Don't miss your chance to be part of the premier cinematic celebration of the nation's diversity and multicultural heritage! Features, documentaries, shorts, animation, experimental, student and web-based works accepted!

Submit your film today at https://filmfreeway.com/ocfilmfiesta!

Now in its 17th year, the OC Film Fiesta features an amazing array of films that connect county residents with their dynamic international film heritages. The OC Film Fiesta is a hybrid festival with in-person events and virtual screenings available throughout the U.S.

The OC Film Fiesta is an important presenter of independent and international films by Latin@, BIPOC, AAPI, and MENASA filmmakers, students, women, LGBTQ+ and first-time directors.

Each year, the Film Fiesta presents an award-winning selection of feature films, documentaries, short films and activities for a diverse audience of families, students, artists, professionals and lovers of cinema from throughout the county. The festival also features parties, workshops and networking opportunities.

The festival enjoys a national presence, with exciting partnerships and a mix of virtual and in-person screenings and discussions, parties, workshops and networking opportunities.

We encourage films dealing with the multicultural history of Santa Ana, Orange County and the US, including films by and about the diverse US Latino and immigrant communities. This year, we are including a focus on films about animating democracy and creating a new Dreamocracy.

The festival is open to international submissions, and we encourage films dealing with the multicultural history of Santa Ana and Orange County, including films by and about the diverse US Latino and immigrant communities.

All languages and international films are welcome, and we request English subtitles for films in a language other than English. Other criteria include: Originality, Artistic Quality and Multicultural Perspective.

We Are Accepting:

Features
Short Films
Narrative
Documentary
Animation
Experimental Works
Student Films

Submit your film today at https://filmfreeway.com/ocfilmfiesta!

For more information, please email [email protected] or visit www.masamedia.org.

Thank You,

Victor Payan
Executive Director
Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA)
www.masamedia.org

07/26/2026

Looking for a great film to watch today? AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ is playing at AMC Orange 30 now throuh July 29, with two screenings a day, 7:45pm and 10:35pm. It's on a pretty big screen. Do yourself a favor and check out this Sundance Award-winning film about the director of Zoot Suit and La Bamba!

https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez-84107/showtimes

A must see for students and practitioners of Chicano teatro, film, music, activism, popular culture and documentary!

An auteur emerges from America's underclass: from migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworker union contract. His Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Despite critical rejection that killed the show, he persevered, creating La Bamba—a breakout blockbuster that authentically depicted Mexican American life to the world. Now in its 60th year, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. This is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.

Against political resistance and industry skepticism, legendary writer/director LUIS VALDEZ pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with ZOOT SUIT and LA BAMBA, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America's story.

Featuring Lou Diamond Phillips, Cheech Marin, labor activist Dolores Huerta, Linda Ronstadt, and Edward James Olmos (who narrates the film, reprising the role of Zoot Suit's El Pachuco). Music by Eduardo Arenas of Chicano Batman.


"NECESSARILY DEFIANT, ESPECIALLY IN 2026" -Variety

"A STYLISH, CONSIDERATE, WELL-CRAFTED PORTRAIT." -POV Magazine

"RIVETING" -The Film Stage

"OSCAR-WORTHY" -Gold Derby

"INVENTIVE AND ENGAGING" -The Playlist

"ENLIGHTENING AND ENTERTAINING" -The Hollywood Reporter

Co-Presented by Media Arts Santa Ana. Email [email protected] for more info! Schedule subject to change.

07/25/2026

Media Arts Santa Ana launched VICTOR PAYAN and POCHA PEÑA's new series, CALLES DU CINEMA: Conversations about Chican@ and Latin@ Media with a very special conversation with Chicano Theatre and Film legend LUIS VALDEZ and director DAVID ALVARADO about their amazing new Sundance Award-winning documentary AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ, which starts its national theatrical roll out this week!

Check out the video at https://vimeo.com/1212959299?share=copy&fl=cl&fe=ci

AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ is a must see for students and practioners of Chicano teatro, film, music, activism, popular culture and documentary, this great film screens July 24-28 at AMC Orange 30 Theatres!

Special screening and Q&A with director David Alvarado, Tues., July 28 @ 7pm at AMC Orange 30. CLICK HERE to buy tickets!

CLICK HERE to buy tickets for other AMERICAN PACHUCO screenings at AMC Orange 30, July 24-29 @ 7:45pm and 10:35pm.

Check out the full list of theatrical engagements and screening dates at: www.americanpachuco.com/screenings

See AMERICAN PACHUCO on the big screen! See updated listings at www.americanpachuco.com/screenings

Currently playing:

New York City: Film Forum (through July 31)

Upcoming:

LOS ANGELES / SOCAL - opens July 24

• Laemmle Royal 3, West LA
• Laemmle NoHo 7, North Hollywood
• Milagro Cinemas, Norwalk
• Regency Plant 16, Van Nuys
• Alamo Drafthouse Downtown LA
• Vidiots Microcinema, Eagle Rock
• SBIFF Cinema, Santa Barbara
• AMC Orange 30, Orange
• AMC Ontario Mills 30, Ontario
• Plaza Stadium 14, Oxnard
• Art Theatre, Long Beach
• Maya Chino, Chino

BAY AREA / SAN DIEGO - opens July 31

• Digital Gym, San Diego
• Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael
• Roxie, San Francisco
• Elmwood 3, Berkeley
• Rialto Cinemas Sonoma, Sebastopol
• Frida Cinema, Santa Ana

BAY AREA - opens August 1

• Alamo Drafthouse Mountain View
• Alamo Drafthouse Valley Fair, San Jose

CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY / OHIO - opens August 7

• Maya 16, Bakersfield
• Maya 16, Pittsburg
• Maya 16, Fresno
• Maya 14, Salinas
• Gateway Film Center, Columbus OH

TEXAS / FLORIDA - special engagements

• Epic Lee Vista, Orlando: August 9 to August 12
• Texas Theatre, Dallas: August 11
• AFS Cinema, Austin: August 12
• River Oaks, Houston: August 13
• The Hippodrome, Gainesville: August 29

SEATTLE / SANTA FE - opens August 14

• Tasveer Film Center, Seattle
• Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Fe

CHICAGO / FLORIDA - opens August 21

• Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago
• Epic Theatres 8, Stuart FL

ARIZONA - September

• Phoenix Art Museum: September 2 (one night)
• Mary Fisher Theater, Sedona: September 3 (Thursday sneak, one week run through September 10)
• Loft Cinema, Tucson: September 4 to September 10

Media Arts Santa Ana launched VICTOR PAYAN and POCHA PEÑA's new series, CALLES DU CINEMA: Conversations about Chican@ and Latin@ Media with a very special conversation with Chicano Theatre and Film legend LUIS VALDEZ and director DAVID ALVARADO about their amazing new Sundance Award-winning documen...

07/25/2026

AMC Orange 30 has posted the ticket links for July 24-29 AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ screenings from July 24-29 @ 7:45pm & 10:35pm. Watch this Sundance Award-winning documentary about the legendary Writer/Direcot of Zoot Suit and La Bamba and founder of El Teatro Campesino. To buy tickets, click the link below or visit https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/american-pachuco-the-legend-of-luis-valdez-84107/showtimes?date=2026-07-25

07/24/2026

Thank you to Kristina Garcia and Culture OC for this wonderful article on Media Arts Santa Ana (MASA) celebrating the completion of our 10th Anniversary year! Here's to the next 10! To learn more about Media Arts Santa Ana and our programs, please visit www.masamedia.org

https://www.cultureoc.org/post/looking-forward-and-back-with-masa-as-it-wraps-its-10th-anniversary-year?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2026-07-24&utm_campaign=Story+of+the+Day+July+24+Looking+Forward+and+Back+with+MASA+as+It+Wraps+Its+10th+Anniversary+Year

Media Arts Santa Ana, a digital media arts organization, focuses on providing a creative space, programs and events for individuals of all ages.Presenting more than 1,100 artists and screening more than 650 films in the last decade, Media Arts Santa Ana, founded by Creative Capital Award-winning art...

07/24/2026

JUST ADDED! Join us this SAT., JULY 25 @ 11AM PT as Media Arts Santa Ana launches VICTOR PAYAN and POCHA PEÑA's new series, CALLES DU CINEMA: Conversations about Chican@ and Latin@ Media with a very special conversation with Chicano Theatre and Film legend LUIS VALDEZ and director DAVID ALVARADO about their amazing new Sundance Award-winning documentary AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ, which starts its national theatrical roll out this week!

Visit https://us05web.zoom.us/meeting/register/x4bt2SVoQf2gdCkNiaB6DQ or visit www.masamedia.org to register!

A must see for students and practioners of Chicano teatro, film, music, activism, popular culture and documentary, this great film screens July 24-28 at AMC Orange Theatres!

Check out the full list of theatrical engagements and screening dates at: www.americanpachuco.com/screenings

An auteur emerges from America's underclass: from migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize workers to win the first farmworker union contract. His Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Despite critical rejection that killed the show, he persevered, creating La Bamba—a breakout blockbuster that authentically depicted Mexican American life to the world. Now in its 60th year, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. This is the story of an artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations.

Against political resistance and industry skepticism, legendary writer/director LUIS VALDEZ pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with ZOOT SUIT and LA BAMBA, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America's story.

Featuring Lou Diamond Phillips, Cheech Marin, labor activist Dolores Huerta, Linda Ronstadt, and Edward James Olmos (who narrates the film, reprising the role of Zoot Suit's El Pachuco). Music by Eduardo Arenas of Chicano Batman.

"NECESSARILY DEFIANT, ESPECIALLY IN 2026" -Variety

"A STYLISH, CONSIDERATE, WELL-CRAFTED PORTRAIT." -POV Magazine

"RIVETING" -The Film Stage

"OSCAR-WORTHY" -Gold Derby

"INVENTIVE AND ENGAGING" -The Playlist

"ENLIGHTENING AND ENTERTAINING" -The Hollywood Reporter

Co-Presented by Media Arts Santa Ana. Email [email protected] for more info! Schedule subject to change.