Santa Cruz Film Festival

10/19/2026

10/18/2026

ONE MORE DAY TO FEST! 🎬🥂🍿
One more day of big screens, good company, and “Okay, but we HAVE to talk about that ending.”
Sunday, October 18 is our grand finale—and you’re invited to make a whole day of it.

🥂 Start with Brunch with Benefits at Hotel Paradox: food, drinks, and a lively conversation about AI and the human experience.

🎬 Head to a movie. Discover a filmmaker. Fall in love with a story you didn’t see coming.

✨ Join us at the Rio for our closing-night film, My Name is Gitta!
Bring your bestie, your date, your neighbor, or your wonderfully opinionated movie friend. We’ve got plenty to talk about.

Your group chat finally has a plan. Send this. Grab tickets. We’ll see you there. 🧡

🎟️ ➡️https://www.santacruzfilmfestivals.org

10/17/2026

Let’s talk about it—over brunch. 🤖

Join the Santa Cruz Film Festival for BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS at Hotel Paradox, where filmmakers and creative voices will tackle the questions behind the technology:

• Ethics + responsibility: What does responsible AI use actually look like?
• Environmental impact: Who—and what—pays for the energy and resources these tools consume?
• Jobs + the creative economy: Can innovation and a thriving creative workforce coexist?
• Access + possibility: Can AI open doors for independent filmmakers with limited budgets?
• Human creativity: How do we protect the intuition, collaboration, lived experience, and beautiful imperfections that make stories matter?
• Living with AI: How do we engage thoughtfully with technology that’s already changing our lives?

Bring your curiosity, your skepticism, and your appetite. You don’t need to be an AI expert to have a stake in this conversation.

Tomorrow, Sunday, October 18
11 AM–2 PM | Hotel Paradox, Santa Cruz

Grab your tickets through our website and join the conversation.Included with All Access—please register to attend.

HumanCreativity

10/17/2026

Film. W**e. Bruschetta. Your Saturday plans are making themselves. 🍷🎬

Santa Cruz, join us for THE TERROIRIST - and an afternoon that doesn’t end when the credits roll.

Saturday, October 17 • 4 PM
Colligan Theater at the Tannery Arts Center

Stay for a Q&A with the filmmaker, then keep the conversation going over a tasting of Randall Graham’s w**es, bruschetta from La Posta, and SCFF hosted charcuterie, and sweet bites.

A little cinema. A little sipping. Something delicious. And a chance to gather with the people who make this community so special.
Grab your tickets now through the link in our bio. See you at the Colligan!

**e

10/16/2026

Santa Cruz, this is your cue to stay out late. 🎬

AMANDA DETMER is joining us IN PERSON for the Q&A following the world premiere of MESSIAH INK!

From the deliciously outrageous Drop Dead Gorgeous to the unforgettable Final Destination, plus Saving Silverman and The Majestic—you know the face. Now join the conversation.

Catch the film, stick around after the credits, and bring that question you’ve always wanted to ask. This is the kind of Saturday night film festivals are made for.

📅 Saturday, October 17
🕙 Film starts at 10 PM • Q&A afterward
📍 The 418 Project, Santa Cruz

Grab your film-loving friends and make a late-night date with independent cinema.

🎟️ Get your tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org

IndependentFilm WorldPremiere

10/16/2026

💛 OVER 70 VOLUNTEERS. ONE INCREDIBLE FILM FESTIVAL FAMILY. 🎬✨

Behind every warm welcome, every smiling face, and every unforgettable festival moment is a volunteer who shows up with heart! 🧡

We are beyond grateful for our 70+ Santa Cruz Film Festival volunteers who give their time, energy, and enthusiasm to make this festival so special. They greet our guests, answer questions, lend a helping hand, share their smiles, and make our attendees feel welcome every step of the way.

And guess what? They’re still hard at work! 🎥 Our amazing volunteers are continuing to help make our screenings run smoothly and bring the magic to our evening events. Their dedication, kindness, and behind-the-scenes hustle are a huge part of what makes SCFF such a wonderful experience.

❤️ So, when you see one of our volunteers, please take a moment to say THANK YOU! Give them a smile, share your appreciation, and let them know how much they mean to our festival. A little gratitude goes a long way!

To every volunteer who has shown up, pitched in, and poured their heart into SCFF: you are the heart of this festival, and we couldn’t do it without you. 🌟

Let’s show our SCFF volunteer family some love! Drop a 💛 in the comments!

ThankYouVolunteers SantaCruzCommunity 🎬🧡

10/16/2026

Tonight we bring the FUNK and FUN…with a little sass! 💋 🕺🏼💃 🎷 🎸

$10 at the door, flat bread pizzas are yours for the asking! 🍕

🍻 POUR DECISIONS. BIG ENERGY. ONE UNMISSABLE FRIDAY NIGHT! 🔥

Santa Cruz Film Festival’s Friday Night Bash is taking over Woodhouse Blending & Brewing!🎬🎶

Join us for an unforgettable night of live music with Jive Machine, custom SCFF brews, great company, and a fabulous special drag performance by Xinistra Gl’Amour! 💃✨

📅 TODAY — Friday, October 16 ⏰ 7:30–11 PM 📍 Woodhouse Blending & Brewing

Film lovers, festival guests, and party people — this is YOUR night! Gather your crew, grab a drink, and celebrate SCFF in style. 🧡

🎟️ GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! Don’t miss the party everyone will be talking about!

XinistraGlamour WoodhouseBrewing SantaCruzEvents

10/13/2026

This week on this special edition of Talk of the Bay, Nyanko and Howard welcome Logan Walker, director of programming for the Santa Cruz Film Festival, to discuss the return of the festival for its 26th annual celebration, October 14–18. A film lecturer and curator who teaches at UC Santa Cruz and...

10/13/2026

Eight feature films. A Sundance premiere. And a front-row seat to filmmaking’s next big plot twist.

Meet STEPHEN GIBLER, joining Santa Cruz Film Festival’s BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS AI panel. From producing films and campaigns for major brands to building AI production pipelines, Stephen brings experience from where the creative decisions actually happen.

What can AI open up for filmmakers—and what still takes a human with something to say? Come hungry. Bring your questions. This conversation deserves more than a comments section.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Panel discussion 11am - 12:30pm
Hotel Paradox

Grab your tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org. Brunch, big ideas, and a seat at the conversation.

10/13/2026

AI has entered the group chat. Let’s give it a proper discussion.

Meet ANTHONY GARCIA: creative AI leader, educator, community builder, and one of the voices joining our BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS panel.

Anthony advises AI Collective, developed and taught an AI Design & Media course at UC Berkeley, and brings marketing experience with Amazon, Google, Apple, and Walmart eCommerce. He works where technology meets people—and where the interesting questions begin.

Curious? Excited? A little skeptical? You belong at this table.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Hotel Paradox • Santa Cruz Film Festival

Bring your appetite and your strongest questions. Tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.