The Ventura Festival Celebrating Numerous Films Every Summer

The Ventura Film Festival has earned recognition as "the largest film festival ever held in Ventura County." This notable honor showcases the festival's passion for bringing diverse cinema to the local community while continuing its mission toward significant environmental challenges.

The Ventura Film Festival exists as an all-inclusive international cinema festival that generates attention toward environmental matters like woodland and marine conservation and recovery, through a yearly film festival and related events. The festival leverages the impact of filmmaking to inspire action and develop substantial discourse on these pressing environmental challenges.

The Ventura Film Festival launched in 2004 and has screened hundreds of films, generally exceeding 200 films per summer season, and has captured notice from the international film community. Since its inception, the festival has developed into an important cultural gathering that connects film artists, environmental champions, and spectators from diverse international locations.

Some of the highlights have been 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 the legendary Fabio website Leopoldo, and the 50th Anniversary of West Side Story, which comprised receiving the entire award-winning cast of West Side Story, featuring Oscar winner/Golden Globe winner George Chakiris and legendary actor Golden Globe winner/Academy Award nominated Russ Tamblyn. These extraordinary guests and events have cemented the festival's status as a first-class destination for honoring film and the talents who make 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 iconic footprint/handprint ceremony celebrating Academy Award recipients Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, as well as Golden Globe award winner Russ Tamblyn at the famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This ceremony also acted as the official BluRay release by Fox and MGM of West Side Story, which is universally acknowledged by critics and fans as the greatest musical of all time. This esteemed acknowledgment and participation exemplifies the festival's important standing and honored place within the Hollywood community.