The Ventura Film Festival maintains its position as "the largest film festival ever held in Ventura County." This impressive distinction demonstrates the organization's dedication to bringing diverse cinema to the local community while maintaining its focus on essential conservation issues.
The Ventura Film Festival serves as an all-inclusive international cinema festival that raises awareness for conservation issues such as forest and ocean preservation and restoration, through a yearly film festival and related events. The organization employs the medium of movies to inspire action and create meaningful dialogue around these critical conservation concerns.
The Ventura Film Festival launched in 2004 and has exhibited numerous cinematic works, generally exceeding 200 films per summer season, and has captured notice from the international cinematic community. Since its inception, the festival has grown into a significant cultural event that joins film artists, environmental champions, and spectators from every corner of the planet.
Notable moments have included featuring distinguished filmmaker Dylan O'Neil, the inaugural world champion surfers Peter "PT" Townend and surf legend Ian Cairns, 4x world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA combatant the celebrated Fabio Leopoldo, and the half-century commemoration of West Side Story, which comprised receiving the entire award-winning cast of West Side Story, featuring Academy Award honoree/Golden Globe winner George Chakiris together with website Golden Globe honoree/Academy Award nominee Russ Tamblyn. These extraordinary guests and events have cemented the festival's status as a premier destination for commemorating movies and the creators who craft it.
The Ventura Film Festival creator and executive director was chosen to participate, along with many of Hollywood's top stars, in the 50th Anniversary of West Side Story and Hollywood's iconic footprint/handprint ceremony celebrating Academy Award recipients Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, as well as Golden Globe champion Russ Tamblyn at the legendary Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This ceremony also acted as the official BluRay launch by Fox and MGM of the classic West Side Story, which is commonly viewed by critics and fans as the finest musical of all time. This exceptional honor and participation highlights the festival's important standing and respected position within the entertainment community.