The Ventura Film Festival is celebrated as "the most significant film festival ever organized in Ventura County." This notable honor showcases the festival's passion for providing outstanding film programming to the region while continuing its mission toward essential conservation issues.
The Ventura Film Festival is established as an open genre international film festival that promotes recognition of ecological concerns including forest and sea protection and rehabilitation, via an annual film festival and associated activities. The event capitalizes on the strength of cinema to motivate engagement and develop substantial discourse on these urgent ecological issues.
The Ventura Film Festival launched in 2004 and has screened hundreds of films, generally exceeding 200 films per summer season, and has garnered interest from the international cinematic community. Since its inception, the festival has expanded into a substantial cultural happening that assembles 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 and surf legend Ian Cairns, 4 time world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/MMA fighter combat sports star Fabio Leopoldo, and the half-century commemoration of West Side Story, which encompassed presenting the entire Academy Award winning cast of West Side Story, featuring Oscar winner/Golden Globe winner George Chakiris and Golden Globe winner/Academy Award nominated Russ Tamblyn. These remarkable visitors and occasions have reinforced the festival's recognition as a first-class destination for celebrating cinema and the creators who craft it.
The founding executive director of the Ventura Film Festival was selected to take part, 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 Oscar honorees Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and legendary actor Golden Globe award 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 universally acknowledged by critics and fans read more as the greatest musical of all time. This distinguished honor and involvement demonstrates the festival's important standing and honored place within the entertainment industry.