The Cambria Film Festival is entering its 8th year! 

Our mission is to showcase wonderful films in our charming seaside town. For our 2024 festival, nearly 400 independent films from around the world were entered into the competition.  Approximately 60 were chosen for the competition...

Schedule

Thursday, February 6,2025

Hospitality Tent

9 AM - 4:30 PM @ Hospitality Tent

Located right off the hallways of the Cambria Center for the Arts, our heated and fully lighted enclosed tent is a convenient place to connect with other filmgoers between screenings, get information about the area, or have a complimentary coffee, soda, or snack. The Hospitality Tent is open to any Pass or Individual ticket holder.

On My Way

10 AM - 12 PM @ Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre

Sponsored by John & Mary Nixon | Inspired by a true story and my sleepless nights. Doudou Ngumbu, abandoned at the age of three, is taken in by his grandmother. He goes on the road to follow in the footsteps of his deceased dad and find himself. The encounters he will have will change never shorten his life and disrupt that of others.

Shorts Program - Family Matters

10 AM - 12 PM @ Gallery Theatre

Whether your family is big or small, we all know what it’s like to be part of one. These short films offer insight into the many perspectives of family life, and what it means to have one. Sponsored by Edward Jones Investments | A marriage, a daughter, a new cell phone and a weekend. Who is in charge? | A loving husband's quest to find a replacement breast for his cancer-stricken wife ends up in the botany books. | Mario wants to lead a normal life but can't help but make it extra...

Shorts Program - Reality Check

10 AM - 12 PM @ The Otter Theater

Ever felt like your head is in the clouds and needs to be brought back down to Earth? Take a journey through a variety of stories that center around “reality checks” - that sudden snap back to reality that makes us understand the world around us. Sponsored by Audrey Killick, Coldwell Banker | Academy Award-nominee Abigail Breslin presents: As Easy As Closing Your Eyes. 

Film Talk - Defining Moments: How Writers, Actors and Directors Develop Characters

12 - 1 PM @ Hospitality Tent

The ever-popular Film Talks return! Join professional screenwriters/filmmakers Christopher and Kathy Riley for in-depth workshops over a boxed lunch in the Hospitality Tent! Lunch from The Spot is available for purchase. Pre-order at the box office by 10 am each morning for pick-up at the Film Talk! Defining Moments: How Writers, Actors and Directors Develop Characters The best storytelling explores character formation and transformation.

Shorts Program - Emerging Filmmaker Showcase

1 - 3 PM @ Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre

The Cambria Film Festival is proud to host the first-ever Student Filmmaker Competition! Enjoy these incredible short films that inspire, entertain, and challenge our perspectives - all created by talented student filmmakers from incredible student filmmaking programs worldwide. Sponsored by SuperImage, LTD. | After knowing an oil company offering handsome money for his family farm, Henry comes home to convince his immigrant, aging parents to sell the home for good.

Shorts Program - Growing Pains

1 - 3 PM @ Gallery Theatre

Change can be difficult, but it’s the lessons we learn along the way that make change - good or bad - worth it in the end. Enjoy these short films that showcase the ins and outs, ups and downs, and good and bad parts of growth - and what it means to be human in the end. Sponsored by Judy & Ed Stokely | Clara and Bertie have been friends for nearly 60 years, but when Clara wants to add a new man into the mix, Bertie's devotion to her friend is tested.

Doc Block: Reflections of Growth

1 - 3 PM @ The Otter Theater

The art of short-form Documentary filmmaking is showcased here with films that intimately connect you with stories of courage and growth. Embark on a global journey to discover real-world heroes, adventurers, athletes, dreamers, and champions of strength that grow and adapt from the challenges that are inherent to life.

Shorts Program - In Retrospect

4 - 6 PM @ Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre

Nostalgia is a powerful tool - one that can transform our perspectives on life, love, relationships, work, or even art. Whether you’re keeping a memory alive, maintaining a life-long connection, defending one’s honor, or telling tall tales, nostalgia is the key to opening those doors. Sponsored by San Simeon Lodge | A man reflects on his relationship with his late father and how their connection through a multi-generational hobby provides togetherness between the two.

Everybody Wants to be Loved

4 - 6 PM @ Gallery Theatre

Sponsored by Pinnacle Auto Brokers | Ina is a therapist, the mother of a rebellious teenage girl, and a partner to a man who has always put his own career first. She puts everyone’s needs ahead of her own until one hot summer day, when her self-centered mother celebrates her 70th birthday, something happens that will change everything.

Movies at Moonstone Cellars - Cinema Medley

4 - 6 PM @ Moonstone Cellars Club Member Lounge

Movies at Moonstone Cellars are back! Each night will host a showcase of films that will challenge, intrigue, thrill, and engage you. Each film is shown in an intimate setting at the Moonstone Cellars Club Member Room and offers an opportunity to purchase a glass or bottle of delicious Moonstone wine as you enjoy the films. With thanks to Moonstone Cellars!

Shorts Program - More Than Meets the Eye

4 - 6 PM @ The Otter Theater

Sometimes, life isn’t all that it seems. These short films cleverly demonstrate that there is more to our lives than meet the eye - in every way imaginable. Sponsored by The Bluebird Inn | Mar­a turns 19 and says goodbye to her mother to take the train. It is a Thursday in March 2004. | Jenny's father has been diagnosed with Cancer. To cope, this deeply creative child makes scenes inside shoeboxes into which she escapes.

Emerging Filmmaker Night Reception

5:30 - 7 PM @ Hospitality Tent

Celebrate emerging filmmakers with the WORLD PREMIERE event of a student feature film. Immerse yourself into the world of the 1920s by dressing the part and indulge in food, wine, and fun as we honor our student filmmakers and their accomplishments at this specially themed event! Reception Sponsored by San Simeon Beach Bar & Grill Screening Sponsored by Central Coast Film Society With thanks to Cayucos Cellars and Harmony Cellars

Emerging Filmmaker Night - Jack & Lou: A Gangster Love Story & The Butterflies of Love

7 - 9 PM @ Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre

Celebrate emerging filmmakers with the WORLD PREMIERE event of a student feature film. Immerse yourself into the world of the 1920s by dressing the part and indulge in food, wine, and fun as we honor our student filmmakers and their accomplishments at this specially themed event! Join us in the Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre* for the World Premiere screening of Jack & Lou: A Gangster Love Story .

Movies at Moonstone Cellars - Long Form Shorts

7 - 9 PM @ Moonstone Cellars Club Member Lounge

Movies at Moonstone Cellars are back! Each night will host a showcase of films that will challenge, intrigue, thrill, and engage you. Each film is shown in an intimate setting at the Moonstone Cellars Club Member Room and offers an opportunity to purchase a glass or bottle of delicious Moonstone wine as you enjoy the films.

Click here for Tickets

Date: February 5-9, 2025