This September, the Big Bear Film Institute will host its first film festival in the mountains of the beautiful California city.
The Big Bear Film Festival will run from Sept. 24 to 29, featuring a celebration of storytelling across film, music, gaming, audio, animation and AI, hosted at venues like The Village North Theatre, Destination Big Bear Conference Center, the brand new Sunnybrook Estate, the newly renovated lakeside Marina Riviera and Sessions Retreat & Hotel.
BBFI CEO Damien S. Navarro (the former Outfest CEO) said BBFF “isn’t just any other film festival,” describing the event as “a creator-first movement—where stories are incubated, IP is discovered, and the future of film isn’t just screened, it’s shaped.”
The inaugural film fest’s programming includes Peak Pitch, a curated marketplace for creators to showcase their projects for distributors, buyers, and studios; Music Village & Audio Pavilion, a lakeside retreat that blends sound, performance and story; Gamers and Animation Expo, a showcase of narrative-driven gaming and animation content; Outdoor and Drone Cinematography Showcases, capturing sky islands, starlight and action sports with cutting-edge tools; and (FUTURE) The Alpine Story Lab, a five-day pre-festival residency for incubating original IP.
Building on the century-long legacy of filmmaking in Big Bear that has resulted in scenes from Gone With the Wind, Old Yeller and Last of the Mohicans, BFFF executive director Jake Cole said, “Big Bear is ready. The infrastructure, the talent, and the vision are here. We’re not just hosting screenings — we’re building a new creative economy in the heart of SoCal’s San Bernardino’s mountains.”
The Big Bear Film Fest will launch with A Retro Film Weekend over the Labor Day holiday.
