Big Bear Film Festival
The Big Bear Film Festival is un-apologetically built for the next generation of storytelling.
The Big Bear Film Festival embraces how narratives evolve across all mediums. From groundbreaking films to AI-authored works, immersive gaming experiences, music, comedy, and animation, BBFF is where bold voices meet bold ideas. Our mountain and lake backdrop (Voted 2025 #1 Best Lake in America by USA Today) isn’t just a setting — it’s a creative catalyst for artists, innovators, and audiences ready to explore what’s next. Oh - and we allow emotional support dogs to nearly all special events and screenings.
Big Bear Film Festival
Where Bold Voices Meet Bold Ideas at 6,752 Feet
It is more than just a film festival - BBFF is a high-altitude creative playground where cinematic excellence meets the future of storytelling.
Experience premieres and gala screenings alongside live music, stand-up comedy, immersive VR and AI experiences, gaming showcases, art installations, and cultural spotlights on diverse creators.
Enjoy nature pop-up screenings under the stars, inclusive programming, and daily panels, workshops, and networking events with industry leaders.
Whether you’re an indie film devotee, a casual moviegoer, or simply looking for a mountain escape with a creative twist, BBFF offers something unforgettable.
Between screenings, explore the Village, sip cocktails at a waterfront gala, or catch a midnight movie in the forest.
Event Date, Time, & Place
September 24–29, 2025
Big Bear Lake, California
A High-Altitude Creative Ecosystem
BBFF isn’t just a festival — it’s a high-altitude cultural summit. Six days of screenings, panels, performances, and pop-up experiences transform Big Bear into a hub for connection and discovery. Whether you’re an industry insider, a passionate cinephile, or a curious first-timer, you’ll find yourself immersed in stories, conversations, and culture.
Programming That Celebrates Intersectionality & Innovation
From red carpet premieres and comedy tributes to experimental shorts, live cinema, and inclusive spotlights, BBFF 2025 puts intersectionality at the center. This year’s schedule is a vibrant blend of storytelling across genres and identities:
Comedy: John Candy: I Like Me (Dir. Colin Hanks) and Wingman (Dir. Harland Williams; Cast: Harland Williams, Jamie Kennedy, Russell Peters, Kayla Wallace) create a laughter-filled kickoff honoring legends and new voices along with stand-up with All Things Comedy.
Victoria Alonso & Cheech Marin Honored + Lowrider Car Show & Tribute: Born in East L.A. (1987; Dir. Cheech Marin) and Boulevard Nights (1979; Dir. Michael Pressman; Cast: Richard Yniguez, Danny De La Paz) screen as part of a cultural celebration, followed by a live Q&A with icons of Chicano cinema.
Local Spotlight – Stories Made in Big Bear: SMILE… The Worst is Yet to Come (Dir. Chloe Lenihan; Cast: Elizabeth Masucci, Joseph Mancuso) tells the story of an LA couple seeking to rekindle their love in the mountains; Big Bear Move (Dir. Braden Joe) documents the historic relocation of the Alpine Zoo.
Black Voices: Them That’s Not (Dir. Mekhai Lee, Concord Originals) is a bold short about family and incarceration, joined by a live performance from Silas Short blending soul, hip hop, and indie, and a panel with Basset Vance Studios, uplifting Black creators across media.
Queer Spotlights: Royal Fools, a rock band fronted by twin trans performers, takes the stage alongside Women of Pinot (Dir. Bruce M. Jaqua), a heartfelt documentary celebrating women winemakers and reframed here as part of queer storytelling.
Shadows of Willow Cabin (Dir. Joe Fria; Cast: Bryan Bellomo, John Brodsky) offers a queer supernatural horror tale filmed in and around Big Bear.
Women Directors: Idiotka (Dir. Nastasya Popov; Cast: Camila Mendes, Anna Baryshnikov) and Bunnylovr (Dir. Katarina Zhu; Cast: Rachel Sennott, Austin Amelio, Perry Yung) headline our Closing Gala, presented together as a celebration of bold women shaping cinema’s future.
AAPI Spotlights: Bunnylovr (Dir. Katarina Zhu) grounds its story in the Asian-American experience of identity and family, while Forge (Dir. Jing Ai Ng; Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Brandon Soo Hoo) delivers a genre-bending drama about siblings drawn into an art forgery ring. The Wolphin retrospective adds historic AAPI brilliance with shorts from Taika Waititi and Miguel Arteta.
International Stories: Lucia’s New Boyfriend, an Argentina-set drama about friendship and betrayal, joins Hotspring Sharkattack (Onsen Shaku) (Dir. Morihito Inoue; Cast: Shôichirô Akaboshi), a horror-action-comedy from Japan that brings international flair to our lineup.
Disability Representation (Presented with We Are Invincible): Strait Undercover (Dir. Ben Gonyo; Cast: Race Eberhardt) makes history as the first action film led by an actor with Down syndrome, while Espina (Dir. Daniel Poler; Cast: Jonathan Benaim, Aarón Díaz, Paulina Mondragón) takes audiences on a comic, poignant road trip with a disabled protagonist.
Indigenous Voices: Our Water Ways (Sacred Indigenous Peoples Group) anchors the Indigenous spotlight with a documentary exploring water sovereignty, ecological justice, and ancestral memory.
Horror Highlights: The Dead Thing (Dir. Elric Kane; Cast: Blu Hunt, John Karna) channels neo-gothic chills, Dolly (Dir. Rod Blackhurst; Cast: Seann William Scott, Ethan Suplee) delivers a grotesque creature tale.