Los Angeles Film Festival 2026
About
Programming spans narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and animated films across multiple venues in and around downtown Los Angeles. The festival maintains a specific identity as the LA industry's own festival — the programming decisions reflect awareness of what the local industry and serious film community wants to see, as distinct from what plays well at international festivals primarily.
Special events during the festival include filmmaker conversations, industry panels on distribution and financing, and the Screenwriting and Music in Film Awards. Guest filmmakers participate throughout the run in post-screening discussions.
The primary festival venue varies; recent editions have used venues in and around the DTLA arts district and beyond. Check the LAFF website for the 2026 screening schedule and venue confirmations closer to the event. Individual film tickets and festival passes available through the website. Filmmakers seeking submission information should check the LAFF submission calendar — submission deadlines typically fall six to eight months before the festival.
More like this
Coming Soon
9 days away
FanimeCon 2026
FanimeCon is one of the oldest and largest anime conventions in the United States, running every Memorial Day weekend since 1994 at the San Jose Convention Center. It draws 25,000-30,000 attendees over four days and is the flagship event for the West Coast anime community. Unlike larger conventions, FanimeCon is entirely fan-run. No corporate booths dominating the floor. The panels, screenings, and programming are organized by volunteers who have been running this event for decades. That community ownership gives it an atmosphere that is hard to replicate. It feels less like a trade show and more like the largest anime club meetup in California. Programming runs 24 hours across the weekend. The cosplay masquerade on Saturday is a full theatrical production. The gaming hall is one of the best at any convention, running tournaments, free-play consoles, and retro arcades through the night. The dealer room and artist alley are substantial, with indie creators outnumbering corporate licensors. Bay Area, Sacramento, and Central Valley attendees make up the core, but it draws convention-goers from across the West Coast. Four-day badges sell out. Single-day passes may be available at the door. If you have been to Anime Expo but not FanimeCon, the culture is meaningfully different.
Coming Soon
32 days away
LA Comic Book Convention June 2026
The LA Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention is the longest-running monthly pop culture convention in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium. Dealer-focused and genuinely interesting for collectors. Tables with original comic art, golden and silver age books, horror movie posters, vintage paperbacks. The regulars know each other. June 14, 2026. Low admission cost.
Coming Soon
2 days away
Rooftop Cinema Club San Diego - Summer Series 2026
Rooftop Cinema Club runs outdoor screenings across San Diego all summer — film on a big screen above the city, wireless headphones so the sound is yours alone, and the kind of evening that doesn't feel like a Tuesday. The lineup mixes classics, cult favorites, and new releases. Tickets book fast for weekend nights. Check rooftopcinemaclub.com for the full schedule and grab seats before the good ones go. This is what a movie night is supposed to be.
Coming Soon
4 days away
Outdoor Movie: Ferris Buellers Day Off
Street Food Cinema screens Ferris Bueller's Day Off under the stars at LA State Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Doors open at 5:30 PM; film begins at dusk around 8:15 PM, leaving a full evening of pre-show entertainment, food, and lawn-party atmosphere before the classic 1986 John Hughes film rolls. LA State Historic Park at 1245 N Spring Street in Chinatown offers a flat lawn that fits thousands of guests. Bring low chairs or a blanket and arrive early to stake out your spot. Street Food Cinema events feature on-site food and drink vendors, DJ music before the screening, and a festival-style crowd that makes even familiar films feel communal. Ferris Bueller's Day Off follows the iconic Chicago skip day at the speed of its 1980s confidence. Watching it outdoors with a crowd amplifies every punchline. Tickets are available through the Street Food Cinema website. This event commonly sells out for warm-weather May nights, so book in advance.
Coming Soon
4 days away
Clue: The Movie - 40th Anniversary w/ Tim Curry &
Grove of Anaheim in Anaheim is the kind of room where films land the way they were cut to land — on May 17, 2026, the screen gives it the space it needs. Clue: The Movie - 40th Anniversary w/ Tim Curry & screens at Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, on May 17, 2026. This is the version the director was imagining — the screen, the room, the audience that chose this over everything else.
Coming Soon
9 days away
Queen Bee's Open Mic Night — 1st & 3rd Thursdays
Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center hosts a bi-monthly open mic on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 8 PM — San Diego's most genuinely community-driven open mic, covering music, comedy, poetry, spoken word, and whatever else someone brings to a room that takes all of it seriously. Queen Bee's is a community arts space in North Park, not a bar with a side open mic. The difference matters: the crowd shows up for the performers rather than the other way around, which means the open mic has a different energy than most. People who have never performed in front of an audience have done their first set here. People who perform regularly keep coming back because the room is honest. The format is simple: sign up before the show, get your five to seven minutes, be respectful of the other performers. The genres are genuinely mixed — a singer-songwriter might follow a stand-up comedian who follows a slam poet. The quality varies, which is the point. Some of the best sets come from people who do not look like they are about to do something remarkable. Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego, CA 92104. North Park neighborhood. The 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 8 PM. Low or no cover. Street parking on Ohio St and surrounding North Park streets. Check openmicsandiego.com or Queen Bee's social media for same-night confirmation.
Coming Soon
10 days away
TOArts presents the YALA Film Festival
Cinema in a room like Scherr Forum- B of A Performing Arts Center is an event — the streaming option was always a compromise. TOArts presents the YALA Film Festival screens at Scherr Forum- B of A Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks, on May 23, 2026. Cinema in a room like this is an event — the streaming option was always a compromise.
Coming Soon
11 days away
D23 x SFC: Pirates of the Caribbean
The D23 Fan Club and Street Food Cinema have teamed up for a special outdoor screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest at The Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Doors open at 6:00 PM; film screens at dusk around 8:15 PM. This D23-presented screening carries Disney fan community energy: expect cosplay, themed photo opportunities, and a crowd that treats the film with genuine affection. The Autry Museum grounds provide a picturesque lawn setting in the foothills of Griffith Park, framed by trees and open to the evening sky. Bring low-back chairs or a blanket. Food vendors and DJs are on-site before showtime. The Autry Museum is at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027, with parking available in Griffith Park. This event is open to all guests regardless of D23 membership. Check the Street Food Cinema website for tickets and any member benefits.
Add to Calendar