Reel Fresno Film Festival

Overview

Reel Fresno is central California's most important film festival. Founded in 2007 and held annually in Fresno -- California's fifth-largest city and the agricultural capital of the San Joaquin Valley -- the festival presents independent American and international cinema to audiences in the heart of one of the world's most productive agricultural regions.

Fresno's identity as a city shaped by California's Central Valley agricultural economy -- and by the generations of farmworkers from Mexico and Asia who have worked its fields -- gives the festival a distinctive cultural context. The city's large Latino community, its Hmong community (the largest Hmong population outside Southeast Asia), its Armenian American heritage, and its farmworker history create rich material for documentary and narrative filmmaking.

The festival serves a region of over one million people that is underserved by the major California film markets centered in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Key Sections

• Feature Film Program -- independent American and international features
• Central Valley Stories -- films addressing farmworker culture and agricultural California
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive programs
• Student Film Showcase -- films by Fresno State and Central California students

What Filmmakers Should Know

Reel Fresno accepts open submissions. Films addressing agricultural labor, immigrant farmworker communities, and California's Central Valley will find an unusually informed and personally invested audience. For Central California filmmakers, this is the most important regional platform.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Audience Award

Festival History

Reel Fresno was founded in 2007 and has operated as central California's primary film cultural event.

See Also

For California festivals, see Film Festival Strategy. For farmworker documentary, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide.