The 8th edition will take place November 6–8, 2026, at the Community Center of Yucca Valley, CA. It will be in person.
In 2025, the Yucca Valley Film Festival was featured in more than 480 news outlets across North America:
https://yuccavalleyfilmfestival.com/assets/
We feature the longest red carpet in the Hi-Desert, measuring 20 feet.
The Yucca Valley Film Festival is the official festival of the Town of Yucca Valley since 2019.
The Yucca Valley Film Festival and its participants have been recognized as a Cultural Contributor by:
– The U.S. Congress
– The California Senate
– The California Secretary of State
– The County of San Bernardino
– The Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce
– The Basin Wide Foundation
In 2025, our Masterclass headliner, James Morrison (24, Twin Peaks), was honored by both the Secretary of State of California and San Bernardino County:
https://yuccavalleyfilmfestival.com/2025/11/28/james-morrison-honored-after-headlining-the-8th-yucca-valley-film-festival/
Pictures from 2025 and previous editions can be found here:
https://yuccavalleyfilmfestival.com/gallery-2025/
Masterclasses
– 2025: James Morrison
– 2024: Shane Stanley
– 2023: Rosanna Arquette
– 2022: Brent Huff & Mina Sundwall
– 2021: Michael Dante
– 2020: William Baldwin
– 2019: John Stanier
State of Hollywood and other industry events:
https://yuccavalleyfilmfestival.com/state-of-hollywood-2024/
2026 Anticipated Program
Friday 11/6
Red carpet, Mayor’s welcome and opening speech, opening films, Q&A, photobooth, popcorn and picture signing, launch party.
Saturday 11/7
Screenings, Kids Section, State of Hollywood panel with guests, screenings, Q&A, picture signing, photobooth, Saturday party.
Sunday 11/8
Brunch and Industry Event Mixer, screenwriters’ roundtable, screenings, awards distribution and pictures with the Miss Yucca Valley Court, closing speech by the Mayor.
Meet & greets will also be included in the program at different times.
2025 program page for reference:
https://yuccavalleyfilmfestival.com/detailed-program-yvff-2025/
Each filmmaker’s presentation will include a short introduction, film screening, and an opportunity for a brief Q&A with the audience.
Introduction
Yucca Valley is the economic hub of the Morongo Basin and the natural gateway to Joshua Tree National Park, which received 2.9 million visitors in 2024.
The town lives to the rhythm of artists and creative minds who come to Yucca Valley in search of the perfect place to create and find a receptive audience.
The festival started in 2019, generating strong local interest with packed screening nights and red carpets, attracting international filmmakers, and benefiting from extensive press coverage.
The Yucca Valley Film Festival has become a recurring, family-friendly annual gathering for the Hi-Desert community, film lovers, and art lovers. Our screenings are attended by engaged audiences eager to watch and support your film.
Yucca Valley also has a rich movie heritage, including the historic movie sets of Pioneertown. In 2016, Tim Burton filmed scenes of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children on Old Woman Springs Road. More than 50 titles list scenes shot in the area on IMDb.
In 2025, the three-day festival welcomed close to 1,500 attendees. We are a small festival, but our community truly loves movies.
Local Filmmakers
Local filmmakers can submit for free.
More details: https://yuccavalleyfilmfestival.com/submit-2
