The Topanga Film Festival returns Labor Day weekend, September 20, from 4-6 and will be held at the Topanga Community Center.
The Main House will be transformed into a magical 200-seat movie theater, and the Sage’s room will be a 40-seat Micro-Cinema. With plenty of on-site parking, there will be food trucks, vendors, an outdoor bar & lounge, and the TFF TCC Movie Theater will be air-conditioned!
Celebrating its 20th anniversary and the dawn of a new era, the 2026 Topanga Film Festival will be offering a robust, carefully curated selection of films from around the globe. Choosing from hundreds of submissions, the programming team is putting together an inspired, culturally rich and creatively vibrant collection of cinematic treasures.
The theme for the 2026 festival is “REFRAME – Cinema for Uncertain Times.” While intentionally open for interpretation, the theme is also an expression of the TFF team’s creative optimism. It is an invitation to reframe our thinking around matters often seen through a lens of negativity and instead, to see them with an air of positivity and creative possibility. With an eye for films that inspire new ways of thinking and seeing, the Topanga Film Fest is dedicated to meeting this moment with ingenuity, kindness and a spirit of adventure.
The theme is also a nod to the art of filmmaking and the literal and metaphorical significance of “RE-FRAMING” a shot. The director or DP may choose to do so in order to improve its composition, such that it makes the image stronger and helps the story be told with more power and precision. With world-class films and filmmakers on the docket, the Topanga Film Fest can’t wait to entertain, inspire, and challenge audiences with its eclectic and electric line-up.
The final deadline for submissions is almost here August 7th, please visit: filmfreeway.com/TopangaFilmFestival
Tickets and scheduling are still being finalized and will be available very soon at: topangafilminstitute.org
I’m looking forward to attending the Topanga film festival