Santa Cruz Film Festival

10/13/2026

This week on this special edition of Talk of the Bay, Nyanko and Howard welcome Logan Walker, director of programming for the Santa Cruz Film Festival, to discuss the return of the festival for its 26th annual celebration, October 14–18. A film lecturer and curator who teaches at UC Santa Cruz and...

10/13/2026

Eight feature films. A Sundance premiere. And a front-row seat to filmmaking’s next big plot twist.

Meet STEPHEN GIBLER, joining Santa Cruz Film Festival’s BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS AI panel. From producing films and campaigns for major brands to building AI production pipelines, Stephen brings experience from where the creative decisions actually happen.

What can AI open up for filmmakers—and what still takes a human with something to say? Come hungry. Bring your questions. This conversation deserves more than a comments section.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Panel discussion 11am - 12:30pm
Hotel Paradox

Grab your tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org. Brunch, big ideas, and a seat at the conversation.

10/13/2026

AI has entered the group chat. Let’s give it a proper discussion.

Meet ANTHONY GARCIA: creative AI leader, educator, community builder, and one of the voices joining our BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS panel.

Anthony advises AI Collective, developed and taught an AI Design & Media course at UC Berkeley, and brings marketing experience with Amazon, Google, Apple, and Walmart eCommerce. He works where technology meets people—and where the interesting questions begin.

Curious? Excited? A little skeptical? You belong at this table.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Hotel Paradox • Santa Cruz Film Festival

Bring your appetite and your strongest questions. Tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.

10/13/2026

Your next brunch conversation might change how you think about making movies.

NICO MAFFEY is joining us for BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS—and he brings a perspective that spans Cirque du Soleil, the Metropolitan Opera, and the fast-moving world of AI.

As CEO and co-founder of Sequencer, Nico helps professional creatives turn ideas into content. But when the tools change this quickly, what happens to imagination, craft, and the way stories get made?

Pull up a chair. We’re getting into it.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Hotel Paradox • Santa Cruz Film Festival
Panel discussion 11am - 12:30pm

Make Sunday interesting. Get your tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.

10/13/2026

Music. Machine learning. Venture capital. Carolina Castilla doesn’t stay in one lane.

Known as LOVE MY ROBOT, this Colombian electronic music producer, TEDx speaker, and AI builder connects worlds from Tokyo to Silicon Valley to Latin America. Now she’s bringing that perspective to Santa Cruz Film Festival’s BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS.

When you’ve worked with both algorithms and audiences, the conversation about creativity gets especially interesting.

Artists, filmmakers, founders, and the simply curious: this one’s for you.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Panel discussion 11am - 12:30pm
Hotel Paradox

Don’t just hear about it afterward. Join us—tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.

10/13/2026

When anyone can make almost anything, what makes a story worth remembering?

TOBY COREY is bringing that question—and a lifetime of building what comes next—to BRUNCH WITH BENEFITS.

A serial entrepreneur, former Tesla Energy executive, and Stanford lecturer, Toby has helped build three billion-dollar businesses. Today, as founder and CEO of BrandCapsule, he’s exploring how people, brands, and ideas get discovered in an AI-mediated world.

Making the film is one thing. Getting your story seen, believed, and remembered? Let’s talk about that.

Sunday, October 18 • 11 AM–2 PM
Panel discussion 11am -12:30pm

Hotel Paradox • Santa Cruz Film Festival

Five perspectives. Plenty to chew on. Get your tickets at santacruzfilmfestivals.org.

🎥 The premiere indie film fest of Santa Cruz, CA
🎞️ Catch the Next Wave of Independent Filmmaking 🎟️ Oct 2026
Curated Films · Music · Parties · Awards

10/12/2026

Santa Cruz, leave a little room in your festival plans for a surprise. 🎬🌊

These four discoveries take us from questions about life and death to community care—and a very unexpected conversation over drinks in Tokyo.

LIFE IN DEATH: THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING — Three anthropologists explore bodily choices, beliefs, and the practices that shape how people approach death.

THE LONG LABOR — An immigrant whose mother died in childbirth becomes a midwife, bringing ancestral care to Indigenous farmworker families.

LOVE IS THE DRUG — Archival footage follows Santa Cruz organizer Heather Edney’s work with people who use drugs and her care for MyLeia Loya, who lived with HIV.

TAMAGO — Two coworkers exchange secrets over drinks in Tokyo. Kazu claims egg sandwiches turn him into a woman. Tatsu would like proof.

That’s a film festival for you: a chance to encounter a story you might never have gone looking for.

Pick something unfamiliar. Bring someone curious. Your next great movie conversation could start right here.

Santa Cruz Film Festival | October 14–18, 2026
Films + tickets: santacruzfilmfestivals.org or link in bio ⬆️

10/12/2026

Santa Cruz, this one’s for your creative side—and your appetite. 🎨🎶

Music, poetry, paint, and a meal shaped by the people who make it. These four Arts & Artists Shorts invite us into the many ways people express themselves and find connection.

TROVA
In 1935 Cuba, musician María Teresa Vera returns to the stage amid financial hardship and her devotion to Yoruba spiritual traditions.

YASUKE’S RETIREMENT
A battle-weary African samurai settles with his family at a mountain Zen temple and becomes a Dharma poet. A very different kind of next chapter.

PAINT WHAT YOU FEEL
Standing blindfolded, artist Aaron James invites strangers to paint their emotions on his body. Trust, vulnerability, and human connection become part of the artwork.

DEEP DISH
In the Lofoten Islands, a sheep farmer, a seaweed forager, and a ceramicist help create a local dish while unpredictable storms complicate the process. There’s a story behind every ingredient—and the plate itself.

For everyone who lingers in a gallery, stops to listen to a musician, or loves knowing who made their meal:come spend some time with these stories.

Invite a friend, choose your films, and make room for a little inspiration. We’d love to see you there.

Santa Cruz Film Festival | October 14–18, 2026
Get your tickets today: santacruzfilmfestivals.org

10/12/2026

Santa Cruz, this is your creative streak on the big screen. 📷🎶

For a town that loves a gallery opening, a good song, and a conversation with someone new, these four documentaries feel like an invitation.

ALI THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS — A senior Santa Cruz photographer overcomes her fear of Facebook and discovers unexpected connections through her photographs. One more reason to share what you see.

CAN CULTURE TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES? — Thirty years of work at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History explore culture’s potential amid a funding crisis.

CINDY SHERMAN: PICTURE THIS — Inside her New York studios, Sherman reflects on childhood photographs, identity, and the challenges behind her career.

JUSTIN MOSLEY MUSIC— A multi-instrumentalist uses music, movement, and breath to support people navigating trauma, addiction, and recovery.

These films look at what happens when people create—and who they reach along the way.

Bring the friend who always notices the mural, knows the musician, or starts the conversation. This is their kind of movie date.

Santa Cruz Film Festival | October 14–18, 2026
Films + tickets: santacruzfilmfestivals.org - link in bio ⬆️

10/11/2026

Santa Cruz, bring your love of the ocean. We’ve got stories to share! 🌊

These EarthVision films invite us to explore, get curious, and meet people whose work connects us more deeply to the natural world—with some familiar local names along the way.

JACK O’NEILL’S LEGACY
Head onto Monterey Bay with the O’Neill Sea Odyssey, where elementary-school students discover the ocean and learn about their responsibility to protect it. A little hometown pride belongs in your movie plans.

INTERTIDAL
Asian and Native Hawaiian marine scientists challenge extractive research, exploring what it means to care for land, ocean, and community.

SEYMOUR MARINE DISCOVERY CENTER VISION 2025
Get to know the history and vision of the Seymour Center—and the community involvement that helps bring its work to life.

MY WILD LIFE: PHOTOGRAPHER SUZI ESZTERHAS
Follow a wildlife photographer capturing intimate images of newborn animals while helping young women find their place behind the camera. Yes, there will be very small animals worthy of your very big attention.

Gather your ocean-loving friends, choose your films, and make a day of it.

We’d love to share a little wonder with you. Get your tickets today!

Santa Cruz Film Festival | October 14–18, 2026
santacruzfilmfestivals.org