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22nd Annual Tucson Film Festival,
October 8-11, 2026 🌵🎥☀️

10/30/2026

What a blast it was to host the Documentary Shorts program 2! A wonderful group of shorts, especially our local shorts focused on women! It was exciting to World premiere “Dancing Through Life: The Tucson Prime Time Dancers” directed by Lynette Hebble, plus local premieres of “Kain Tayo (Let’s Eat)” directed by Caroline Rosen of the UA School of Theatre, Film & Television + “TOKA: The Game Must Go On” from the Tohono O'odham Nation's Documentary Film Collective!

We had a nice Q&A and appreciated everyone from the films who attended + supported the festival and these talented filmmakers! Thank you!

Hebble Productions San Xavier Allottee Association, Inc. Taller Ambulante de Cine Documental Film Tucson
📸 Iso VP studios

10/28/2026

One of the best parts of the is the Narrative Short Film programs! For a second year, we showcased 3 groups of the most edgy top-notch drama, comedy, dark/period comedy, thriller, and western short films- from home town Tucson all the way to the Ukraine!

Special thanks to Azwan Nawza + Eduardo Yepis Acosta of “Vinyl Thief,” Mark Apicella of “GRIND”, festival alumni Clinton Willis for “Be Still, Boone”, the teams behind “Young Eddie” Vanessa Rosenblum & Ray Hwang, UA School of Theatre, Film & Television's best up-n-coming duo Ellen Walker & Ellie Moffatt , and CR Sherman of “Avant Guard!

Thanks to all the filmmakers for being a part of the 22nd year, super glad to call you festival alumni + we look forward to keeping in touch and seeing your next films!

10/24/2026

What an honor to welcome these three Arizona gentlemen to our Documentary Shorts Program 1 ! Troy + Gil Gillenwater blazed a trail across the Grand Canyon State in “Trailblazers” while journalist/filmmaker Tom Tanquary unearthed rare concert footage of Arizona’s own new wave band, Gentlemen Afterdark! Both films took us back to a unique time and place in state history! Thank you all for sharing your stories and for a lively, informative, and laugh-filled post-screening conversation.

Special thanks to Tom + GAD, Kristin Atwell Ford, Arizona Trail Association for helping bring these stories to life.

📸 Iso VP studios

10/22/2026

A giant thank you to director Ernie Bustamante for “visiting our street” aka with your documentary “STREET SMART: Lessons from a TV Icon”! It was fun to see so many close friends and family and even your First grade school teacher Mrs. Howard! Everyone really enjoyed your portrait of Sonia Manzano aka “Maria” from Sesame Street, we look forward to what you do next!

📸 Carol Knorr

10/20/2026

It was a pleasure to screen “The Only Way Out Is Through” with director Kieran Thompson for the Closing night of the 22nd festival! What a special conversation we had after the Tucson premiere, that shed a light on not only what commitment + coordination it took to make the film, but the incredible collaboration and sentimental meaning the film has for the filmmakers. If want to know more, or if you saw The Only Way Out Is Through, please help out by rate/review/watchlist on Letterboxd or IMDb as they are on the verge of making the film available for streaming! Thanks to Kieran for being a part of the festival. We are excited to see what happens next!

Film Tucson
📸 Iso VP studios

10/19/2026

We had a fantastic time hosting the World premiere of “Music Ruined My Life” directed by Matt Goldman as our Centerpiece film! What a blast it was to see so many good friends, family + familiar faces. Thank you , producer Stephen Butler, composer Steven Frailey, and musician/focus of the documentary Carlo Cennamo, for an entertaining + enlightening Q&A. And of course the get your cameras out moment of the night was the reunion of Father Panik! It was a super cool live performance by the men of the hour + the best way for the audience to connect with the filmmakers through the art of music!

Big thanks to DJ Massi for bookending the night by spinning as folks arrived + at the afterparty! Here’s a few photos Jonathan Goldman

📸 Iso VP studios

10/17/2026

What an incredible time it was last Friday night as we opened the 22nd year with "The Palomino" documentary! A sell-out film festival debut with local film + music luminaries in the crowd. A tremendous thank you to filmmakers Adrienne Isom + KP Hawthorn for bringing this incredible film to Tucson, and letting our community be just the 4th audience to see it on the big screen!

We were fortunate to have had two stars of the documentary + icons of country music in attendance, the lovely Rosie Flores + stellar James Intveld! Thanks for a fascinating Q&A panel, and bringing the love + magic to our festival! Here’s a few photos to recap the event whether you were there or in case you missed it!

📸 Iso VP studios

10/07/2026

Get excited Tucson!!! Opening Night this Friday is going to be amazing!!

10/07/2026

We are so excited to screen The Palomino at the Tucson Film Festival this weekend! We can feel the love and excitement ahead of the event, we hope some of you will be joining us.

Film Fest organizer, Michael Toubassi, had this to say about the movie:
“Even though it’s about a club in Los Angeles, it pretty much feels like it could be a story about a club in Tucson. It really has all the elements that the festival kind of looks for in a movie, and especially in a documentary”

Following the film there will be a Q&A with the filmmakers and artists Rosie Flores and James Intveld. We’ll all walk over to the famous Hotel Congress after that for an intimate performance by the two stars.
“We’re just excited that they’re goin to come to town to support the movie, as well as give us a show. It’s really exciting for us to have that”, Toubassi said.

10/02/2026

Check out the trailer for “Vinyl Thief,” written + directed by Azwan Badruzaman + produced by Nikhil Melnechuk. Starring Eduardo Acosta + Azwan Nawza .

What begins as a quest for a rare album becomes an uneasy family reunion, forcing two brothers to confront the history, rivalry and resentment that drove them apart.

In one week, catch this amazing film during Narrative Shorts Program 1 – Friday October 9th 5:00 PM📍The Screening Room - SCR

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Tucson, AZ
85701

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http://www.tucsonfilmfestival.net/

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