Catalina Film Festival® has been in the elite 1% of festivals always ranking as the TOP 20-40 on FilmFreeway's "Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals" (out of 10,000+ worldwide) since the list was created 10 years ago. That accolade comes directly from our filmmakers we love so much! CFF is also proud to be on MovieMaker Magazine's current "50 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee" list, and since they only recognize festivals that put the filmmakers' value and experience first and foremost, that is another huge honor for us to hold.
The Catalina Film Institute's (CFI) non-profit mission is to help foster the growth of our filmmakers’ IMAGINATION, EDUCATION and DESTINATION while promoting film and the rich cinema history of Catalina Island and Southern California to the world’s arts and entertainment community.
Through our annual Catalina Film Festival®, the most historic and unique film festival in the world, and other branches like Catalina Film Society, Catalina Film Distribution, Catalina Film Radio Program, The Lions’ Den® pitch panel, and the Catalina Film & New Media Summit, CFI strives to offer educational seminars, introspective Q and A’s, workshops, industry panels and networking events. We offer our attendees exposure to the worldwide film industry through a wide spectrum of cinema, social interactions, and educational experiences.
Our mission is designed to help create a platform for our filmmakers to be seen, but more importantly, provide them with industry exposure to help sustain their destiny within the craft for many years to come.
Hosted completely within Los Angeles County cities and on our namesake island, Catalina, Hollywood's famous and historic “Island to The Stars”. CFF is one of the world’s premier film events garnering 100's of Billion media impressions worldwide!
The beauty of clear blue water on a sub-tropical island is right here in Hollywood’s backyard with all its majestic iconic firsts in cinematic history. Catalina is where Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille all screened the first “talkie” films in the world’s first movie theatre built for sound (a 1,184-seat movie palace) inside the world-famous Avalon Casino building (opening May 29, 1929). This exotic island has been entertaining Hollywood’s elite for over 100 years. Catalina was once home to Marilyn Monroe, hosted 30 years of Chicago Cubs baseball spring training (where sportscaster Ronald Reagan was discovered by Warner Brothers), and has been California's vacation spot for all of yesterday’s and today’s stars; from Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Orson Welles, Natalie Wood, Errol Flynn, Mickey Rooney, Winston Churchill, Jane Mansfield, Harrison Ford, Barbara Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Katy Perry, Ryan Gosling, Sharon Stone, Robert Downey, Jr., Kate Bosworth, Leonardo DiCaprio, William H. Macy, Andy Garcia, Roman Coppola, Emmy Rossum and many more.
Our live and online festival starts in our sister-city, Long Beach, CA, for our “Long Beach Launch” with multiple screenings, panels and fun parties with our partner and venue, the Scottish Rite Cultural Center, before launching to our namesake Catalina Island for a weekend of fun. All venues and locations are within walking, biking and/or shuttle distance. The festival’s on-line competition is for all our filmmakers to have greater exposure to our attendees, industry executives, press/media, distributors, and investors hosted on our trusted and encrypted platform. This also gives live attendees the chance to see films they’ve missed and for our filmmakers that don’t screen live to be able to tell people where they can see their film as they walk our red carpet and do interviews. Attractions on the island range from enjoying the clear blue-water beaches from a cabana, glass-bottom boat tours, zip-lines, world-class scuba-diving and snorkeling, hiking, camping, kayaking, para-sailing, wild-life bus tours, shopping, massage/spa, golf, miniature golf, botanical gardens, bike rentals, golf cart rentals, and so much more...
There are festival party cruises, yacht services and transport ferries that will take you from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties, as well as helicopter and airplane rides that take only 15 minutes from the mainland. Our late night boat off the island grants you the gives you full festival access & networking without having to stay overnight… Once on the island, you feel like you entered into an exotic destination; but remember, you're still in Los Angeles County, so you don't have to change your currency!
The Golden Fox / "Zorro" del Oro:
The most honored prize of the Catalina Film Festival® awarded to the jurors' top pick for Best Director. This golden statuette award can go to the director of any competitive film entered into the film festival, within any length, category or genre. Top sponsored prizes vary from year to year with the contributions offered from that year's partners.
"Best of Fest" for (Your Film Category):
Crystal Trophy with various Sponsored Festival prizes (prizes and values vary from year to year and aren't usually secured until closer to the event). The dollar value fluctuates each year dependent upon what our generous sponsors offer in the form of industry packages, services, and gifts. Our winning categories are never promised to receive a prize other than our crystal trophy, as anything additional depends on our sponsors' generosity.
Goods/Services Value: Past festivals have been up to $50,000 (US dollars) worth of prizes.
Special Jury Award of Excellence for (Your Film Category):
Framed Certificate with various Sponsored Festival prizes (prizes and values vary from year to year and aren't usually secured until closer to the event). This category is not promised to receive prizes other than our framed certificate, as anything additional depends on our sponsors' generosity.
Goods/Services Value: Past festivals have been up to $5,000 (US dollars) worth of prizes.
Various "Best" Individual & Ensemble Awards (Your Film Category):
Honors with various Sponsored Festival prizes (prizes and values vary from year to year and aren't usually secured until closer to the event). The dollar value fluctuates each year dependent upon what our generous sponsors offer in the form of industry packages, services, and gifts. Our winners are never promised to receive a prize other than our honor, as anything additional depends on our sponsors' generosity.
All of our films are in competition for every award, whether your venue is physically in one of our festival theatres or screening in our online theaters hosted by FilmFestivalFlix.com.