Big Bad Film Fest enters its 4th year presenting a line-up of Independent and International Action Films in Los Angeles, CA focused on cultivating the indie filmmaking, stunt and action community all in one place. Our constant mission is to celebrate and promote the action films and stars we love from the past, present, and future.

The festival has seen thousands of people attending to watch and enjoy the most action filled shorts block on Earth, world premieres (Gladiator Underground, Toei's G-Men, Bangkok Dog), North American Premieres like iQiyi's Eye for and Eye 2 and Mark Zaror's Affinity, witness incredible Q&As like those with action legend Koichi Sakamoto and the screenwriter of underrated Bond classic Tomorrow Never Dies, a Scott Adkins double feature INTRODUCED BY Scott Adkins with films never seen on the big-screen, and cult classics like The Night Comes for Us, the Pyun Cut of Captain America and The Man from Nowhere (presented by Well Go USA/Hi-Yah).

Over the course of 3 days, we'll host screenings of films short and long, new and old, as well as live events and celebrations where you can meet your fellow action lovers.

Also, recently, Big Bad Film Fest has partnered with the wonderful Gardena Cinema for a monthly screening series. The 4th Monday of every month will see the fest bringing its patented brand of high octane cinematic revelry to the big screen. The series started with a bang in February of 2026 with Tsui Hark's 1995 wuxia masterpiece The Blade.

Rules & Terms

Submission Requirements:
• Only ACTION based projects will be considered (Combat/fighting must be a focus of the film )
• We consider short films to be 1 minute - 40 minutes in length.
• Music videos will be considered
• Payments made to the event or venue cannot be refunded.
• We believe in and encourage submissions from minorities, women, and queer communities
• Non-English speaking submissions must include subtitles
• If accepted, submitters must provide a DCP of their film. If they cannot provide one, one can be purchased for a small fee.
• NO works utilizing Generative AI will be accepted into the festival

Please include the following with your submission:
• film poster (not required)
• logline
• behind the scenes & promotional photos (not required)
• how to credit your film

By submitting these materials with your film, the submitter and filmmaker(s) agree to grant Big Bad Film permission to share them for marketing and promotional purposes of the event.

5 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Alexis Bouillé

    A really great action film Festival. So glad my short was part of their selection. They gave me a good feedback of the screening.
    I hope I will come personally to Big Bad Film Festival 🙌

    October 2025
    Helpful
  • Bulent Ozlarusso

    Excellent film festival filled with awesome action movies! Thank you for selecting BRAWLER & NYX to be a part of this years lineup!

    September 2025
    Helpful
  • Jordan Santacana

    One of the greatest film festivals I’ve ever attended. The crowd comes for one reason and one reason only: to celebrate cinema. It’s a welcoming environment where short-form filmmakers mingle with feature directors, and action cinema aficionados come together as a community. The festival is run by two gentlemen whose passion and respect for what they screen is unmatched. Even with 20+ films on the lineup, they know every filmmaker by name and treat each one with the utmost care and appreciation. I found myself tearing up multiple times throughout the festival.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Spencer Schwendiman

    One of the best festivals I have had the privilege to attend! It's obvious that there is immense amount of care put into the program.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Brian Otting

    Attention genre filmmakers and fans: Big Bad Film Fest is a new MUST ATTEND festival. Powell and Patrick are an amazing team and did a great job of communicating throughout. They created a fun, friendly atmosphere for networking and celebrating the filmmakers, stunt performers, and stunt coordinators who make action films. The shorts block was incredible, as well as the feature programs and Q&As. I very much appreciated that all films screened in a state-of-the-art movie theater, which is rare for a genre festival, especially a young one. My film showed all over the world and this was one of the best audiences and screening experiences by far. It's now a top-of-the-list festival for me that I will attend every year!

    September 2024
    Helpful