The Chabot Theater is excited to host its 3rd annual ‘Local’s Only Short Film Festival’!

We love connecting with local filmmakers (like yourself) and putting your work on the big screen. Our festival is small - growing, but small - and its mission is to highlight local filmmakers, and connect them to each other and an audience. Your film deserves to be seen, and our community deserves to see and celebrate local art.

Local’s Only takes place over two evenings, each with their own focus. Friday night is dedicated to music videos, while Saturday night is dedicated to narrative and documentary shorts (including all the experimental and/or weird stuff.) Whichever category your film may fall into, you can submit through this page.

There will be a live Q&A following the last film of each night.

Here’s a little bit about The Chabot:

Since The Chabot opened in 1950, it has been a pillar of art, entertainment, and culture within Castro Valley and its surrounding areas; long-time residents and recent transplants alike have a story or memory of time spent in its auditorium. For some, a movie at The Chabot was the first date with their now longtime spouse. For other community members, The Chabot is where they began their everlasting love affair with cinema. Over the years, the significance of The Chabot’s presence has been woven into the very fabric of our community; the marquee and its neon lights have become an irreplaceable landmark on Castro Valley Boulevard.

Today, The Chabot remains the only independent, single-screen theater offering first-run films within the East Bay. This unique legacy is a source of pride for our community, and is one that The Chabot aims to continue. Alongside brand new films from Hollywood, The Chabot also seeks to bring local stories, works of art, and cultural events to our community.

Our goal is to tell stories and create experiences that connect us to ourselves, each other, and our world.

There are several awards to win at Local’s Only!

1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Best Actor (Narrative/Documentary Category)
Best Performance (Music Video Category)
Most Local

We have a judging body that includes filmmakers, artists, musicians, critics, and cinephiles who carefully watch each film and submit their votes to us.

Prizes include: items, experiences, and gift cards from local businesses, movie tickets and merch from The Chabot, and more!

Every filmmaker who submits receives 1 free tickets to each night of the festival.
Every selected filmmaker receives 3 free tickets to each night of the festival.
Films must be made within or about subject matter relating to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Films of any age are welcome, but preferably they’ve made within the past three years.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Peter VanOosting

    Excellent local festival. Terrific venue. The hosts truly valued and featured the filmmakers

    March 2023