Mission

A Community Festival

The Mendocino Film Festival prides itself on its connections with numerous organisations and individuals on the Mendocino Coast. In the last year alone, the festival has collaborated with the Girl Scouts, the Mendocino Art Center, The Kelley House, The Mendocino Music Festival, Coast Cinemas, The Mendocino Land Trust, both Fort Bragg and Mendocino High School, Flockworks, and the Noyo Center for Marine Science. Past organizations include Art Explorers, The Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department, The Hill House at Trailborn, The Anderson Valley Wine Growers, Inc., The Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, and The Rotary Clubs of both Mendocino and Fort Bragg.

One of the active intentions of our Festival is to serve as many people in our community as possible. Not to be a rarified arts institution, but instead, a welcoming, accessible gathering. One successful event is our Native American Program - in its sixth year. Another is a shorts program highlighting local filmmakers, Reel Mendo. A family favorite is our Free Children’s Program - attracting some moviegoers who have never had the opportunity to go to a movie in a theater. We also work closely with Mendocino High School -  All of the projection in our Mendocino venues is operated by high school students. 

Another new initiative for our Festival is an expansion of our Latino programming. We have shown some compelling films and worked with organizations, like Flockworks and LATCO, to draw attention to ongoing issues of representation, immigration, and liberty.

As Ann Walker, our program director, likes to say, “The Mendocino Film Festival brings the World to Mendocino and Mendocino to the World.”