Arts Advocacy & Workforce Development Position the IE as a Film Hub Ahead of 2025 Inland Film Fest

Arts Connection, the arts council of San Bernardino County, is at the forefront of efforts to grow the region’s creative economy. Executive Director Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez explained that the council’s work is built on four pillars: arts education, workforce development, public art projects, and arts advocacy.

That advocacy extends beyond city boundaries. Arts Connection represents the region to the California Arts Council at the state level, while also serving as district captains for Americans for the Arts, advocating in Rep. Pete Aguilar’s congressional district.

“We’re building awareness around how vital this creative economy is,” Gutierrez Chavez said. “For every dollar invested in film tax credits, there’s a 24-times return in economic activity. Yet 95 percent of our funding comes from the state. Our county lacks a specific strategy. It’s time to invest strategically.”

State Funding and Regional Gaps

California’s creative economy represents about 8 percent of the state’s GDP, according to Arts Connection. That figure aligns with statewide studies, such as the Otis Report on the Creative Economy, which estimate the sector contributes between 7 and 8 percent of California’s overall economic activity — larger than agriculture and construction combined.

Despite this, California lags behind Florida in per-capita arts funding, and the Inland Empire ranks in the bottom 5 percent of state allocations per resident.

Recent advocacy prevented devastating cuts: the California Arts Council was originally slated to lose 30–40 percent of its funding in 2023, but sustained lobbying restored roughly 90 percent of those funds. The agency’s budget is about $30 million annually, but Gutierrez Chavez noted that’s not nearly enough to sustain an industry of this size.

Recognizing this, state lawmakers passed AB 132, directing the legislature to adopt California’s first Creative Economy Strategic Plan. That plan will address workforce pipelines, tax credits, artist housing, cultural equity, and land use policy.

In the Inland Empire, Arts Connection is working with partners such as the Riverside Arts Council and the Inland Empire Community Foundation to build a regional framework called the Inland Empire Arts Partnership. The goal is to coordinate investment and amplify local needs.

Workforce Development Through Film

One of the most visible outcomes of this strategy is the Inland Film Fest, which returns for its second year in September. Program Supervisor Andrea “Dre” Bonales explained that the festival grew out of California’s Creative Corps program, which required that 80 percent of grant dollars go directly to artists.

Last year’s inaugural event, held at Regal Cinemas in downtown San Bernardino, drew more than 1,000 attendees, far exceeding expectations.

“The feedback we heard was that filmmakers wanted more opportunities to learn,” Bonales said. “So we developed eight workshops, starting with screenwriting and ending with editing, to guide people through the filmmaking process.”

Local groups including Phase 3, a collective born out of San Bernardino Valley College’s film department, along with Future First and other professionals, led these workshops.

“Growing up in Rialto, I didn’t have access to programs like this,” Bonales said. “Now, students and filmmakers here can learn directly from working professionals. For many, this is their first time seeing their film on a big screen. That legitimizes the arts as a career path.”

The 2nd Annual Inland Film Fest

The festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 13, from noon to 8 p.m. at Regal Cinemas in downtown San Bernardino. Tickets are $20 and include entry to all screenings and the awards ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 14, at the University of Redlands’ Orton Building.

This year expands to five screens, giving attendees a better chance to view films without overlap. Screenings will feature documentaries, live-action shorts, and music videos, with filmmakers ranging from local students to UCLA graduates with roots in the Inland Empire.

Audience voting and filmmaker spotlights will return, while the awards ceremony will provide space for panels and Q&As. “It’ll be like a mini Oscars,” Bonales said.

Already, more than a dozen filmmakers are returning with new projects, evidence of the festival’s momentum. “They’re applying lessons learned from last year,” Bonales said. “We’re seeing ripple effects: families supporting their children, filmmakers finding collaborators, and students inspired to take the arts seriously.”

Arts as a Quality-of-Life Issue

Gutierrez Chavez emphasized that the arts are not just an economic driver. “Access to art is a quality-of-life issue,” he said. “It reduces stress, builds belonging, and creates joy.”

The economic impacts are significant. A study of San Bernardino County’s nonprofit arts sector found that every public dollar invested yields a threefold return in local tax revenue. Each dollar in film tax credits generates $1.07 back in taxes and 24 times more in economic activity.

Events like the Inland Film Fest also create immediate economic ripples in hospitality and dining. Last year, hundreds of attendees spilled into nearby restaurants and cafés, benefitting local businesses such as Viva La Boba and Three Little Blue Birds Boutique.

“This year we’re tracking the numbers,” Gutierrez Chavez said. “We’ll be able to calculate the festival’s economic impact on downtown San Bernardino.”

Reviving Public Space and Cultural Identity

Beyond film, Arts Connection has invested in public art projects that reclaim neglected community spaces. The most notable is Sole Alley, a downtown San Bernardino passageway transformed through a Clean California grant. Once abandoned, it now features murals, new lighting, seating, and a performance stage.

Sole Alley will host the next San Bernardino Art Walk on Friday, Aug. 29, from 5 to 9 p.m., featuring local musicians and artists. The effort is part of a larger push to revitalize downtown through a proposed California Cultural District designation for the E Street Corridor.

Through listening sessions, community members have identified priorities ranging from preserving Route 66 cruising culture to recognizing San Bernardino’s role in rave history and fashion. “It’s about knitting together multi-generational stories into a shared identity,” Gutierrez Chavez said.

Reclaiming the Narrative

Both leaders stressed the importance of crediting the Inland Empire for its contributions to film and culture. Too often, major events hosted locally are branded as Los Angeles productions. Large-scale music festivals and raves held in the IE are frequently marketed under the LA name, despite taking place in San Bernardino or Riverside counties.

At the same time, blockbuster films have been shot here — including The Hangover, filmed along the 210 Freeway in Rialto, and Transformers, with scenes near Ontario Mills. Chris Brown also shot a music video in Redlands at the former Pharaoh’s Lost Kingdom.

“The power of uplifting local voices is needed now more than ever,” Gutierrez Chavez said. “We need to tell our own story.”

Bonales agreed, noting the resilience of local filmmakers. “I’ve never met a filmmaker in the IE who isn’t motivated to create,” she said. “We’re building a community where students, artists, and families see film not just as a dream, but as a viable career.”

Looking Ahead

Arts Connection sees the Inland Film Fest, Sole Alley, and the E Street Cultural District as the foundation for something bigger: a regional film commission and a coordinated investment strategy for the creative economy.

“What’s next is building a collective table,” Gutierrez Chavez said. “Artists, nonprofits, local government, and the private sector all need to come together. That’s how we’ll move the Inland Empire forward.”

Event Information

• Inland Film Fest Screenings: Saturday, Sept. 13, noon–8 p.m., Regal Cinemas, downtown San Bernardino
  
• Awards Ceremony: Sunday, Sept. 14, University of Redlands, Orton Building

Tickets: $20 for both days, available via Arts Connection Network or Instagram @artsconnection_network / @inlandfilmfest