Triumphant Inland Film Fest Empowers Filmmakers to Own Their Narrative, Right On! Wins Top Award

The Inland Film Fest returned in triumph September 13–14, drawing nearly 1,000 attendees to Regal San Bernardino and the University of Redlands’ Orton Center for two days of screenings and celebration of Inland Empire voices.

More than 65 short films were presented across categories ranging from live-action and documentary to animation, experimental, and student films. With 80 percent of selections highlighting San Bernardino and Riverside County filmmakers, the festival reinforced its role as both a showcase and a workforce initiative, equipping artists with the training and resources to expand their craft.

Founded in 2023 with support from the Creative Corps Grant and originally organized by the Garcia Center for the Arts, the festival is now led by Arts Connection – The Arts Council of San Bernardino County. Under new stewardship, it has quickly become a centerpiece of the region’s creative economy, spotlighting local narratives that are too often overlooked by mainstream media.

‘Telling Our Own Stories’

At the festival’s opening outside Regal San Bernardino on Saturday, Arts Connection Executive Director Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez welcomed audiences by highlighting the breadth of talent on display. “The screenings just began and were showcasing our local filmmaker’s talent. We have local food and art vendors showcasing their work. Come and join the party,” he said.

By Sunday evening at the University of Redlands’ Orton Center, his words crystallized into what became the defining theme of the weekend: “Telling our own stories—don’t wait for others to tell them. Take control of the narrative.”

That call to action — to claim ownership of Inland voices and perspectives — framed the Inland Film Fest as more than a weekend of screenings. It was a rallying cry for filmmakers and communities to take charge of how their region is seen, remembered, and celebrated.

Grassroots Meets Cinematic Ambition

Phase 3, a local independent film collective, was central to the festival. The group screened 14 films and had facilitated workshops for filmmakers throughout the year.

“I’m excited to be representing the Inland Empire here,” Phase 3 director Paul Black said. “It’s a great time to network with other creatives and see what’s on the horizon for our region.”

The workshops proved transformative for young filmmakers like Sara Troudt, a San Bernardino Valley College student from Yucaipa whose thriller Obsession was nominated for Best Student Film.

“My film Obsession is nominated for best student film and I’m involved in about six other films that I took part in with Phase 3 that are screening today,” Troudt said. “I’m excited to catch them on the big screen.”

Her film later earned third place in its category.

Audience Reactions: Thrills, Horror, and Social Impact

Festivalgoers experienced everything from family dramas to spine-chilling thrillers.

“I just got out of the horror and thriller screenings and there was some great stuff—funny, spooky, scary, gory…everything you want in a horror film,” said Denise Berver, co-publisher of Inland Empire Community News, who also presented awards on Sunday. “I’m looking forward to hitting up documentaries next.”

Among the standout documentaries was The Warehouse Empire, directed by Sofia Figueroa, which examines how Southern California’s warehouse boom reshaped Bloomington and other Inland communities

Figueroa also directed Off The Rails: The Rail Industry’s Impact on Frontline Communities, which would go on to win Best Documentary.

Another audience favorite was The Insight, a noir-inspired pilot by Inland filmmaker Jimmy Hurt.

“I’m a writer, actor and director. I tell stories about the people who challenge corruption and abuse of authority,” Hurt said. “To have it premiere in front of our inland community during the “Best Of” has me shaking right now.”

The project earned second place in the Best Film Pilot Episode category.

The Winners: Inland Stories Take the Spotlight

The Sept. 14 awards ceremony at the University of Redlands’ Orton Center honored nine categories of achievement, showcasing the region’s diverse storytelling power.

Best of Fest

• 1st place: Right On! (Dir. Dave Rosas)
  
• 2nd place: Without You, Life Goes On (Dir. Eric Nguyen)
  
• 3rd place: Virtuoso (Dir. Alex Correa)
  

Audience Choice Award

• Right On!
  

Best Live Action Fiction

• 1st place: Right On!
  
• 2nd place: Virtuoso
  
• 3rd place: Beethoven’s Great Great Great Great Great Grandchild (Dir. Daniel Maggio)
  

Best Film Pilot Episode

• 1st place: Welcome to Park Avenue: The Unfiltered Truth Experience (Dir. Estrella Martinez)
  
• 2nd place: The Insight (Dir. Jimmy Hurt)
  

Best Experimental Film

• 1st place: Within Rem (Dir. Miguel Jacobo)
  
• 2nd place: Obscura (Dir. Griff)
  
• 3rd place: Trustfall (Dir. Thomas Cooper IV)
  

Best Music Video

• 1st place: Cumbia del Obrero (Dir. Polaris Castillo, for MILPA)
  
• 2nd place: Grow Old (Dir. Mike Sorrentino)
  
• 3rd place: GOTTEM (Dir. Griff)
  

Best Student Film

• 1st place: Johnny, It’s Okay (Dir. Brymer Sindanum)
  
• 2nd place: Changes (Dir. Enrique Ibarra Jr.)
  
• 3rd place: Obsession (Dir. Sara Troudt)
  

Best Documentary

• 1st place: Off The Rails: The Rail Industry’s Impact on Frontline Communities (Dir. Sofia Figueroa)
  
• 2nd place: San Gorgonio Fire Recovery (Dir. Diego Olivarez)
  
• 3rd place: The Warehouse Empire (Dir. Sofia Figueroa)
  

Filmmakers and Families Shine

The festival also offered personal moments of triumph.

Vince Garcia, co-director of Bloodstream, said, “It’s really special because we did have a lot of the community involved with us including filmmakers from Temecula and it was super fun to see this on the big screen and have everyone cheer and watch the finished product.”

For Ana Rodak, who co-directed the comedy Rookies, the pride came from family. Her sisters, in attendance at the screening, said, “The set of this film was inside of our house. We’re really excited that she dipped her finger in comedy with this one. It’s pretty hilarious. We couldn’t be prouder of her and were so excited to watch it on screen here.”

Sponsors and Partners

The Inland Film Fest was supported by presenting sponsors Inland Empire Community News, IEGO, Thrive Inland SoCal, and the Inland Empire Labor Institute. Festival partners included KVCR Public Media, El Sol, Raincross District, Garcia Center for the Arts, All Eyes Gallery, Viva La Boba, Revival Arcade, and the Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties.

Ulises Rodriguez, associate director of Arts Connection, said the festival’s impact was visible in every corner of the event.

“We’re excited because we have the opportunity to continue to showcase artists that are doing amazing work here in the Inland Empire and many are seeing their films for the first time on the big screen,” Rodriguez said. “This year is another great turn-out. I’ve seen people stepping out of screenings laughing, crying, running to the next screening.”

A Cultural Legacy in Motion

For director Dave Rosas, whose film Right On! won Best of Fest, Best Live Action Fiction, and Audience Choice, the triple recognition cemented the Inland Film Fest as a launchpad for regional voices.

His success, coupled with wins across every category, underscored Gutierrez Chavez’s message: the Inland Empire does not need to wait for outsiders to define its stories.

The Inland Film Fest has quickly grown into more than a weekend of screenings — it is becoming a cornerstone of the region’s creative economy, where artists are encouraged to tell their own stories, on their own terms.

And as festivalgoers left the Orton Center Sunday night, many carried with them the same conviction expressed from the podium: in the Inland Empire, the power to shape the narrative rests with the people who live it.