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About Us
Our Mission
The 2025 Davis Film Festival takes place SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2ND FROM 2:30 PM-10 PM at the Veteran's Memorial Theater, 203 E. 14th Street in Davis, CA. (PLENTY OF FREE PARKING). Films from around the world and our own backyard. Narrative, documentary, animation, experimental. Shorts and features. Now accepting web series too.
BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE (See Tickets Link below) OR ON FILM FREEWAY.COM OR AT THE DOOR.
Festival Director: Judith Plank
Native Land Acknowledgement: We should take a moment to acknowledge the land on which we are gathered. For thousands of years, this land has been the home of Patwin people. It has been cherished and protected, as elders have instructed the young through generations. We are honored and grateful to be here today on their traditional lands.
Our Festival
Tickets go on sale September 17, 2025 at filmfreeway.com and on our website. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Prices are $10 General for afternoon films, $10 General for evening films. Students w/ID and Senior tickets are $8.50 for each section. Festival Pass is $15.
We want to thank our Festival Sponsors: Davis Food Co-op, Davis Media Access, International House, The Avid Reader, Strands Salon, Sudwerk, and Judy Reynolds Low-Salt Recipes. For more information email davisfilmfest@gmail.com or call 530.383.1711.
Our Program
Each film director in the festival will receive one Festival Pass, to use as they wish. Doors open at 2:30 pm on Sunday, November 2nd. Films start at 3:00 pm after a short Welcome from the Festival Director. All children under 12 get in free to the Sunday afternoon family friendly films. Sunday evening films are for mature audiences only. There are eight easels available for use if filmmakers wish to show their movie posters in the lobby. This year there will be awards for various categories of filmmaking including Best Actor and Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay. Films will be judged by a juried panel of experienced filmmakers and writers.
Finally, we are still looking for volunteers for this year's festival. Volunteers take tickets, hand out programs, work at the concession booth and show people their seats. Each volunteer will receive one Festival Pass. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us or call 530.383.1711. The film schedule for November 2, 2025 will be published here no later than October 18th. (For a list of films from the 2023 and 2024 Davis Film Festivals, click on our Facebook link below).
Doors open at 2:30 pm.
2:50 pm. WELCOME! A few announcements.
3:00 pm. "Chicago Cafe" Dir. Kristie Chow/Jeff Wu 12:55
In a small Northern California town, a 100-year-old Chinese restaurant gets ready to close. This short film follows Paul Fong and his wife Nancy through quiet moments, old family footage and the slow process of letting go.
3:15 pm. "The A.S.M" Dir. Monty Schmidt 5:59
A family camping trip with hilarious twists and turns.
"This movie was made in just 48 hours." GoodDay Sacramento
3:20 pm "When Amma Came to Dinner" Dir. Kurt Falk 10:00
An all-female dramedy about Ellie and Preeti, an LGBTQ+ couple. They must navigate the cultural and social intersections of marrying into a more traditional Indian family when Preeti's mother Rekha unexpectedly comes to visit for dinner.
3:30 pm. "See You Soon" Dir. Eileen Hoang 7:16
Three last phone calls: her father, her best friend, her grandmother. Reina leaves messages to her loved ones, ready to end the overwhelming loneliness and pain...but no one was supposed to pick up.
3:40 pm "Angels Overpass" Dir. Alfred Hernandez 5:45
A visual piece that poetically juxtaposes images of man-made architecture with the architecture of nature. (Bay Area)
3:45 pm Ten-minute film TBA
3:55 pm Five-minute film TBA
4:00 pm "Michael's Air B&B" Dir. Dan Stearns 14:17
When a kid's imaginary Air B&B gets real guests, his dad gets the boot.
4:15 pm 15-minute intermission (concessions for sale in lobby)
4:30 pm Ten-minute film TBA
4:40 pm "Songs and Secrets" Dir. Sherri Z. Heller 8:35
In the 1970s, charming wedding photographer Michael has come out of the closet. After Hanukkah, before his clever daughter Sarah goes back to college, he asks her to help him come out to his mother, but the evening doesn't go as planned.
4:50 pm films TBA
5:15 pm Awards Ceremony and Q and A with filmmakers.
6:00 to 7:00 pm Dinner Break. Live music by According to Bazooka.
Concessions will be sold in the lobby.
7:15 pm Welcome Back/Announcements
7:20 pm. "Love and Its Consequences" Dir. Damian King and Robin Deeter 15:30
At his birthday party Steven must confront a truth he has been avoiding while his friend David confronts the love of his life.
7:35 pm "Edson's Gravy" Dir. Ryan Kittleman 2:22
Based on Russel Edson's classic poem "Gravy" this film is a whimsical ode to a timeless condiment. (Richmond, CA)
7:40 pm "Draw" Dir. Ron Gilbert 11:19
After doing a very bad thing to a woman on their first date, a man has a very bad day. (Sacramento)
7:50 pm "The Librarian" Dir. Serkan Aktash 20:43
Mazhar is a librarian who tries to study Spanish, believing that he can only be discovered if he reads Federico Garcia Lorca, the Great Master of Poetry, in his own language. Meanwhile he experiences an increasing loneliness after he loses his job. This causes much inner distress and he tries to get rid of this "stuckness" that he feels.
8:10 pm "The Last Call" Dir. Karen G. Ruiz 13:26
A professional coach awakens in a locked room trying to figure out what happened to him and how he can escape, with only the aid of a dying cell phone and cryptic phone calls from his kidnapper.
8:25 pm "Roses" Dir. Jason Mar 17:30
A slow, slice of life story about a male prostitute in a suburban Los Angeles neighborhood who faces issues in his life and encounters a friend he hasn't seen in a long time.
8:40 pm 15-minute intermission (concessions for sale in lobby)
8:55 pm
Stay Tuned! More 2025 afternoon and evening films to come!
2024 FILMS
2:15 pm. "Edson's Gravy" Dir. Ryan Kittleman 2:22
Based on Russel Edson's classic poem "Gravy" this film is a whimsical ode to a timeless condiment. (Richmond, CA)
2:20 pm. "The Nature Girl" Dir. Antonio Capreta 9:32
The Nature Girl is the story of a brave and courageous young girl, abandoned by her parents at an early age, who ends up living on the streets in urban chaos. Her spirit is tested as she saves lost and injured animals with acts of heartfelt kindness to brazen rescues. (Bay Area)
2:30 pm. "Worms" Dir. Aden Bertisch 9:43
Since the age of five, Ronny has been eating worms, a strange yet surprisingly healthy habit. Now in his freshman year of high school, Ronny faces a dilemma: will he find social acceptance with this unusual habit or not? Caution for kids under 12: some strong language. No worms or insects were harmed in the making of this film. (Sherman Oaks, CA).
2:40 pm. "Angel's Overpass" Dir. Alfred Hernandez 5:45
A visual piece that poetically juxtaposes images of man-made architecture with the architecture of nature. (Bay Area)
2:50 pm. "Amelia runs through a meadow." Dir. Saurav Mohapatra 12:16
An elderly woman, suffering from Alzheimer's, tries to recreate a happy memory from her childhood before she loses it. (Bay Area)
3:05 pm. "Through a Child's Eyes" Dir. Kat Silva 5:57
Hear firsthand from 9 children across the country as they wrestle with the emotional and physical challenges of the Covid-19 outbreak. (CO)
3:15 pm. "Granite and Marble" Dir. R. Paul Villaluz 10:00
A "charmed" young boy races against the clock to win the love and friendship of his angry and cold-hearted adoptive teenage sister before a major Sacramento event concludes or risks being turned back into his true self.
3:25 pm. "For Love or Rock" Dir. Tony Pacheco 11:49
Corey must succeed no matter what. Miri must not let anyone break her heart. As their relationship reaches its tipping point, they must choose between their ingrained beliefs, and the undeniable connection that binds them. (Sacramento)
3:40 p.m. 20 Minute Intermission (Concessions for sale in the lobby).
4:00 pm. "The Jacket" by Cheryl Wynton (10:00)
After finding a woman's jacket left at his house years earlier, a man goes in search of its owner, hoping to rekindle their romance. (Sac)
4:10 pm. "Motel California" Dir. E.M.Hodge (6:17)
Questions like Why Are We Here and What is the Meaning of Life are all answered, sort of, in this first ever web series submission to the Davis Film Festival. (Sacramento)
4:20 pm. A Journey Home: The Story of Sahaya Vietnam Dir. Andy Lauer 24:24
Forced to flee Vietnam as a child, Chung Truong went on to create a beautiful life and family in the U.S. But as career and family were settling in, an emptiness overtook him, eventually leading him back to the country he barely remembered but ran deep in his blood. There, he connected with a team of courageous nuns and dedicated volunteers. Together they built a house for an impoverished family. Then another. Soon there were hundreds. Educational programs would follow. And a ripple effect that would change the lives of thousands... (U.S.)
4:45 p.m. Awards Ceremony and Q and A with filmmakers.
5:30 to 6:30 pm Dinner Break. Music by According to Bazooka. Concessions will be sold in the lobby. Popcorn, pretzels, pizza, candy, protein bars, coffee, tea, sodas, water. We will also have 3 short films that will show for free during the dinner hour for those who would rather watch movies than eat: "Son-Mat" by Haaram Kim (8:44), "Te Amo Papa" by Dave Brown and Jake Zieman (7:45) and "Life, Love and the Pursuit of Comics" by Jacob Michael Keller (5:40). These films will start at 6 pm.
6:35 pm Welcome Back/Announcements
6:40 pm "The First Rule" Dir. Saurav Mohapatra 6:30
A love song/homage to classic black and white Hollywood crime-noir films from the fifties. (Caution: gun violence) (Bay Area)
6:50 pm. "Vasomotor Rhinitus" Dir. Mikheil Gabaidze 14:58
An employee at a European governmental institution accidently sneezes on his boss at the Opera and spends the rest of the film trying to apologize. (Georgia--Europe)
7:05 pm Ten-minute intermission (You may purchase a separate ticket for the viewing of "Sally" if you wish. See our Tickets link for info).
7:15 pm "Sally" Dir. Deborah Craig 1:36:26
She spearheaded the 1970s and 80s lesbian feminist movement and worked shoulder to shoulder with Harvey Milk to defeat the Briggs Initiative, which would have kept LGBTQ teachers out of the classroom. She made an indelible impact on LGBTQ equality and women's rights and was a brilliant superstar who inspired thousands. So how come you've never heard of Sally Gearhart? (SF)
"Sally" just took home the Best Documentary Award at the Out at the Movies International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC as well as Best Documentary at Reel-Q LGBTQ Film Festival in Pittsburgh, PA. A portion of this film's ticket sales will go to Davis Phoenix Coalition.
8:50 pm. Q AND A SESSION WITH THE DIRECTOR + AWARDS
9:40 pm. It's a WRAP! See you next year!
THANK YOU
Thank you to Corinne and her talented Veteran's Memorial Theater team for supporting us again. Thank you to our Festival Sponsors: Davis Food Co-op, Davis Media Access, The Avid Reader, International House, Sudwerk, Strands Salon, and Judy Reynolds Low Salt Recipes. Thank you to Temple Coffee in Davis for donating the coffee and to Woodstock's for the pizza. Thank you to my intern Jacqueline Salas for helping with publicity and promotion, updating our website, and doing other important tasks. Finally, thank you to the film audience and to all the filmmakers themselves for helping to create another memorable Davis Film Festival experience.
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