Topanga Film Festival 2022
The Topanga Film Festival 2022 featured a variety of films in two venues in beautiful Topanga, CA.
The 17th annual Topanga Film Festival took place October 2-9, 2022.
Nestled in the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga is 30 minutes from Los Angeles. But you’d never know it from underneath the tree cover of the natural oasis that has beckoned hippies, outlaws, and the unconventional for decades.
The festival featured a Topanga Showcase, dedicated to films about Topanga and by Topangans. There was something impactful about sitting in Froggy’s, a popular restaurant venue, surrounded by Topangans, learning about the history of this special place in films like In Hollywood’s Backyard. And listening to the evolution of surf music and hearing the stories of its genesis from those who created it, and the fans who contributed to its popularity in Sound of the Surf. Minutes from Malibu and beaches that are surfed year round, Topanga was the ultimate place to watch this film.
The highlight of the entire festival was the Indigenous Peoples Showcase.
The Indigenous Storytellers panel was hosted by Sej Saraiya and featured D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs), Dennis “Chumash” Romero, Freda Sideroff, Paul Redman, and Izzy Bio.
Providing a platform for the stories of peoples who have been violently silenced is only a small step towards healing our planet. But the entire showcase and the generational wisdom that was shared created a palpable momentum that gave me hope that maybe we really can make a difference.
The lineup for this small festival had no right to be as incredible as it was.
Short and feature films from literal children to indie filmmakers, to the world-renowned, every film shown was clearly festival-worthy. The closing film was a powerful documentary by National Geographic, The Territory. Chronicling the struggle to preserve the Amazon rainforest and the Indigenous tribes who call it home, The Territory is a film that everyone needs to see.
Image courtesy of National Geographic.
Obviously, movies are the main draw of film festivals, but the social component of the Topanga Film Festival cannot be overlooked.
The community showed up in force, full of love for each other and an eagerness to welcome festival newbies into the fold. The Topanga Film Festival is the most welcoming event for cinephiles and if you’ve never been you need to put it on your festival bucket list like, now!
Stay tuned for more coverage on specific films and panels. And be sure to check out the Topanga Film Institute for upcoming events!
Written by Zianna Weston
The Basic Cinephile team had a blast at the Topanga Film Festival 2022! Image courtesy of the Topanga Film Institute.
Image courtesy of the Topanga Film Institute.
The Basic Cinephile team excited for a day of movies & events at the Topanga Film Festival!
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