Nearly a year after shuttering the San Fernando Valley’s first-ever film festival – after 25 years of showcasing local, national and international movies – the Valley Film Festival (VFF) is coming back with a streamlined and rebranded mission: to feature filmmakers solely “from the 818.”
A common nickname for the San Fernando Valley, the 818 is a reference to the region’s most prevalent area code, which dates back to 1984, when the valley split off from Los Angeles’ original 213 area code. And for its 26th year, the VFF is leaning heavily into its valley identity, not only by spotlighting local artists, but also by scheduling its revamped one-day festival on “818 Day” – Aug. 18 – and presenting films that were all created in the San Fernando Valley.
“Last year, it was the end of the [VFF] as a multi-day screening festival,” explained VFF co-producer David Krouse. In the past, the annual VFF lasted up to nine days, and featured as many as 80 movies “from all over the world,” he said.
“This year we’re returning for [only] one day with movies made in the [valley] and with filmmakers who are all local,” continued Krouse. He said they slimmed down the movie screening element to shift their focus toward expanding professional development opportunities for filmmakers, including live panels and seminars addressing distribution, licensing, marketing, public relations and other subjects to help support and educate filmmakers.
“They may know how to make a movie, but they don’t necessarily know how to get a distributor or about post production,” he said. “But because we’re a film festival, we still want to have that screening component with two programs: the ‘Made in the 818’ short films, which have been part of the festival, I believe, since the beginning, [and] the feature film ‘Sunset Strip Killers.’”
Valley Films by Valley Filmmakers
This year, the VFF will kick off at 5 p.m. at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood with its signature “Made in the 818” program, which will present eight short films, all filmed and/or produced in Agoura Hills, Burbank, North Hollywood, Northridge, Sylmar and Woodland Hills.
Titles for 2026 will include: “All for Tomorrow,” a sci-fi trailer directed by Russ Emanue; “Dis-Ease,” a drama directed by Justin Zackariah Zagril; “Divisi,” a drama directed by Anabelle Corneau; “Is Your Shade of Blue the Same as Mine?” a drama directed by Gabriel Urbano; “Meeting Your Maker,” a drama directed by Gregory JM Kasunich; “More Than This,” a musical drama directed by Chris Sarfin; “The Vinyl Collection,” a thriller directed by Mateo Galindo Peña; and “This Road Leads Nowhere,” a horror pilot directed by Veronica Lara.
Approximately one-third of the shorts are student films, including “This Road Leads Nowhere.” Showrunner and head writer Tatiana Perez helped bring the pilot to life with a core team of about 10 fellow students from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and about 50 additional cast and crew members who assisted with hands-on preparation, filming and post-production.
Perez said the film blends horror and mystery as it follows the protagonist, whose life is in shambles after his younger brother disappears. With the help of an ex-partner and supernatural influences, their search leads them to a diner – which many valley residents will recognize: Brent’s Deli in Northridge – where they find themselves in danger and must fight to survive.
“[During] the process of making [the pilot] … it was kind of like the odds were against us,” she recalled. “[But] I never doubted the crew, and by the end, to have a product that everyone was super proud of was just amazing. … No one gave up; everyone kept pushing forward. So the final product is just a testament to everyone’s ability to work through hard circumstances.”
For Anabelle Corneau, a CSUN film student who wrote and directed “Divisi” – a drama about a violin prodigy dealing with the pressure of her jealous mentor – making films has been a childhood dream. Born and raised in Encino, 21-year-old Corneau said she’s been honing her talents since high school – writing, directing, building technical skills and leading film projects.
In “Divisi” – which was filmed at LA Mission College in Sylmar – the violin represents the perfection the violinist can never achieve “and a version of herself she can no longer inhabit.”
“As the writer, director and a violinist myself, the contradiction is powerful,” said Corneau, who praised her cinematographer, Gio la Scala, for “amazing” work. “It’s one thing to work with talented people, but to work with talented people you get to call friends is even more rewarding.”
The shorts program will be followed by the feature film presentation of “Sunset Strip Killers” by director Chad Ferrin at 7:30 p.m., also at the Laemmle NoHo 7. The bio-pic is about real-life serial killers Carol Bundy and Doug Clark, who met in the valley and went on a killing spree in the summer of 1980. The film was produced in Chatsworth, Simi Valley and North Hollywood.
Fostering Creativity in the 818
“For 26 years, the Valley Film Festival has believed that the ‘818’ offers a landscape that not only supports important storytelling and talent, but that our valley communities can … double as worldwide locations,” said Tracey Adlai, a native of Toluca Lake who founded VFF in 2000.
“At a time when our industry is working to keep productions, jobs and creative talent in Los Angeles, we are proud to continue to celebrate filmmakers who are already … supporting local businesses,” added Adlai, executive director of VFF, a nonprofit project of Community Partners.
This year’s festival theme – “Keeping Hollywood Home Since 2001” – highlights VFF’s commitment to bolstering locally-produced films and local filmmakers, which in turn support local small businesses across the valley and “really boost the economy locally,” said Krouse.
Krouse, who has worked with the festival for about 10 years, said he’s looking forward to helping the VFF continue its mission to foster talent and “support independent filmmakers.”
Although the VFF won’t be Corneau’s first film festival, she said she’s “really excited” that her film is being screened.
“The [festival] organizers have been so great,” she said, “and I’m excited to share this night with my team and see what everyone else in the valley has been working on.”
The Valley Film Festival will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Laemmle NoHo 7, located at 5240 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.
For the festival schedule and links to reserve free tickets, go to: www.valleyfilmfest.org/events.
For more information about the films being featured in this year’s festival, go to: www.valleyfilmfest.org/vff26.