– The Valley Film Festival (VFF) is celebrating its 25th Anniversary of thought-provoking storytelling with a showcase of 50 films from around the world, as well as the (818), September 17-21 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 theatre in North Hollywood.
From the twisted mind of Chad Ferrin, Dorothea opens the five-day festival with its World Premiere. Shot in the Valley, and based on true events, the infamous serial killer Dorothea Puente faces her final moments behind bars—but not before revealing the grotesque secrets of her past that turned her home into a graveyard. Featuring Susan Priver, Ginger Lynn, Lew Temple, Cyril O’Reilly, Brenda James, Robert Miano, Pat McNeely, and Ezra Buzzington.
The Prospect directed by Robert Schultz and Dana Donnelly closes out the festival with its West Coast Premiere. The comedy, another feature shot in the (818), follows high school senior Jerry Vanetti (Rishi Mahesh), desperate to escape small-town obscurity, as he masterminds an outrageous scam to pose as a star baseball recruit despite never having played the game.
The Los Angeles Premiere of Motherland, featuring a powerhouse cast that includes Miriam Silverman (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), legendary Emmy-winning actress Holland Taylor (Legally Blonde, Two-And-A-Half-Men), Emmy award winner Néstor Carbonell (Shōgun, The Morning Show), Emily Arancioand and Molly Hager, takes the coveted Centerpiece Screening slot. Directed by Evan Matthews, this 1984-esque sci-fi thriller is set in the Motherland, a state-run center that raises all citizens, ensuring a fair upbringing and freeing parents from child-rearing burdens. In this alternate present society, a rule enforcer learns a shocking truth that sparks her rebellion.
This year’s festival also marks the end of The Valley Film Festival, as a traditional festival. The non-profit arts organization, a project of Community Partners, will transition into residencies and retreats for filmmakers in 2026. “When I founded The Valley Film Festival in 2000, Los Angeles had a handful of film festivals, and none supported the San Fernando Valley,” stated Tracey Adlai, the Festival’s Founder, Executive Director, and Toluca Lake native. “25 years later there are literarily hundreds of films festivals in LA filling the need now. After listening to our community of filmmakers, over the last few years, they are craving for an experience beyond a film festival and that’s where we are shifting our focus.”
VFF’s foreign selections include the Los Angeles Premieres of The Lone Killer (Denmark) directed by Danny Thykær and Maratona di New York/The Marathon (Italy) directed by Luca Franco. Ahead of its theatrical release in Denmark, The Lone Killer, a thriller, explores ambition, legacy, and the moral price of survival in a fractured Europe in the aftermath of two terrorist attacks in Copenhagen, while The Marathon, a drama framed by long-distance running and Italian sunsets, delves into the humor and heartbreak of friendship tested by ambition—until the race leaves room for only one winner. Fresh from its theatrical run in Peru, Mistura, a drama directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, follows a privileged French-Peruvian woman whose world crumbles after her husband’s betrayal casts her out of Lima’s elite social circles. Forced to confront the people and traditions she was taught to disdain, she discovers solidarity, strength, and a daring new identity through a culinary venture that celebrates Peru’s extraordinary diversity.
Balancing out the narrative films, VFF’s documentary program includes the West Coast Premiere of Daniel Ho: Life as an Audition (Anne Davis O’Neal). Ukulele virtuoso Daniel Ho takes audiences on an intimate journey through triumph and adversity. From growing up in Hawaii, to winning GRAMMY awards and facing questions over his identity, Ho’s story is one of resilience, independence, and the power of music to both preserve heritage and transcend borders. Similarly, Shannon Lee Allbright’s 2500 Miles, follows a dedicated sewing teacher on an extraordinary motorcycle ride from Los Angeles to her hometown of Selma, Alabama. Returning to the very school where she first learned to read and write, she shares her craft with the next generation—stitching together past and present in a moving story of empowerment and return.
Rounding out the feature film programis a collection of films shot in the (818), proving that the San Fernando Valley is LA’s very own studio backlot: Clown-n-Out (in Valley Village),a dark comedy directed by Mark Hensley, Lovebug, a 1980s retro comedy directed by Blake Kaiser (shot in Burbank and Sun Valley), starring Logan Pepper (American Housewife), and Rufus, a horror film directed by Mars Roberge.
“It’s been a sincere pleasure toprovide a discovery platform forfilms, and filmmakers, based on merit, from across the world as well as from around the cornerfor 25 years,” reflects Adlai. “From our first year at Pacific Theatres, at the icnonic Sherman Oaks Galleria, to our longstanding partnership with Laemmle Theatres, true championsof independent and foreign film. While it may be the end of our traditional festival, we will continue to foster community and culture among filmmakers in the (818).”
Shorts programs and free educational panels filloutthe week at the Laemmle NoHo 7 theatres in the NoHo Arts District. Tickets are $15 per program and are on sale now at ValleyFilmFest.org
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