For a coastal community that measures its identity in waves and tide lines, the fourth annual Dana Point Film Festival is shaping up to be the biggest celebration yet of the bond between land and sea.
DANA POINT, CA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Dana Point Film Festival (DPFF) has confirmed its fourth annual edition will run Thursday, October 29 through Sunday, November 1, 2026. Audiences can expect more than 30 films exploring ocean life, coastal culture, environmental stewardship, surfing, and the deep connections between people and the sea during this four-day community event.
Screenings will take place at the Porthole Theater at Dana Hills High School, located at 33333 Golden Lantern in Dana Point. The venue seats 210, giving the festival an intimate atmosphere where viewers can take in powerful ocean and coastal storytelling on the big screen. Additional gatherings and celebrations are planned at Dana Point spots including White Rooster, Killer Dana Surf Shop, and Craft House. The festival kicks off with filmmaker programming Thursday evening and wraps Sunday with the closing-night feature, Harbour Chronicles.
“We’re reminded every day that Dana Point sits on the doorstep of the Pacific, and of the power, wonder, and responsibility that come with our relationship to the ocean and Mother Nature,” said Lloyd Bryan Molander, Managing Director and Founder of the Dana Point Film Festival. “These films celebrate the joy and harmony the ocean brings while exploring conservation, the respectful use of its resources, and the need to protect the ecosystem it holds. That’s why these visual stories matter now more than ever.”
Festival Highlights
The 2026 Dana Point Film Festival will include:
•Meet the Filmmakers, Thursday, October 29, from 6:00–8:00 p.m., featuring light bites and a cash bar.
•Opening Night Film: The OC Effect, Friday, October 30, from 6:00–8:00 p.m., followed by the Opening Night Party at White Rooster.
•Five curated shorts programs across Saturday and Sunday, presenting work from emerging and established filmmakers.
•Saturday Night Spotlight: Don’t Be Prey, Saturday, October 31, from 4:00–6:00 p.m., followed by SURFER’s “Hauntolulu” surf/ocean movie costume party at Killer Dana Surf Shop.
•A special Sunday presentation of The Right Whale with Changing Seas: Whales in a Plastic Ocean, pairing marine-life storytelling with urgent environmental themes.
•The Boys & Girls Club Awards, Sunday, November 1, from 12:00–2:00 p.m. at Craft House, recognizing youth filmmaking and creative achievement.
•Closing Night Film: Harbour Chronicles, Sunday, November 1, from 4:00–6:00 p.m.—a cinematic celebration of harbor life, the people who shape it, and the enduring connection between Dana Point’s waterfront community and the sea.
Tickets: Discounted Festival Passes are available on our DPFF WEBSITE. With seating limited to 210 at the Porthole Theater, advance reservations are encouraged.
“This fourth year marks a turning point for the Dana Point Film Festival, with an outstanding lineup of films from around the world and a rare opportunity for our community to step away from smartphones, gather in a theater, and celebrate the art of filmmaking,” said Riki Kucheck, Festival Director. “As a coastal community, we are deeply connected to the ocean and our responsibility to help preserve it. Films remain one of the most inspiring ways to motivate awareness and positive action. We’re thrilled to welcome new partners and new faces as the festival grows, moving us closer to our vision of making Dana Point the Sundance of the sea.”
Community Support
The Dana Point Film Festival is made possible through the support of local businesses, civic partners, arts leaders, and community members. DPFF is especially grateful to Dana Yarger and Jennifer Keil of the Dana Point Arts & Culture Ambassadors and to Mike and Carrie Foster of Killer Dana, whose support strengthens the festival’s connection to Dana Point’s creative and surf communities. Additional support from the Glenn Bushmire Team, SiFi Lending, and the William Ryan Company helps make DPFF’s youth-focused shorts program and partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley possible. Additional partners are included on our website.
About Dana Point Film Festival
The Dana Point Film Festival is an ocean-focused community film festival in Dana Point, California, operated under Blue Sea 2 Sky, a nonprofit 501(c)(3). The festival presents films that explore marine life, coastal culture, environmental awareness, and the human relationship with the sea. Through film screenings, filmmaker engagement, youth programming, and community events, DPFF brings audiences together around stories that inform, inspire, and celebrate the ocean.
Festival leadership includes Lloyd Bryan Molander, Managing Director and Founder, and Riki Kucheck, Festival Director.
Full programming, screening details, ticket information, and updates are available at DanaPointFilmFestival.org
Lloyd Bryan Molander, Founder
Dana Point Film Festival
+1 949-775-6244
Press@danapointfilm.org
Why it matters: As digital distractions multiply and coastal ecosystems face mounting pressures, this festival carves out rare space for communal viewing of stories that connect audiences to the ocean’s beauty and fragility. With its growing slate of international films and youth programming, DPFF is positioning itself as a cultural anchor for environmental awareness on the Southern California coast.
