Start planning for a busy year of beautiful places and memorable movies.
The motion picture business has still not fully recovered from the pandemic, but you wouldn’t know it from the enthusiastic movie lovers who gather at film festivals throughout the West. Potential blockbusters, small independent films hoping to attract studio interest, documentaries, short subjects — each festival provides more choices than anyone could possibly experience in one visit. But that’s what keeps the crowds coming back, year after year. So grab your Goobers, Milk Duds, and big tub of buttered pop- corn and settle in that middle seat.
Sundance Film Festival
- Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah
- January 22 – February 1, 2026
If an air of melancholy hangs over this year’s edition of the country’s most prominent film festival, it’s understandable. The passing of founder Robert Redford in September of last year, coupled with news that, after more than 40 years in Utah, the festival will move to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, might overshadow some of the accustomed enthusiasm among more than 80,000 attendees.
Still, there’s much to celebrate about his life and legacy, not least that his brainchild remains the place where big deals are made, future Oscar winners are screened, and careers are launched. A short list of filmmakers who got their start at Sundance boasts Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh. The Sundance Institute, founded in 1981, provides support for independent filmmakers through labs, grants, and mentorship programs.
There’s so much to see and do here besides devouring the delicious films and incomparable ambience including midnight screenings of each year’s more bizarre entries, Q&A sessions with industry professionals at the Filmmaker Lodge, and celebrity spotting on a red carpet that is often dusted with snow.
Between screenings, don’t miss: Shopping in the quaint Main Street Historic District and a steak at Butcher’s Chop House.
Santa Barbara Film Festival
- Santa Barbara, California
- February 4 – 15, 2026
Santa Barbara may be the quintessential California film festival, offering all the glitzy trappings fans associate with such events.
Of course, there are screenings—more than 200—in both sleek modern venues and historic theaters like the Arlington, a Spanish colonial landmark built in 1931 that still has the magnificent organ that once provided musical accompaniment to silent film classics.
The 2026 edition showcases new and emerging filmmakers. There are also workshops and masterclass sessions with screenwriters and directors, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and plenty of celebrity tributes and sightings. Every year the Kirk Douglas Award for excellence in film is bestowed upon a worthy recipient; past winners include Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, and Hugh Jackman. In 2026 it will be presented to Wicked star Cynthia Erivo.
Between screenings, don’t miss: a ferry ride out to Channel Islands National Park (“the Galapagos Islands of North America”) or a tour of nearby wineries. History buffs might opt instead for a visit to the Santa Barbara Mission, founded in 1786. But it’s truly hard to top a sunset cruise along the stunning Pacific coastline.
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
- Missoula, Montana
- February 13 – 22, 2026
Documentaries may not get the same mainstream acclaim as the latest superhero blockbuster, but you wouldn’t know it from the 20,000 fans that descend on the mountain city of Missoula to watch true stories from around the world.
The stakes are high at Big Sky for documentary filmmakers at this Academy Award-qualifying event. In addition to cash prizes, the winning selections in the Mini-Doc and Best Short Documentary categories automatically become eligible to compete for an Oscar.
Between screenings, don’t miss: Day trips are preferable to nighttime excursions in Missoula in February, when temperatures drop into the 20s after sunset. So if there’s time, check out Garnet, a nearby ghost town named after the precious gem discovered there in the 1800s. It was home to 1,000 people in 1898, but the population dropped to 150 just seven years later. Be sure to check the weather before you leave: Depending on conditions in winter, the town may be accessible only by snowmobile or cross-country skis.
South by Southwest Film Festival
- Austin, Texas
- March 12 – 18, 2026
They’re making lemonade out of lemons in Austin, when the original plans to celebrate SXSW’s 40th anniversary fell by the wayside now that its traditional home—The Austin Convention Center—was demolished, to make way for a new facility that won’t open until 2029
This year might require more hiking than usual to get to the various venues where more than 100 films will be screened, but the festival’s eclectic lineup, which also includes short films and television offerings, always makes the trip worthwhile. Hopefully they’ll find a great spot for the annual closing barbecue and softball game with industry professionals.
Between screenings, don’t miss: Music! SXSW is also a music festival, so no need to wander too far to enjoy more showcases of dozens of bands from around the world.
Telluride Film Festival
- Telluride, Colorado
- August 28 – September 1, 2026
Small-town hospitality exudes out of this humble hamlet 9,000 feet above sea level, where the A-listers wait in line with the regular folks for an avocado bacon omelet at the historic Floradora Saloon before attending their first screening of the day.
A bit of mystery always greets attendees, as the festival’s full program is rarely revealed until everyone’s made their way into town. But we’ve never heard from anyone who left disappointed after enjoying the picturesque Victorian mining town and its festival mix of lively features, independent films, and documentaries. This is where Ken Burns’ The Civil War debuted, as well as Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain and several Academy Award winners for Best Picture.
Between screenings, don’t miss: the spectacular free 12-minute gondola ride to Mountain Village, which delivers majestic views over aspens and cliff faces along with heady transportation. Hardcore adventurers might book a guide for a via ferrata climb, followed by a self-congratulatory hoist of one of the 60 beers on tap at the Last Dollar Saloon.
Lone Pine Film Festival
- Lone Pine, California
- Second Weekend of October, 2026
What better place for a film fest focused on action movies than Lone Pine?
Three hours from Hollywood, Lone Pine and the surrounding Alabama Hills and Eastern Sierra terrain first attracted filmmakers in 1920. Since then, a who’s who of Western legends—Roy Rogers, Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, Glenn Ford, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne among them—have passed through in major blockbusters, bottom-of-the-bill programmers, cliffhanger serials, and television shows.
This is where John Ford filmed How the West Was Won, Spencer Tracy beat up the bad guys in Bad Day at Black Rock, Randolph Scott outfoxed a trio of outlaws in The Tall T, the Cartwrights bought some horses from a Mormon with two wives, and the Lone Ranger rode into the sunset after another daring adventure.
The film festival was launched in 1989 by local hotel owners Kerry and Ray Powell and film historian Dave Holland, along with local business and community leaders. It is still a celebration of the area’s Hollywood heritage and spotlights new films offering the same thrills and excitement that audiences loved when everyone from Tom Mix to Hopalong Cassidy rode tall in the saddle. Some years you may still be able to watch a movie in the morning and then visit the places where it was shot.
Between screenings, don’t miss: a horseback ride through the Alabama Hills and a visit to the Museum of Western History.
Red Nation International Film Festival
- Los Angeles
- November 2026
Over the past 30 years, the Red Nation International Film Festival (RNIFF) has grown in stature to become the largest Native and Indigenous film festival in the world. After decades of stereotypical portrayals, RNIFF proudly features Native American stories told by Native American filmmakers, while also honoring those who, through their work, have supported the American Indian community. Past recipients of its Marlon Brando Award include Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp.
Between screenings, don’t miss: the Bowers Museum in nearby (depending on L.A. traffic) Santa Ana, which boasts a collection of more than 24,000 Native American artifacts, including basketry, pottery, beadwork, jewelry, and weapons.
Film Buff Bonanza
Still want to see more movies? Check out these other gatherings for cinephiles.
Tombstone Film Festival
- Tombstone, Arizona
- January 29 – February 6
If the plan is to showcase westerns—and only westerns—why not do it where the Earp brothers clashed with the Cowboys at the O.K. Corral?
Cinequest
- San Jose and Mountain View, California
- March
As you’d expect from an event based in Silicon Valley, the emphasis here is on how AI and cutting-edge technology impact filmmaking.
Salute Your Shorts
- Los Angeles
- August
For those of us with shorter attention spans, this festival highlights the best short films from around the world.
El Paso Film Festival
- El Paso, Texas
- September 24 – 26
One of the largest showcases for independent films, El Paso is the place to discover talented young creators before Hollywood does. Worth a visit just to see a movie in the historic Plaza Theatre.
Santa Fe International Film Festival
- Santa Fe
- October
Founded in 2009, SFIFF has grown quickly to become what IndieWire magazine called “a young Sundance.” Native and local filmmakers are always well-represented, alongside acclaimed independent movies.
Coronado Island Film Festival
- Coronado, California
- November 5–9
Stay at the Hotel del Coronado in rooms that hosted Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, and Katharine Hepburn, and enjoy a well-curated selection of features and documentaries, including several films featuring stories about servicemen and veterans, reflecting San Diego’s military ties.
From the February/March 2026 issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy film festivals.
