For 14 years, WFF has brought our community together through stories that reflect who we are and what we stand for. In 2026, under the theme “Art as Resistance,” we return with a selection of 50+ local, youth, and award-winning films that center culture, community, activism, love, and resilience.

From powerful shorts programs and features to filmmaker Q&As, youth showcases, live events, and celebrations that carry beyond the screen, this year’s festival is about showing up and standing TOGETHER!

Join us for #WFF2026 from March 12–21, 2026, in Watsonville, Salinas, and Santa Cruz. WATSONVILLE | @cineluxtheatres SALINAS | @mayacinemas SANTA CRUZ | @the418project

We’re proud to announce our official festival locations, where our community will gather to celebrate bold, powerful, and unapologetic storytelling. From screenings to conversations, unforgettable moments on the red carpet, and fun memories at the after-parties, this is more than a festival — it’s a movement.

Grab your tickets on Eventive. Secure your seat TODAY!

Bring your friends. Bring your family. Show up for our stories. Let’s pack the theater and celebrate together!

The Watsonville Film Festival celebrates Latine filmmakers and stories that illuminate our shared humanity and inspire positive change.

For over a decade, WFF has redefined what a film festival can be: more than a series of screenings, it is a cultural movement that builds community with intention and joy. Through our annual Film Festival, year-round screenings, CINE SE PUEDE filmmaker support programming and funding, we uplift Latine, Indigenous, and underrepresented filmmakers and stories that honor resilience, creativity and dignity, while also creating spaces for audiences to engage, reflect and take action. We recognize that the arts help all communities to thrive. Film, in particular, is necessary for the Latinx community to have agency over their own representation and to offer their own vision of the world. In the last 10 years, only 4.5% of movies featured Latinx characters, many of them negative stereotypes.

Our Work

For 13 years, Watsonville Film Festival has worked to shift disempowering narratives about our communities and to nurture an ecosystem for independent filmmakers in Watsonville and the Monterey Bay region. 

• We highlight Latine filmmakers and stories that inspire, entertain and focus on issues relevant to the local community, and to encourage dialogue between filmmakers & audience.

• We empower local youth through film as a way to transform the world.

• We promote economic development through the cinematic arts in our community.