About True West Film Center

Founded in 2014, True West Film Center (TWFC) has been a vital force in expanding access to cinema, arts education, and cultural programming in Northern California’s rural North Bay region. Each year, TWFC served over 5,000 individuals, including 1,000 students and 600 lifelong learners, through diverse film screenings, workshops, and immersive media arts programs. The centerpiece of our annual programming was the True West Film Festival, featuring domestic and international films, documentaries, shorts, panel discussions, and a student film competition.

In 2022, TWFC launched a capital campaign to establish the James Redford Campus, a state-of-the-art film center in Sonoma County. We opened the doors to the public on October 17, 2025. As the only theater of its kind serving a four-county region— Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa, and Lake Counties—the campus offers first-run films, arthouse programming, and a broad spectrum of media arts education. Projected to serve 45,000 people annually by its third year, the center will reach 5,000 students each year, positioning itself as a hub for creative and educational engagement.

2026 will also mark the debut of Fresh Takes, our student film festival in March, and the Film Festival of Love, June 24-28, which centers around films that explore love – as comedy, tragedy, rebellion, revelation, and everything in between.

A cornerstone of TWFC’s mission is to ensure that historically underserved communities have equitable access to film and media arts education. Our strategic initiatives prioritize outreach to marginalized populations. We offer Spanish-language programming, discounted tickets for seniors and low-income residents, parent-friendly “Cine-baby” programming, and Sensory Sensitivity Screenings. With a commitment to fostering inclusion, TWFC partners with schools, nonprofits, and community groups to cultivate a welcoming, accessible space for all.