True West Film Festival provides audiences and filmmakers ten days of thought-provoking films, the best of Sonoma County’s food & wine scene, shorts, panels, parties, and special events.
As we remain fully focused on completing construction and celebrating the grand opening of our James Redford Campus later this year, we will not produce the traditional True West Film Festival in 2025. When our new campus opens, we will welcome our community with a robust grand opening celebration comprising film screenings, panels, and signature events held over multiple days. The Festival will return in the spring of 2026, making full use of the cinemas and facilities.
Explore all of the pictures from our 2024 Festival.
Thank you to everyone who joined us at AVFest 2024, infusing our ten-day film festival with energy and enthusiasm. Your support as sponsors, pass holders, and ticket purchasers has made this our most successful and fun festival yet. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated staff, crew, board members, volunteers, vendors, restaurants, wineries, screening venues, chefs, servers, photographers, students, teachers, parents, guardians, filmmakers, screening team, tech assistance, and programmers. Your hard work and commitment brought #AVFest2024 to life in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
Thanks again for making our 10th annual film festival our best one yet!
AVFest Audience Award – Feature-Length Documentary
The Unredacted Directed by Meg Smaker
Cash prize of $1,000
AVFest Audience Award – Feature-Length Narrative
Ghostlight Directed by Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan
Cash prize of $1,000
AVFest Audience Award – Short
Then Comes The Body Directed by Jacob Krupnick
Cash prize of $500
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) AWARD
Terrestrial Verses Directed by Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami
Cash prize of $1,000
Elementary School – School Project Film
Lost and Found Directed by Ryker Elmer, Sloane Elmer, Quinn Wilton, Clayton Bishop, Jackson Bishop, AVFilm Summer Camp
$100 cash prize for teacher’s classroom
Middle School – School Project Film
Natural ? Nature Directed by Benjamin Ramirez, Parker Eastlake, Archer Barrett, AVFilm Summer Camp
$100 cash prize for teacher’s classroom
Middle School – Independent
Guiding Light Directed by India Mitchel
$250 cash prize for student filmmaker
High School – School Project Film
Indigo Directed by Gus Jordan, Analy High School
$100 cash prize for teacher’s classroom
High School – Independent
Moving On Directed by Kamryn Hare
$250 cash prize for student filmmaker
College – Class Projects & Independent
O’s Directed by Rik van Hoorn, UC San Diego
$250 cash prize for student filmmaker
Joseph Carnation, Jr. Student Film Award
Guiding Light Directed by India Mitchel
$1,000 cash prize for student filmmaker
Access the Fest brochure below using the arrows on the left and right to turn the pages.
Thank you to these donors and sponsors whose contributions make all of our work possible!
Anonymous
Carol Beattie
Susan Campbell & John McKinney
Colibri Vineyard
C. Frederick & Dinna V. Eisenhart
Barbara Grasseschi & Tony Crabb
Stu Harrison & Dave Ring
Hillary & Michael Kambour
Barbara Lannin
David Levine
Kim & John Lloyd
Kevin & Rosemary McNeeley
Winky & David Merrill
Wendy Mogel & Michael Tolkin
Care Morgenstern
Lisa & Michael Rhodes
Renn Rhodes & Marty Roberts
Bob Scott & Tim McDonald
Tricia Tanoury
Stay up to date on upcoming events, education programming and the new film center!
