A local film festival is making a bet. People don’t just want to sit at home watching videos on screens. They’ll jump at the chance to be part of a community, drawn together by four days of quirky films that tell offbeat stories with unexpected perspectives and a rebellious spirit of creative freedom.
For the past two years, the Long Beach Underground Film Festival has used its lineup of screenings and events to give independent filmmakers an opportunity to showcase work that may not reach traditional theaters or larger festivals.
Michael Jimenez, a festival programmer, said it offers audiences an experience that goes beyond just watching films. Past screenings have been held in places such as the back of a clothing store and behind Roxanne’s bar, giving each showing a distinctly local atmosphere.
“I think you will have a very unique experience at LBUFF that you won’t get if you’re just flipping through Netflix or YouTube,” Jimenez said. “The in-person experience, especially the locations that we find that are unique to Long Beach, are gonna make for a really special viewing experience.”
That approach was intentional from the start, shaped by organizers who wanted to create an experience that felt different from a traditional film festival.
Richard Martinez, one of LBUFF’s organizers, said the idea for the event grew from his desire to create a space for independent films that might not otherwise find a home. With help from fellow organizers, he drew inspiration from the DIY spirit of the punk rock movement and the way artists created their own spaces.
“I was heavily influenced by the first wave of the punk rock movement. Even the venues. These early musicians making this music had nowhere to play,” Martinez said. “So that’s why they ended up playing in backyards, churches or community centers. I took some of that spirit with me.”
That same spirit will carry into this year’s festival, with screenings planned at the Gilmore Music instrument store, headquarters of the nonprofit Long Beach Forward, an art gallery and someone’s backyard, adding new locations to the lineup as the event continues to grow.
That approach has attracted filmmakers like Sammy Paramore, who said the festival gives her a chance to showcase work she is proud of, including “Doll House World,” which follows a man drawn into a cult centered around a doll, and “Hyper Fixation: Look at Me,” about a photographer facing a disturbing psychological journey.
“That’s going to be a crazy one to screen because I’m extremely proud of ‘Doll House World’ and I’m extremely proud of the evolution and the differences from that film to this one,” Paramore said. “And getting to be here for the second year and getting to have my process be documented in this wonderful local fest, I’d say, is pretty wonderful.”
Apart from having their films screened, filmmakers like Paramore find value in the conversations that happen during the event. At the screening locations, directors and audiences are brought closer together, creating opportunities to discuss their work, exchange ideas and share the stories behind their projects.
Having been involved since the beginning, Jimenez has watched filmmakers arrive with finished projects but leave with new conversations, ideas and connections. Those moments, he said, have changed the way he sees the festival.
“All these filmmakers reward you with their hard work,” Jimenez said. “There’s this lottery feeling of you don’t know what you’re gonna get; everything is gonna be a surprise. There’s this feeling that everything is gonna turn out okay.”
The Long Beach Underground Film Festival begins July 16 at 4 p.m. You can get tickets and see the lineup here.
