The fall season teems with Bay Area movie-related events that motivate you to get off that cozy couch, from premier movie festivals to retrospectives highlighting the work of incredible artists.
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To help you navigate your way through some of these events, we plucked out a few to add to calendars this fall.
The Mill Valley Film Festival
Marin County’s cinematic treasure turns a glorious 49 this year, having matured into one of the nation’s best and most accessible movie events of the season. Its timing couldn’t be more opportune — Oct. 1-11, just as studios are cementing releases for their Oscar-hopeful films. The festival’s robust and impressive lineup mixes awards contenders with a nice blend international, national and Bay Area features — both in long and short formats. It also happens to be a magnet for acclaimed filmmakers (Spike Lee, Greta Gerwig), actors (Nicole Kidman, Rose Byrne, Joel Edgerton) and screenwriters/actors (Eva Victor) who take the stage and walk the red carpet before attending tributes and other honors. The 2026 event kicks off Oct. 1 with one of the buzziest features making the rounds this fall, Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” starring Sam Rockwell, who will receive a tribute at the fest, and John Malkovich.
Tips: Not only is there ample, even affordable, parking nearby in Mill Valley, there are also tasty dining options. East Bay residents have the option to catch MVFF films at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, mere blocks away from BART and suited for travel from the South Bay. After the end of the fest, the Smith Rafael Film Center continues to be a beacon for indie films and often features Q&As with filmmakers. Find ticket and program info at www.mvff.com.
San Jose International Short Film Festival
Good things come in small packages, and that adage extends to the film world. This 10-day South Bay festival marking its 18th year jams in an expansive selection of shorts — from documentaries to narratives — and gives newbie and veteran filmmakers working in various genres a much deserved spotlight. More than 150 selections are on tap this year and are presented in 20 screening packages (i.e., for family, horror, nonfiction slots). Tickets ($10-$12) and passes ($175, VIP) go on sale this week; screenings take place at Cinemark CinéArts at Santana Row. Ticket and program info are available at sjsff.com.
Tips: Santana Row boasts a vast selection of dining choices, ranging gourmet offerings to quick-bite alternatives. There’s shopping and affordable parking too! And if short films are your thing, there’s also the 21st San Francisco Short Film Festival (Oct. 15- Oct. 22) San Francisco’s 4 Star Theatre (sfindie.com).
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Tucked inside Berkeley’s impressive fine arts museum resides the PFA, an inviting and always reliable gathering spot for inquisitive filmgoers. Throughout the year, true-blue cineastes of all ages venture here to enlighten and expand their global movie knowledge. This fall season features a series devoted to award-winning French filmmaker Alice Diop — who has a 2026-2027 residency at UC Berkeley — running Sept. 3-18, and an ambitious 10-month retrospective series celebrating director Martin Scorsese (Sept. 5 through June 2027) that includes 4K digital restorations of his classics “After Hours” (Oct. 25) and “Taxi Driver” (Nov. 14). Another one not to miss is the eye-opening selection of Georgian cinema set for Sept. 23-Oct. 2 (the 2019 documentary “A Tunnel,” about an old railroad way platform undergoing a dramatic alteration, and and the 2021 documentary “Taming the Garden,” about the extreme measures a billionaire took to acquire trees for his private park, both pique our interest). Find a full schedule and get tickets at bampfa.org
Tips: The PFA is surrounded with delicious dining options whether you’re on the go or want a more leisurely experience. Street parking can be a challenge, particularly when UC Berkeley is in session, but the theater is close to BART and there are parking garages nearby. And know that you can’t bring food or beverages into the theater.
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United Nations Fest, SFFILM’s Doc Stories
For years, the Bay Area’s been a hotbed for both nonfiction filmmaking and political and cultural discourse. So it’s no surprise that several local festivals serve up thought-provoking fare. The 29th United Nations Association Film Festival bills itself as a Passion for Change and that theme is certain to be reflected in the yet-to-be-released lineup set to screen in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Stanford University and San Francisco. Want more documentaries? SFFILM’s invigorating, finely curated Doc Stories program, like the Mill Valley Film Festival, arrives at an opportune time during the awards-minded circuit. And even though it takes a global view, it also often spotlights Bay Area talent and Bay Area-focused films. This year’s Nov. 5-8 lineup hasn’t been announced, but if it’s anything like last year’s, you’re in luck.
Tips: Check for updates at www.unaff.org/2026 and sffilm.org/event/doc-stories-2026.
Orinda Theatre and Stanford Theatre
In addition to its slate of first-run offerings, the majestic, beloved Orinda movie palace serves as a beacon for film connoisseurs. A monthly International Showcase program pops the cork on indie gems that often fly under the radar, including Piotr Domalewski’s coming-of-age dramedy “The Altar Boys,” starting Sept. 11. The theater also hosts film critic Matías Bombal’s Hollywood Cinema Craft Series, which screens and then gives you the lowdown on movies such as 1964’s “The Train” (Sept. 27) with Burt Lancaster. Bombal’s Hollywood series this season includes 1931’s “Frankenstein” (Oct. 27) starring Boris Karloff. Also keep an eye peeled for free movie nights, restored Disney features and more. San Francisco Silent Film Festival fans are in for a treat too when Buster Keaton’s “The General” screens Sept. 19.
Over in Palo Alto, the regal Stanford Theatre draws classic film fans in the South Bay. The summer season wraps up with 1956’s romantic comedy “Bus Stop” starring Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray and the steamy, Labor Day-set 1955 drama “Picnic” starring William Holden and Kim Novak. They screen from Sept. 4 through Sept. 6.
Tips: For Orinda programming info, visit www.orindamovies.com; for Stanford Theatre, visit stanfordtheatre.org. Orinda’s downtown might be small but it’s utterly charming and features tempting dining options; Stanford Theatre is near a variety of restaurants as well, along with a couple nearby parking garages. It’s also walkable from the Palo Alto Caltrain station.
More options
Here are a few other events/screenings of note. Critter Fest (Sept. 17-20 at the 4-Star and Proxy SF and online, focusing on that unique connection between animals and humans); Vision-Festival of Restoration and Rediscovery (Sept. 24-Sept. 27, the Roxie, S.F.); the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (Nov. 12-Nov. 22 at the Roxie in S.F.), the Arab Film Festival (Oct. 17-Oct. 24, San Francisco), “Wild, Weird, Wicked: Films From Before the Code,” kicking off Sept. 14 at the Roxie in S.F.; the 7th Green Film Festival (Oct. 15-Oct. 22) and the Oakland International Film Festival (Sept. 9 -19, Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre.)
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
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