Big Bear Film Summit’s first in-person fest brought filmmakers up to the mountains

The Big Bear Film Summit, which took place in June was designed to bring filmmakers and film industry people up to the Big Bear Lakes area during the part of the year that didn’t include skiing and snowboarding, to remind them of the woodsy beauty and hospitable welcome that filmmakers receive when they film there. Therefore, why not host a film festival to showcase all of that and introduce everyone to its charms? Good plan and solid logic. And then the pandemic happened and the film festival’s debut turned into an all-virtual affair.

Well, year two didn’t simply justify that original inspiration behind Gabriel Horn and Michael Hanson’s idea to create the film festival, it added an intangible that could only be discovered in person: their pure welcoming and generous spirit toward every single person that crossed their paths – filmmakers, industry types, and film fans alike. Film festivals always take their personality from the people in charge and in this case, the Big Bear Film Summit was one of the friendliest, most supportive film festivals at its core that you could ever hope to experience. You can always streamline, increase budgets, perfect systems, but you just can’t buy that underlying feeling of getting the big cosmic hug. For that reason alone, the Big Bear Film Summit holds A LOT of promise as a destination fest going forward, because who doesn’t want to get a big cosmic hug while having their film screened in a prime vacation (and location) spot.

Here are some photos from the Opening Night entrances prior to a screening of Lane Michael Stanley’s ADDICT NAMED HAL..

Closing Night featured a screening of Dorie Barton’s WELCOME TO THE SHOW, and still more filmmakers showed up to take part in the entrances prior to the screening..