Bundle up under the stars this year for Ojai’s summer 2026 film series. Themed “Wild Is the Night,” this year’s films include a mix of documentaries, critically acclaimed films, independent films, and classic movies.
Films play Thursdays and Fridays July through August at Libbey Bowl in downtown Ojai. All films are free to the public. Directors of two films on the lineup, Isabel Castro (Selena y Los Dinos) and Alysa Nahmias (Cookie Queens), will be in attendance.
“To be in the park at night under the stars watching movies together in community is just phenomenal,” Ojai Film Society Vice President Brady Hahn said.
Hahn said the theme’s inspiration came from “wanting the films that we had this summer to feel like they had a lot of momentum, a lot of heart.”
When choosing films, she said that “the themes that kind of started to emerge was this kind of cross section of wild adventures that are larger than life.”
Another aspect of choosing the theme, she said, was the feeling of watching movies in the dark with an audience next to you.
“When you are watching movies, especially in an audience of people live, it has a totally different pull to it that only gets created by being in the dark with a bunch of people.”
The 2026 summer schedule for the series is as follows:
Thursday, July 2: Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The film stars a young boy named Ricky Baker who runs away to the wilderness with his uncle after his mother dies. Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=dPaU4Gymt3E
Friday, July 10: Selena y Los Dinos. Documentary about famous singer Selena Quintanilla with never-before-seen interviews. Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=tNIbJywaCq0
Friday, July 17: Cookie Queens. Four young Girl Scouts aim to be a top seller of Girl Scout cookies to become a “Cookie Queen.” Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=nnSQS43Eil8
Friday, July 24: Best in Show. Comedy about the many contestants in a fictional dog show contest. Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=94y9n9lNy2Y
Thursday, August 20: Arrival. Aliens touch down on Earth, and a linguist is tasked with translating their speech to find out exactly what they want. Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=tFMo3UJ4B4g
Thursday, August 27: Jurassic Park. Classic film about paleontologists stuck on an island with ferocious dinosaurs. Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=Snk8rf0MIzw
To RSVP and for more info, see ojaifilmsociety.org.
