Independent film takes center stage at the Alcazar Theatre this weekend as the Carpinteria Film Festival returns for its second year, bringing three days of short films, documentaries, filmmaker conversations, and live music to the historic theater.
Running August 14–16, the festival will screen 20 short films from filmmakers across the country, along with three feature films. The lineup includes creators from Carpinteria and Santa Barbara as well as Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Chicago, and New York, offering audiences a mix of local perspectives and stories from farther afield.
Co-founded in 2025 by Alcazar Board President Michael Lazaro and Josh Pangan, the festival was created as a place for independent filmmakers to share their work and audiences to discover new voices.
When asked how films were selected, Pangan said they looked for “film’s with a heartbeat.” Led by Lazaro, Pagan and the team watched every submission. “The films that made the program were the ones that stayed with us, whether that was a three minute portrait of a Carpinteria busboy or a twenty minute crime story,” said Pagan.
Each day begins at 4:30 p.m. with a collection of short films, followed by Q&A sessions with participating filmmakers moderated by Bryan Mootz of Carpinteria Valley Radio. After a dinner break, feature presentations begin at 7 p.m.
Friday’s feature, Before the Moon Falls, follows the extraordinary story of Samoan author Sia Figiel in a documentary that took eight years to complete, exploring creativity, art, and mental illness along the way. Saturday turns the lens toward music with More Than Just A Party Band, a documentary by Santa Barbara filmmaker Robert Redfield. The evening continues offscreen with a live performance by Spencer the Gardener.
The festival wraps Sunday with a nod to California’s surf culture and The Shape of Things: The Dick Brewer Story. Among the short films scattered throughout the weekend are the comedy Salty, thriller Our Father, and the heartfelt Birthday.
“We also gave each day its own personality,” said Pangan. “Friday is reflective and human, Saturday leans into thriller and crime, and Sunday is all beach, surf, and comedy, which felt like the right way to send off a festival in Carpinteria.”
Showtimes are 4:30 p.m. for shorts and 7 p.m. for features each day, August 14-16, and tickets are available at thealcazar.org.
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