Oceanside Film Festival Kicks Off With Red Carpet Reception On Feb 18

OCEANSIDE, CA - Lights, Camera, Action! It's time to join North County film lovers for the opening night of the 14th Annual Oceanside International Film Festival.

This year's festival kicks off with a Red Carpet Lobby reception at The Sunshine Brooks Theater on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. OIFF ’25 presents 5 days of cinema, music, art & community in the heart of one of California’s 14 Designated Cultural Districts.

This year's opening night features a very special presentation of THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD, directed by Ben Judkins. The film’s San Diego County Premiere will take place on February 18th after the festival’s Red Carpet Ceremony. In the film, an impassioned surfer, Taylor Lane, creates a functional surfboard with 10,000 littered cigarette butts collected from California beaches. The Cigarette Surfboard becomes a platform to learn from professional surfers who are working to protect and restore the health of the ocean, and the symbol of a grassroots campaign to hold Big Tobacco accountable for their toxic, plastic waste. Surfing is the medium, but the message is universal.

“We are excited to present this film to the community and bring this serious ecological issue to light”; Lou Niles Executive Director of OIFF and also a surfer.

This film showcases an eclectic cast of contemporary surf talent that features; Mikey February, Jack Johnson, Cliff Kapono, Kassia Meador, Greg Long, Rob Machado, Caity Simmers, Courtney Conlogue, Devon Howard, and many others, as well as famed board shapers Ward Coffey, Guy Ozaki, Marc Andreini, Malcolm Campbell, and others. Tickets for the event are limited with event personnel suggesting to reserve tickets while availability persists.

Fans of surfing & surf cinema can also look forward to the return of the event’s annual surf night on Friday, February 21st. This evening’s program features two separate blocks, The Surf Lineup Parts 1 & 2. Part 1 is headlined by the local documentary feature, THE SHAPE OF THINGS: THE DICK BREWER STORY, co-written by California Surf Museum director, Jim Kempton and directed by Hollywood producer /director Bob Campi. The feature is supported by the shorts BIGWAVES WILL RISE YOU a moving short about a woman who has lost her leg who faces the challenge of surfing and RICK GRIFFIN INTERLUDE 02, VIRGINIA CITY.

The Surf Lineup Part 2 is comprised of five North American shorts, featuring several visual cinematic feasts, OCEAN STATE OF MIND and RETURN TO ZERO. Part 2 is headlined by the Red Bull sponsored film, CREATURES OF HABIT, which showcases an amazing soundtrack and beautiful imagery captured in both Iceland and Tofino, B.C.

The festival will also feature a variety of specially curated programs, including the topics of perseverance, LGBTQ+, the grieving process and the return of the festival’s yearly surf cinema night. The event will conclude its 2025 programming with its annual Award Show on Saturday, February 22nd in which the festival’s Grand Jury accolades filmmakers in over 20 categories.

OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM

5:00PM – Doors Open at The Brooks Theater for Red Carpet Lobby Reception (Brooks Theater, 217 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054)

6:00PM – OPENING NIGHT FEATURE FILM: THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD

Oceanside International Film Festival is thrilled to present the San Diego County Premiere of Benjamin Judkins’ Environmentally Conscious Surf Documentary, THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD. In Judkins’ film, an impassioned surfer, Taylor Lane, creates a functional surfboard with 10,000 littered cigarette butts collected from California beaches. The Cigarette Surfboard becomes a platform to learn from professional surfers who are working to protect and restore the health of the ocean, and the symbol of a grassroots campaign to hold Big Tobacco accountable for their toxic, plastic waste. Surfing is the medium, but the message is universal. (93 Minutes)

7:30PM – Q&A PANEL DISCUSSION WITH ATTENDING FILMMAKERS OF THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD

8:30PM – OPENING NIGHT NETWORKING MIXER IN THE BROOKS THEATER LOBBY

The 2025 Oceanside International Film Festival is brought to you by Visit Oceanside and will take place February 18th through February 22nd at The Brooks Theater located at 217 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054. With over 40 films screening across five nights and two days, OIFF 2025 features something for every moviegoer.

Tickets are now on sale for all events at the 2025 Oceanside International Film Festival. For more info and tickets, visit: https://osidefilm.org/oiff-202...