\u201cI think you will have a very unique experience at LBUFF that you won\u2019t get if you\u2019re just flipping through Netflix or YouTube,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cThe in-person experience, especially the locations that we find that are unique to Long Beach, are gonna make for a really special viewing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That approach was intentional from the start, shaped by organizers who wanted to create an experience that felt different from a traditional film festival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard Martinez, one of LBUFF\u2019s organizers, said the idea for the event grew from his desire to create a space for independent films that might not otherwise find a home. With help from fellow organizers, he drew inspiration from the DIY spirit of the punk rock movement and the way artists created their own spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was heavily influenced by the first wave of the punk rock movement. Even the venues. These early musicians making this music had nowhere to play,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cSo that’s why they ended up playing in backyards, churches or community centers. I took some of that spirit with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That same spirit will carry into this year\u2019s festival, with screenings planned at the Gilmore Music instrument store, headquarters of the nonprofit Long Beach Forward, an art gallery and someone\u2019s backyard, adding new locations to the lineup as the event continues to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That approach has attracted filmmakers like Sammy Paramore, who said the festival gives her a chance to showcase work she is proud of, including \u201cDoll House World,\u201d which follows a man drawn into a cult centered around a doll, and \u201cHyper Fixation: Look at Me,\u201d about a photographer facing a disturbing psychological journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a crazy one to screen because I\u2019m extremely proud of \u2018Doll House World\u2019 and I\u2019m extremely proud of the evolution and the differences from that film to this one,\u201d Paramore said. \u201cAnd getting to be here for the second year and getting to have my process be documented in this wonderful local fest, I\u2019d say, is pretty wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from having their films screened, filmmakers like Paramore find value in the conversations that happen during the event. At the screening locations, directors and audiences are brought closer together, creating opportunities to discuss their work, exchange ideas and share the stories behind their projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having been involved since the beginning, Jimenez has watched filmmakers arrive with finished projects but leave with new conversations, ideas and connections. Those moments, he said, have changed the way he sees the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll these filmmakers reward you with their hard work,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cThere\u2019s this lottery feeling of you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re gonna get; everything is gonna be a surprise. There\u2019s this feeling that everything is gonna turn out okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/09114456\/06-23-2026-filmfest-10jpg-221321-1rcftmsf-752163-3IfXdqwu-1024x722.jpg\")