We here at GlennFest Film Festival love movies of all shapes and time lengths, and want to share them with the world! But all over the world, there are great movies that are maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, and that can make it hard to see them—and that’s where we come in.
How and Why We Got Started
Just a few years ago, a sweeping arts movement began to trickle through the city of Downey, the LA suburban town that hosts GlennFest. Before that movement, public art events were noticeably absent from the area. Art and film enthusiasts were expected to drive for 30 minutes (or longer) into Downtown LA to enjoy the festivities of public art events, including film festivals.
Realizing the importance of introducing art and film to underserved areas, GlennFest founder, Glenn Stephens, concentrated his resources on incorporating independent and artistic films by way of a film festival. Glenn knew that these films, though excellent works of film making, may not get the opportunity to screen in areas that don’t have art-house theaters, because they lack broad commercial appeal.
And so, in 2012, GlennFest was born. The festival boomed from a small, single weekend event to a multi-day celebration of films in various languages and from various countries. Billed as “Movies of Special Interest,” Glenn approaches his film selections with an eye toward movies that appeal to niche audiences.
In the past, the featured films have ranged from a Dutch comedy, to an award-winning Chinese animated features, to an awe-inspiring Latin American documentary. GlennFest generally focuses on films of special interest, but we also screen musical, comedy, and other types of films. Some of the films selected have gone through the film festival circuit and others are rising from the reel.