Film

The Del Mar Theatre marquee lights up downtown Santa Cruz at night with a message for upcoming films.

Secret Projections

May 13, 2026

The Del Mar’s annual Secret Film Festival invites Santa Cruz movie lovers to spend the night watching mystery films, fueled by coffee, snacks and the shared thrill of discovering something unexpected.

Who Needs Friends?

From ’80s film icon to introspective author, Andrew McCarthy brings his cross-country search for friendship to Santa Cruz.

Movie From the Sky

A script falls from the sky in Matt & Ben, a clever comedy imagining how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck created Good Will Hunting. The two-woman show runs March 13–22 at Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre.

100 Years of Suspense

Artist Rich Karat Hitchcock draws inspiration from coastal villages and historic harbors like Polperro, England, where landscape, architecture and sea converge in quiet beauty.

A Golden Egg

Melania documents Melania Trump’s last 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration. I feel deep anguish that this groundbreaking film is not...

Raw Talent

In Freaky Tales, Watsonville native Sedrick Cabrera is cast alongside actor Pedro Pascal, known for Game of Thrones.

Tales of the City

Set in Oakland and Berkeley, Freaky Tales is an ode to the grittier aspects of urban life in the East Bay.

Dog Stars

Top Dog Film Festival is a series of short inspirational films ranging from heartwarming human interest stories to heart-racing adventure-based features. March 22 at the Rio Theatre

Freewheelin’

The amazing career of Oscar nominated Hollywood costume designer Arianne Phillips, ever a Santa Cruz girl at heart, told in a feature entertainment story.

Out and Outdoors

the screen at the Rio Theatre will be filled with breathtaking, gravity-denying, death-defying footage of skiers, climbers, cyclists, hikers and other outdoor adventurers

Visual Harvest

Kari Lee Anderson and Joshua Thomas have been making movies with kids on their farm since 2019 and into the height of the Covid-19 lockdown

Anybody Really Want to See a Remake of ‘Nosferatu’?

Tales of undead blood suckers are probably the sturdiest horror film subgenre, largely because of their morbid sexual component.

Glad All Over

What would the world do without gladiator movies? Where else would audiences get their regular dose of metaphorical decadence... Kelly Vance reviews Gladiator II