Former Outfest CEO Launches Big Bear Film Festival for Multimedia Creators

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The Big Bear Film Institute is hosting the Big Bear Film Festival, an event running from September 24th to 29th, within the beautiful mountain community of Southern California. This fresh festival will shine a spotlight on talented individuals across various fields such as filmmaking, music, gaming, audio production, animation, and artificial intelligence.

BBFF aspires to be a hub that showcases and nurtures fresh intellectual properties, while honoring filmmakers from diverse genres. Its programming will encompass Indigenous narratives, genre films, podcast production, stand-up comedy performances, video game development, animation, and avant-garde sound design.

The Big Bear Film Festival is led by Damien S. Navarro, who previously served as CEO of L.A.’s Outfest. In a statement, he emphasized that this isn’t an ordinary film festival; instead, it’s a pioneering initiative focused on creators – a platform where ideas are nurtured, intellectual properties are uncovered, and the future of cinema is not only showcased but also molded.

Or, more concisely:

The Big Bear Film Festival is spearheaded by Damien S. Navarro, former CEO of L.A.’s Outfest, who described it as a creator-driven movement that fosters ideas, discovers IP, and shapes the future of film.

As a cinema enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that this year’s festival will offer an exclusive marketplace for my original projects to meet distributors, buyers, and studios. It’s not just about films; there’ll be music and audio workshops, a gaming and animation expo, and cinematography demonstrations too! To top it off, the British Film Institute (BBFI) is planning a five-day pre-festival residency called “The Alpine Story Lab,” where they will nurture my unique intellectual properties. This promises to be an exciting journey for budding creators like me!

Jake Cole, the head of BBFF, declared that Big Bear is all set. We have the necessary resources, skilled individuals, and innovative ideas at our disposal. It’s not just about showing films; we aim to foster a fresh, creative industry right in the scenic San Bernardino mountains of Southern California.

In addition to Navarro and Cole, the team at BBFI includes UCLA professor and musicologist Dr. Tiffany Naiman, Robert Schwartzman (founder of Utopia, filmmaker, and musician), Kyle Greenberg (head of marketing at Utopia), Charlie Reff Sextro (head of acquisitions at Utopia), Brittany Chapman-Holman (audio producer and executive who has worked on various projects in both film and TV), and Vonyse Reeder (producer).

This team will shape BBFI’s approach to programming by organizing events, workshop labs, forming partnerships, and nurturing original intellectual properties through incubators. The institute will join forces with Utopia to debut on Powerflix, a platform offering filmmakers resources for distribution, marketing, and monetization, not only during the festival but also throughout its ongoing programming.

The collaboration additionally grants access to Utopia’s internal distribution network, along with exclusive knowledge about the creation of original content for films, TV shows, and tech projects in areas like content aggregation and interactive media.

At Utopia, our goal extends beyond simply helping independent films reach audiences through direct acquisitions and full distribution support. We also aim to empower filmmakers by offering self-distribution tools and to disrupt the industry by presenting additional, impactful avenues for monetization. By collaborating with the Big Bear Film Institute and Festival, we can achieve this mission – offering a diverse group of creators and distributors an exciting new platform to showcase their work within a vibrant and thoughtful community.

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2025-06-09 18:17