
Thomas Murphy
From big premieres to intimate conversations, this year’s San Diego International Film Festival celebrated storytelling in all its forms, transforming the Westfield UTC mall into a vibrant hub of artistic expression. Across five days of screenings, panels, and premieres, filmmakers and audiences gathered together to prove that the festival’s theme — “where culture, cinema, and coast collide” — rings true. The UCSD Guardian’s A&E team captured its standout moments: inspiring conversations across panels, short film tracks that shimmered with humor and intimacy, and feature-length narratives that redefined connection and identity. Each event reflected the festival’s spirit of convergence: local met global, laughter met reflection, and everyday spaces were transformed by the magic of cinema.
Feature Films
“Fantasy Life” — Matthew Shear’s directorial debut “Fantasy Life” is humorous, awkward, and charming. When paralegal Sam (Shear) is laid off, he takes a job as a nanny for his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters. Sam clashes with their musician dad David (Alessandro Nivola) but clicks with their actress mom Dianne (Amanda Peet). During the summer, Sam travels with the family to Martha’s Vineyard and must navigate his relationships with David, the girls, and, most of all, Dianne. Tensions grow, resentment festers, and anger bubbles beneath the surface, all waiting to explode. From panic attacks to sleeping issues and self-medication, Sam, David, and Dianne all face pervasive mental health struggles — a throughline that ties them together, perhaps suffocatingly. “Fantasy Life” is a distinct portrait of family dysfunction: a supposedly picture-perfect household melting under the glaring spotlight of the ideal.
– Olivia Barkwill
“Outerlands” — Set in San Francisco’s Outer Richmond and Sunset District neighborhoods, “Outerlands,” written and directed by Elena Oxman, explores the tension between adulthood and childhood. When Cass (Asia Kate Dillon) meets Kalli (Louisa Krause) through work, Kalli asks them to take care of her daughter Ari (Ridley Asha Bateman) for a few days. Kalli’s absence soon looms over Cass and Ari’s heads once she stops answering their calls. In the meantime, Cass and Ari get to know each other, bonding over their shared love of video games. Outerlands, one of Cass’ favorite games as a kid, serves as a metaphor throughout the film for unresolved childhood trauma, with the game’s goal being to reach home, or the “mothership.” Much like the game itself, “Outerlands” is about rediscovering and accepting your inner child — the part of you that most wants to be hidden.
– Olivia Barkwill
“Magic Hour” — “Magic Hour,” directed by Katie Aselton, is certainly not one to miss. Harriet (Miriam Shor) is at a crossroads in her life: Her teenage daughter wants space and her husband wants a divorce. Instead of fixing her finances, Harriet decides to take out a student loan and fulfill her dream of attending film school. With her class of eccentric peers, Harriet gains creative and personal freedom. She puts her long-buried ideas to screen and meets film-rolling expert Hank (Sendhil Ramamurthy), who supports her along a triumphant yet tumultuous film-making journey. After winning a film competition, Harriet gains the opportunity to work as a director and finally brings her unfinished project “Magic Hour” to life. Despite facing creative differences during the shoot, Harriet stays true to herself, earning the trust of her crew and disproving her producer’s patronizing comments. Harriet’s remarkable story of finding worth despite the pressures of age and time is an inspirational reminder that it’s never too late to follow your biggest dreams.
– Olivia Barkwill
“Omaha” — One ordinary morning in 2008, a father (John Magaro) wakes up his kids, Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis), and tells them they’re leaving. He doesn’t say where they’re going or if they’ll come back. They begin to drive, passing through gas stations, motels, and diners as they make their way to their destination, eventually revealed as Omaha, Nebraska. Their journey is emotionally scattered, filled with moments of joy and darkness as they navigate familial tensions and the loss of their mother. Although Ella and Charlie know where their dad is taking them, they don’t know why. Despite their curious, persistent questions, he remains silent and continues driving. His remoteness alludes to the pressing responsibility and imminent sacrifices parents must make for their children, underscoring the lingering question: Why Omaha? Indeed, Magaro’s performance permeates the film with a certain heaviness, inviting the viewer to reflect on their own childhood memories. “Omaha” is a piercing film that stays with you and is definitely one I will contemplate for the next few days.
– Olivia Barkwill
Short Tracks
“Charmingly Short” — Watching the “Charmingly Short” film track was like receiving a series of tiny, delightful surprises. “Nonna’s Nude” and “Fireflies in the Dusk” had me laughing out loud, while quieter stories like “Sally, Get the Potatoes” and “Shaba Daba” lingered in my mind with their gentle reflections on family and love. Each short captured a moment so small yet so vivid that stayed with me long after the screen went dark. Together, they proved that even in just a few minutes, a story can charm, surprise, and leave you with a secret smile for the rest of the day.
– Thi Tran
“San Diego Scene” — When people think of cinema, their minds often jump to Hollywood sets or big-name film schools like USC or NYU. But the “San Diego Scene” short film track proved that cinematic talent thrives right here at home, rooted in the city’s creativity, community, and coastal spirit. Highlighting quintessential San Diego experiences, such as surfing and fishing, alongside more personal community narratives like that of the one-handed mixed martial arts fighter Geoff Villareal, the screening captured both the familiar rhythms of local life and the extraordinary stories that often go untold. These scenes of San Diego revealed how our city’s film culture isn’t just emerging — it’s already here.
– Thi Tran
“Student Showcase” — From horror-comedy “Terroir” and the fantastical “Echos of the Wild” to dramas “Grade A Love,” “Go,” and “My Father’s Wedding,” each of the short films featured in this year’s “Student Showcase” brought something unique to the table. With a wide range of satire, jump scares, whimsical creatures, “Pride and Prejudice” monologues, and complicated family dynamics, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, excited for where the next film would take me. This showcase was particularly inspiring to me as a film studies student because it demonstrated how much you can do with so few resources — as long as you have a vision, anything is possible.
– Olivia Barkwill
Panels
“Screen to Stream” — In today’s fast-paced world, social media presence is a necessity for making it in the entertainment industry. At the lounge panel “Screen to Stream,” reality TV star Aaron Bryant, actor Andrew Keegan, and producer Michelle Romano spoke on how they’ve adapted to this newfound shift in the media landscape.
All three panelists noted the advantages of using social media in their respective careers. Casting directors reached out to Romano through Instagram, allowing her to book roles she would never have auditioned for otherwise. Keegan, who played the sleazy Joey Donner in the 1999 rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You,” credited social media as the driving force of the movie’s enduring popularity with younger generations. “The Bachelorette” contestant Bryant stressed the curation of a unique brand, referring to social media as “your own personal billboard.”
As the industry changes and shifts, these panelists provided an inspiring perspective on harnessing the power of the internet to tell authentic stories and build a community of creatives that can last a lifetime.
– Tara Vatandoust
“Women in Film” — “I was the main creative voice, and yet conversations would happen around me and without me. … It is part of the reality that you accept and work to change,” filmmaker Nee Kirschman said. Her reflections at the “Women in Film” panel captured the quiet persistence required to navigate and challenge the gendered hierarchies of Hollywood and the filmmaking business.
Throughout the conversation, Kirschman, alongside fellow female filmmakers Mikaela Shwer and Jacqueline Christy, shared moments in which they continued leading with conviction despite being overlooked and underestimated. Their testimonies underscored that breaking barriers isn’t always loud; sometimes, it’s the quiet resolve to do one’s work that speaks the loudest. The panel closed on a hopeful note, emphasizing solidarity, mentorship, and the collective responsibility of women to reshape the film industry into one that listens, values, and truly includes all voices.
– Thi Tran
Documentary Films
“The Kids Are Not Alright” — Promising to set unruly teenagers “straight,” developmental schools and behavioral programs that thrived in the ‘80s and ‘90s have since grown into a billion-dollar enterprise. While the troubled teen industry gained mass public attention after “This Is Paris” (2020), “The Kids Are Not Alright” began production uncovering survivors’ stories five years earlier. Director Mikaela Shwer gathered heart-wrenching testimonies of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse over nine years of production, tragically losing two participants to suicide along the way. The result is an unflinching and deeply empathetic portrait of systemic harm and survival, forcing audiences to confront the lingering trauma of an industry that promised rehabilitation but delivered exploitation instead.
– Thi Tran