The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival will mark its 20th anniversary April 8-15 with its most expansive program to date, screening 350 films from 40 countries across five South Bay cities.
Selected from more than 1,100 submissions, the films include documentaries, animated shorts, narrative features and more, shown across venues in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista.
“We really try to change the way we see each other through film,” said Mattie Scariot, executive director of the festival. “Our mission is about inclusion, diversity and women’s empowerment. In Hollywood, there’s a huge deficit with women and minorities, and we’re trying to change that.”
The festival opens April 8 with a red-carpet gala at the Granada Theater in Morgan Hill, where attendees will witness the world premiere of an original song written for Poppy Jasper by local musicians and developed in partnership with Randy Spendlove, president of Paramount Music. The evening will also feature the festival’s opening film and an after-party.
The festival organizes its film screenings by theme, with days dedicated to youth/student films, films made in Northern California and Southern California, a Women’s Day, Saturday morning cartoons, an evening dedicated to music videos, a day themed “México Y Tú,” and a day featuring LGBTQ films. Voting takes place throughout the festival, culminating in an awards ceremony on the final evening.
In addition to film screenings, the festival features eight panel discussions and 80 total events. The opening day will host a summit bringing together representatives from six film festivals that have formed the Central Coast Film Alliance, a coalition aiming to attract more productions and tourism to the region.
Participating festivals include those based in Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, Carmel, Cambria and San Luis Obispo.
“Visit California has ranked us among the top five of 90 events on the Central Coast for tourism, right next to the Monterey Jazz Festival,” Scariot said. “We bring people from all over the world and across the United States.”
Last year’s festival drew 650 filmmakers from 20 countries, 15 states and 46 California cities. Organizers are cautiously optimistic about matching those numbers in 2026, noting some uncertainty about international attendance given current global conditions.
To engage with visiting filmmakers, the festival will provide participating local businesses with window clings and posters to signal discounts and other festival engagement. Filmmakers are encouraged to explore the downtown areas between screenings, and some community members open their homes to visiting filmmakers as lodging.
“It lets filmmakers know that if they go in there they get a discount,” Scariot said. “It connects and pulls them in to explore the downtowns. Many times between screenings, you’ll see filmmakers just walking up and down the streets. They love to explore and learn about the community.”
The festival is seeking about 100 volunteers, primarily in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, to assist with tasks including ticketing and box office operations. Volunteer positions may be eligible for academic credit.
Poppy Jasper has earned recognition including MovieMaker Magazine’s designation as one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World in 2024.
Tickets, including both daily, all-festival and VIP passes, details about sponsorship and volunteer printouts, and the full schedule of film screenings are available at pjiff.org.
