For a relatively small county, Marin boasts a truly impressive amount of international and independent film festivals, and they are determined to let everyone experience the diversity that can be found outside your local box office.
The 2025 readers’ choice Best of the County winner is the Mill Valley Film Festival (pictured above). For the rest of the Marin Magazine‘s Best of Marin County Film Festival picks see below.
Our 2025 Arts & Entertainment category sponsor is MarinArts. View the rest of the Arts & Entertainment category here.
We’ve broken it down by region: Southern and Central Marin.
Southern Marin
Mill Valley Film Festival
Mill Valley
Founded in 1978, this 11-day film extravaganza, which now hosts showings throughout Marin County has earned Readers’ Choice, again. MVFF, famously has a knack for screening upcoming Oscar winners, and another bonus are the artists Q&As.
Mill Valley, 415.383.5256
Central Marin
Italian Film Festival
San Rafael
Since 1985, Lido Cantarutti has been hosting the Italian Film Festival to international acclaim, even going on to be acknowledged by the President of the Republic of Italy for his dedication to showcasing Italian culture through film. While the focus is of course on top-quality Italian cinema, it’s also a place to display filmmakers from Italian-American communities.
Angelico Hall, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael
Marin County International Festival of Short Film & Video
San Rafael
The Marin County Fair has partnered with this award-winning festival to create a free-for-all explosion that can’t be found anywhere else. No past credentials? No problem! The minimal requirements allow anyone with a camera to enter the competition and have the opportunity to wow the massive crowd with their previously unseen talent.
10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, 415.499.6400
Arts & Entertainment Sponsor
MarinArts
MarinArts is a nonprofit organization that has been proudly promoting the arts and cultural events in Marin County for over ten years. They provide a FREE platform for arts organizations, artists, and venues to share their events through our online calendar.
Fun Fact: Their website is accessible in 11 languages — including Spanish, French, and Vietnamese — helping you connect with a wide and diverse audience.
MarinArts | San Rafael, CA | 415.578.3856 | marinarts.org
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