New Uplifters Film Festival set for Pacific Palisades in 2027

Big Beach Reads and Uplifters Ranch Films will launch the first Uplifters Film Festival in Rustic Canyon, Pacific Palisades, from Feb. 18 to Feb. 24, 2027. The event is designed to aid Palisades Fire recovery, honor the historic Uplifters club and create a new hub for filmmakers, screenings and community events.

Why it matters: - The festival is aimed at supporting Pacific Palisades recovery two years after the Palisades Fire. - The event also revives the legacy of the historic Hollywood club the Uplifters, which linked filmmaking, nature and conservation. - The festival adds a new platform for filmmakers, writers and local residents in a community still dealing with fire damage.

What happened: - Big Beach Reads and Uplifters Ranch Films announced the first annual Uplifters Film Festival. - The festival will take place Feb. 18-Feb. 24, 2027, in Rustic Canyon, Pacific Palisades. - The main venue will be the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center, the site of the historic Uplifters Ranch. - Additional screenings will be held at venues elsewhere in the Palisades.

The details: - The festival plans to screen about 10 full-length feature films in competition. - Another 10 films from up-and-coming and first-time filmmakers will screen in the Rising Voices section. - The program also includes special screenings of recent films, short films and documentaries. - The festival will hold a screenwriting competition for unproduced feature and episodic scripts. - Legacy screenings will feature classic films from original Uplifters members for residents of Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Malibu. - A portion of ticket and festival-pass sales will go to Palisades businesses affected by the fire. - The Legacy Program will include films tied to Uplifters members Michael Curtiz, L. Frank Baum, Clark Gable and Will Rogers, plus classics produced by Walt Disney and Darryl F. Zanuck. - Q&As with filmmakers, authors and industry insiders will be part of the festival, and many will be open to the community.

Between the lines: - The festival is being framed as both a cultural event and a community-rebuilding effort. - Halle Arbaugh, director of programming and founder of Uplifters Ranch Films, said the goal is to celebrate community, nature and film while honoring the original club’s spirit. - Arbaugh said the timing feels fitting because she was displaced by the Palisades Fire, like many Rustic Canyon residents. - The emphasis on nature, conservation and outdoor gathering signals a deliberate link between the new festival and the original Uplifters identity.

What's next: - Festival organizers are expected to announce films, speakers and community programming ahead of the February 2027 event. - The Legacy Program and recovery-related donations will become the main draw for local residents and visiting film audiences. - The festival is positioned to become an annual tradition in the Palisades.

The bottom line: - The Uplifters Film Festival is launching as a film event with a recovery mission: celebrate independent storytelling while helping the Palisades rebuild.