Bay Area Film Night is a community-driven celebration of local storytelling, creativity, and cultural pride. Every year, we gather filmmakers, dreamers, artists, families, and innovators under the iconic lights of Grand Lake Theatre to honor the voices shaping our region.

This isn’t just a film event — it’s a tribute to the Bay’s past, present, and future. Here, we showcase films that speak to our neighborhoods, our identities, our triumphs, our struggles, and the unmistakable energy that makes the Bay what it is. From Richmond to Oakland, from the Peninsula to Vallejo, from San Jose to San Francisco — our stories deserve the spotlight.

Guided by Jamal Trulove, Bay Area Film Night stands as a platform for truth, activism, artistry, and representation. It’s a place where emerging filmmakers find visibility, where seasoned directors share wisdom, and where the community rallies around the power of cinema to inspire change.

Every frame tells a story. Every story carries a legacy. And every legacy starts somewhere — often right here in the Bay.

This annual event showcases short films, documentaries, animation, music videos, and experimental work that reflect the Bay’s history, diversity, struggle, and brilliance. At Grand Lake Theatre, we unite filmmakers, students, industry leaders, and families for a night built entirely around culture, connection, and truth.

Jamal Trulove — actor, activist, and filmmaker — founded Bay Area Film Night to create a platform that honors underrepresented voices and preserves the narratives that define us. Here, stories aren’t filtered, softened, or reshaped to fit an industry standard — they’re told exactly how we live them.

Bay Area Film Night is more than an event; it’s a movement designed to uplift independent creators, inspire young artists, and remind the world why the Bay remains one of the most important cultural forces in the country.