🎬 Submissions are officially OPEN for the 2026 Bright Ideas Film Festival!
We’re bringing another incredible night of California Bay Area short films to the big screen at Contra Costa Cinema on September 19, 2026. Join us for a celebration of storytelling, creativity, and community, plus a live filmmaker Q&A after the screenings.
🏆 Awards will be given to standout films in each category
⏰ Early Bird Deadline: May 24th
Don’t miss your chance to submit at the lowest rate!
Whether you’re a filmmaker ready to showcase your work or an audience member who loves discovering new voices, this festival is for you.
🎟️ Submit your film today
🔗 Link in bio
🎬 Your Time 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival.
Logline:
A boy is presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity, but at what cost?
Directed by Luca Martinez, a student from UC Berkeley.
You can catch Your Time as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 Sports 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival.
Logline:
A music video centered around one man's ambition towards sports
Directed by Bree Hammer, a student from Las Positas College.
You can catch Sports as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 RATIONS 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival.
Logline:
After a nationwide fallout, three young survivors coexist deep in the mountains. When the government delivers a shocking message, the trio must grapple with the difficult reality of their own survival.
Directed by Gabriel Jett, a student from UC Berkeley.
You can catch RATIONS as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 Edge of Asylum 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival.
Logline:
On the Edge of Asylum tells the story of Suleika, a Haitian mother trapped in Southern Mexico with her young son, facing a journey halted by limited resources, danger, and uncertainty as she waits for a chance to reach the U.S.
Directed by Hannah Raslan from UC Berkeley.
You can catch On the Edge of Asylum as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 I need time to get over some things 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival.
Logline:
A man makes a phone call to a woman he used to know.
Directed by Jesse Reyes from Diablo Valley College.
You can catch " I need time to get over some things" as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 Das Gericht (The Dish) 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival is Das Gericht (The Dish).
Logline:
A judgy German grandmother learns a lesson about the advantages of diversity. The title, "Das Gericht," has a double meaning in German. It can mean "the dish" (as in food) OR "the tribunal."
Directed by Max Hurley and Christina McDade from Diablo Valley College.
You can catch Das Gericht (The Dish) as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 The Swird and Rose 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival is The Swird and Rose.
Logline:
Inside a psychic apothecarium in San Francisco, an eccentric 71 year old mystic named Patrick nurtures a sanctuary for those searching for love, healing, and faith. Patrick reveals the origins of the shop and his eternal bond with his late husband Randy, a Cherokee healer, in this intimate portrait of queer love’s persistence and the human need to believe.
Directed by Charlie Hayes-Yamamoto and Ruya Yaman, students from UC Berkeley.
You can catch The Swird and Rose as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 Clink 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival is Clink.
Logline:
Two men from the medieval times are invited to their first clan gathering.
Directed by Lucia Grilloa, a student from Las Positas College.
You can catch Clink as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 On My Own 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival is On My Own.
Logline:
An Original Music Video by Bryce Aberg.
Directed by Archer Pann, a student from Las Positas College.
You can catch On My Own as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio
🎬 Half a Fathom 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival is Half a Fathom.
Logline:
A man tells a story of him being buried and then dug up by a strange man.
Directed by Declan Anseo, a student from Las Positas College.
You can catch Half a Fathom as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio.
🎬 Portrait of Fear 🎬
One of the films screening in the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase at the Emeryville Film Festival is Portrait of Fear.
Logline:
A young woman attempts to communicate with her dead sister.
Directed by Parker Viale, a student from Diablo Valley College, who now attends SFSU.
You can catch Portrait of Fear as part of the Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase, featuring 14 student films from filmmakers across the Bay Area.
🎬 Bright Ideas: Student Film Showcase
⏰ 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 AMC Bay Street 16 – Emeryville
🗓 Saturday, March 21
The Emeryville Film Festival will feature several incredible film blocks throughout the day, highlighting a wide range of independent voices and stories.
🎟 Tickets for our block and the rest of the festival are available now.
Link in the Bio.
