Film screenings with discussion in Santa Cruz — 10 upcoming

A Day of Ecosex at the MAH

Culture & HumanitiesCivics & Power Film + TalkConference / SymposiumMuseum Free

Sat, Nov 7 ·12:00 pm ·Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History ·Santa Cruz

A full-day film and dialogue event exploring the Ecosex Movement—a practice that reimagines Earth as lover rather than resource, blending environmental activism, art, and sensuality. Founders Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle present three documentary films spanning their work from Appalachian mountaintop removal protest (Goodbye Gauley Mountain, 2013) to California water politics (Water Makes Us Wet, 2017) to wildfire aftermath (Playing with Fire, 2025). Each screening includes a Q&A with the directors. The day also features an interactive Ecosex Bingo game, book signings for Assuming the Ecosexual Position, tabling, and community conversation. Doors open 11:30 AM; programming runs through 8 PM.

via Santa Cruz MAH ↗ Event link ↗
The Big Whoop — Jim Turner, Mark Fite & Dave Gruber Allen

Culture & Humanities Film + TalkLecture / Forum

Sun, Nov 8 ·5:00 pm ·The 418 Project ·Santa Cruz ·$12.51–$17.85

A screening of The Big Whoop, a dark indie comedy about three desperately out-of-work birthday party clowns who go on the run with an accidentally-stolen artifact, pursued by a ruthless thief and crossing paths with comedy legends including Sandra Oh and Penn Jillette. In the spirit of classic slapstick farces like The Pink Panther and The In-Laws. Director Lisa Satriano has 30 years of experience in studio features and premium television; cast members Jim Turner (HBO's ARLI$$, MTV's Randee of the Redwoods), Mark Fite, and Dave Gruber Allen will participate in a post-screening discussion with writer Steven Banks (SpongeBob SquarePants Emmy-nominated head writer).

via The 418 Project ↗ Event link ↗
La Haine Film Screening + Discussion

Culture & HumanitiesCivics & Power Film + TalkLecture / Forum

Thu, Nov 12 ·7:30 pm ·The 418 Project ·Santa Cruz ·$12.51

A screening of La Haine (1995), Mathieu Kassovitz's landmark film about three young men navigating racism, marginalization, and police violence in Paris's low-income banlieue districts. The screening is followed by a moderated panel discussion with The 418 Project board member Amber Wyld and special guests addressing the film's themes: racism and identity, economic hardship, alienation, and state violence against immigrant communities. The film explores the simmering resentment of France's Jewish, African, and Arab populations confronting systemic exclusion.

via The 418 Project ↗ Event link ↗
Hometown Homeless — Documentary Screening + Panel Discussion

Civics & PowerCulture & Humanities Film + TalkLecture / Forum Free

Sun, Nov 15 ·6:00 pm ·The 418 Project ·Santa Cruz

A screening of Hometown Homeless, a 20-minute documentary by Maleah Welsh following unhoused women in Santa Cruz's Potrero district as they build community, share poetry, and navigate criminalization. Welsh, a Santa Cruz-based filmmaker and social justice activist, explores themes of displacement, resilience, and belonging through careful composition and visual intimacy. Following the screening, Welsh will discuss the film with participants from the documentary. Co-presented with the Association of Faith Communities of Santa Cruz and The Coalition to End Homelessness.

via The 418 Project ↗ Event link ↗
Colonialism In Our Time: Film Screening & Discussion of “Pig Feast” (2026)

Civics & PowerCulture & Humanities Film + TalkLecture / ForumUniversity / College Free

Tue, Nov 17 ·4:00 pm ·Communications Building ·Santa Cruz

A screening of Pig Feast (Pesta Babi): Colonialism in Our Time, a 2026 documentary about Indigenous Papuan resistance to Indonesian government-directed forest destruction for sugarcane and palm oil cultivation. The film documents the deployment of thousands of soldiers to enforce land theft and the eradication of Indigenous ways of life. Following the screening, a conversation with filmmaker Cypri Paju Dale via Zoom will explore the resistance movement and its implications. Hosted by UC Santa Cruz's Center for Southeast Asian Coastal Interactions, Film and Digital Media Department, and Mauna Kea Protectors.

via UC Santa Cruz ↗ Event link ↗
Help the Kelp – A Community Celebration

Civics & PowerScience & Tech Lecture / ForumFilm + Talk ✦ burnoff pick

Sat, Nov 21 ·4:00 pm ·Seymour Marine Discovery Center ·Santa Cruz ·$10–$22

A screening of the documentary Sequoias of the Sea, followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers Natasha Benjamin and Ana Blanco about Northern California's kelp forest collapse and recovery efforts. The film follows scientists, tribes, fishermen, and coastal communities working to understand and reverse the 90% decline in kelp forests over the past decade. Meet representatives from local organizations including Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Sunflower Star Laboratory, Sea Otter Savvy, Reefcheck, and Blue Frontier. Proceeds benefit the Help the Kelp campaign.

Event link ↗
World Aids Day Event

Civics & PowerCulture & Humanities Film + TalkLecture / ForumMuseum Free

Tue, Dec 1 ·6:00 pm ·Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History ·Santa Cruz

A screening of the intergenerational documentary Never the Last Love Letter, which explores HIV/AIDS resistance and organizing in Santa Cruz during the 1980s–1990s within LGBTQ+ and harm reduction communities. Following the screening, a panel discussion with local organizers and activists addresses how to meet the current political moment and build community power. Hosted by The Diversity Center and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History in honor of World AIDS Day.

via Santa Cruz MAH ↗ Event link ↗
Hedgehog in the Fog: The Short Films of legendary animator Yuri Norstein

Culture & Humanities Film + Talk

Fri, Dec 11 ·7:30 pm ·The 418 Project ·Santa Cruz ·$12.51–$17.85

A screening of short films by legendary Russian animator Yuri Norstein, including his masterpiece *Hedgehog in the Fog* (1975) and *The Tale of Tales* (1979), alongside rarely-seen works spanning from his 1968 debut through experimental pieces. The program totals 101 minutes of lyrical, visually striking animation exploring themes of loss, revolution, folklore, and the human condition. All films in Russian with English subtitles. Presented by The 418 Project.

via The 418 Project ↗ Event link ↗
My Cousin Vinny — Dale Launer

Culture & Humanities Film + TalkLecture / Forum

Sat, Jan 9 ·7:30 pm ·The 418 Project ·Santa Cruz ·$12.51–$17.85

A screening of My Cousin Vinny (1992), the acclaimed courtroom comedy starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, followed by an in-person conversation with screenwriter and producer Dale Launer. Launer's script is widely praised by legal experts as one of the most accurate and funny depictions of real courtroom procedure ever written. Launer, who also wrote Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Ruthless People, has traveled from Los Angeles to discuss the film's writing, characters, and enduring legacy.

via The 418 Project ↗ Event link ↗
Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies

Culture & Humanities Film + Talk

Fri, Jan 15 ·7:30 pm ·The 418 Project ·Santa Cruz ·$12.51–$17.85

A screening of the documentary Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies (2019, 80 min.), directed by Vishnu Dass, former head of the Steven Arnold Museum and Archives. The film traces the life and visionary work of Los Angeles-based multimedia artist and filmmaker Steven Arnold (1943–1994), a pioneer of underground cinema and queer aesthetics who created surreal, shamanistic tableaux and legendary midnight screenings in San Francisco. Narrated by Anjelica Huston and featuring archival footage and interviews with collaborators including artist Ed Moses, actress Ellen Burstyn, Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn, Beat poet ruth weiss, and former members of The Cockettes drag theatre troupe.

via The 418 Project ↗ Event link ↗