Nevada City Film Festival

04/10/2026

LOW TICKET ALERT!

Hi Friends, we only have a few more tickets to tonight's show with Laughter Shock Improv! If you are thinking of going get your tickets now as we will probably be sold out by doors! Show 7pm.

Laughter Shock Improv Troupe: A Brand New, Multi-Generational Comedy Improv Troupe from Nevada County! Get ready to gasp, giggle, and maybe even “quake” with laughter as Nevada County’s newest improv troupe, Laughter Shock launches its debut season.

04/10/2026

LOW TICKET ALERT!

Hi Friends, we only have a few more tickets to tonight's show with Laughter Shock Improv! If you are thinking of going get your tickets now as we will probably be sold out by doors! Show 7pm.

Laughter Shock Improv Troupe: A Brand New, Multi-Generational Comedy Improv Troupe from Nevada County! Get ready to gasp, giggle, and maybe even “quake” with laughter as Nevada County’s newest improv troupe, Laughter Shock launches its debut season.

04/08/2026

Ode to Catherine O’Hara

Oh, Catherine. Where do we even begin?

There are actors. There are great actors. And then there is Catherine O’Hara - a force of nature so gifted, so fearlessly funny, so achingly human that watching her work feels less like entertainment and more like witnessing something truly rare.

Here is a woman who can break your heart and your sides in the same breath.

She doesn’t just play characters, she inhabits them, loves them, and somehow makes you love them too, even when they are profoundly, spectacularly ridiculous. A trembling lip here. A perfectly timed pause there. A look that says everything while saying nothing at all.

And so we gather, in her honor, to celebrate two of her finest hours.

🐾 Praise be to BEST IN SHOW — where her improvisational chemistry with Eugene Levy is so natural, so impossibly funny, it should be studied in film schools. It is studied in film schools.

🧟 And glory to FRANKENWEENIE — Tim Burton’s sweet, strange black-and-white gem, where O’Hara voices multiple characters, each one distinct, warm, and wonderfully spirited.

Together, a masterclass. Together, a celebration.

Comedy wielded by someone who understands that the funniest moments are always rooted in truth.

We are not worthy. But we’ll be there.

03/30/2026

FREE for Kids! Frankenweenie - Saturday, April 11, 4:30pm at the Nevada Theatre. Party of our Catherine O'Hara Tribute double feature with Best in Show at 7pm.

Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterpiece Frankenweenie is a heartfelt story about a boy, his dog, and the magic of imagination. When a car hits young Victor’s pet dog Sparky, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked “monster” wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor’s neighbors, he has to convince them that Sparky’s still the good, loyal friend he was.

Tickets and info at https://nevadacityfilmfestival.com/events/comedy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29vIJQohUWE

Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6hSubscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUnFrankenweenie Official Trailer #2 (2012) Tim Burton Movie HDYoung Vi...

03/26/2026

SURPRISE!

Laughter Shock Improv is delighted to announce that at NCFF’s Comedy Nights Improv Show coming up on FRIDAY, APRIL 10th at Nevada Theatre, they have invited local “hams” and famous folks, mayors Adam Kline and Hilary Hodge to the stage to play with us. What a gas!

Get your tickets soon, folks! We might sell out inviting these famous politicians/players!! https://nevadacityfilmfestival.com/events/comedy

03/12/2026

Get ready to laugh together, play together, and celebrate the joy of comedy as the Nevada City Film Festival brings back Comedy Nights for a lively, family-friendly weekend at the historic Nevada Theatre.

This year’s program shifts the spotlight from stand-up to the spontaneous magic of improv comedy, featuring Nevada County’s newest troupe, Laughter Shock Improv, on Friday, April 10, followed by a special tribute to legendary comedic improviser Catherine O’Hara with a double feature screening of Frankenweenie and Best in Show on Saturday, April 11.

Tickets and info at https://nevadacityfilmfestival.com/events/comedy/

02/06/2026

Reimagining the Film Festival Experience: Where Story, Innovation, and Imagination Meet

This June 26–28, the historic streets of downtown Nevada City, CA come alive as we launch a new kind of festival experience — part festival, part symposium, and part think tank. Our goal is to create a space where filmmakers, artists, and audiences come together not just to watch films, but to exchange ideas, spark collaborations, and reimagine the future of cinema.

This year, we’re shining a special spotlight on animation and the artists who bring imagination to life. At a moment when technology — especially AI — is transforming the creative landscape, we believe it’s more important than ever to celebrate the human touch, the artistry, and the storytelling power that animators bring to the screen.

From screenings and panels to intimate dinners, hikes, and late-night gatherings under the stars, the festival will be a hub of creativity, conversation, and inspiration.

Who Should Submit
If you’re an animator or filmmaker who believes in the power of art to move, connect, and innovate — this is your invitation. Come share your work, your ideas, and your voice as we build a festival that doesn’t just showcase films, but helps shape the future of filmmaking itself.

Professional, student, and amateur filmmakers are invited to submit short films in a variety of genres including, but not limited to, documentaries, animation, narrative, comedy, multi-media, experimental, and music videos.

Upcoming Deadline Dates
February 6, 2026
Regular Deadline

March 6, 2026
Late Deadline

March 27, 2026
Extended Late Deadline

🔗 in bio.

02/04/2026

We are so proud to announce the recipients of the inaugural Filmed in Nevada County Grant, a new initiative designed to attract film production, support independent filmmakers, and strengthen Nevada County’s growing creative economy.

“These projects stood out not only for how deeply their stories connect to the local setting, but also for the originality and clarity of each filmmaker’s vision,” said Jeffrey Clark, Co-Founder of the Nevada City Film Festival. “We are committed to supporting new voices and bold
storytelling, and these films embody that spirit.”

Congratulations to filmmakers Rachel Bain and Jared Callahan!

Rachel Bain is a writer, director, and audio engineer born in Jinju, South Korea and raised in Overland Park, Kansas. With an undergraduate degree in architectural engineering and various careers prior to pursuing her MFA at UCLA, she blends her technical background with life experience to create work about human emotion, connection, and the pursuit of living.

Jared Callahan is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated documentary director/producer. He founded and runs People People Media Foundation, a non-profit arts community and production company birthed on a 95-acre farm in the San Francisco East Bay that specializes in unique stories that amplify voices and increase empathy. His work has been released through The New York Times, PBS, GQ Magazine, The Atlantic, ALTER, NoBudge, Short of the Week & Vimeo Staff Picks.

01/30/2026

Icon. Legend. Pure comedy gold. You taught us being weird and quirky was more fun than being normal.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AQXVHITd1N4ss e

Song: Harry Belafonte - Day-o (Banana Boat Song) Movie: Beetlejuice (1988)Watch FULL HD 1080p version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN5lIEcbXpMLyrics:Day-o...

01/17/2026

Our friend Griff Williams, founder of , perfectly articulated our sadness, anger, and fear over the closure of the California College of Arts, a school that has developed so many of the filmmakers we have worked with and admired over the years, the alma mater of some of our staff, and in general, one of the greatest places that has ever existed for artists. The article is behind the paywall at https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/cca-vanderbilt-san-francisco-mayor-lurie-art-sfai-21298258.php but we reposted it here because we all need to be vigilant, supportive, speak up, and fight for these spaces before they are lost.

01/04/2026

Did you see the brilliant Hundreds of Beavers at NCFF in 2024? Yes/No? Doesn’t matter because tonight you have the incredible opportunity to see it on the big screen! Laugh, cry, laugh some more, through of your jammies, call up some of your friends who appreciate the wild and zany, and head to the Nevada Theatre for the 7pm showing. We promise you’ll be glad you did.