{"id":37088,"date":"2026-06-08T23:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/37088\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T23:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:47:42","slug":"true-west-film-center-hosts-inaugural-film-festival-of-love-in-healdsburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/37088\/","title":{"rendered":"True West Film Center hosts inaugural Film Festival of Love in Healdsburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romance will be in the air \u2014 and on screens across Healdsburg \u2014 when a new film festival devoted to love in all its forms arrives in northern Sonoma County this month.<\/p>\n

True West Film Center<\/a>,\u00a0the nonprofit that operates the three-screen True West Cinemas in downtown Healdsburg, has unveiled the lineup for its inaugural Film Festival of Love<\/a>, a five-day celebration of classic and contemporary cinema running June 24-28.<\/p>\n

The festival marks the nonprofit\u2019s first major film festival since opening True West Cinemas at the James Redford Campus last fall.<\/p>\n

Under the direction of former Sundance Film Festival leader John Cooper,<\/a> the event is designed less as a conventional film festival than a thematic exploration of one of cinema\u2019s most enduring subjects.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to do a conventional film festival,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to do it around a theme.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TrueTrue West Film Center’s artistic director, John Cooper in downtown Healdsburg, May 22, 2025. (Chad Surmick \/ The Press Democrat)
\n\"TheThe red carpet is rolled out for dinner and screening of \u201cAlmost Famous\u201d at the True West Film Center James Redford Campus, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Healdsburg. (Kent Porter \/ The Press Democrat)<\/p>\n

The five-day event features narrative and documentary films curated by Cooper from festivals around the world, alongside classic films selected by guest curators from regional media outlets.<\/p>\n

The idea offered both focus and flexibility. Love, he said, encompasses far more than romance, allowing the festival to move between genres, generations and cultures while maintaining a common thread.<\/p>\n

After years of programming serious independent films at Sundance, Cooper said he was also eager to create something joyful.<\/p>\n

\"TrueTrue West’s Film Festival of Love opens June 24 in Healdsburg. (Israel Valencia \/ Infinity Visuals)
\n\"TheThe Film Festival of Love opens June 24 with a free community block party at the Foley Family Community Pavilion, featuring restaurant pop-ups, local wine and beer, and live music. Photo taken Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Christopher Chung\/The Press Democrat)
\nOpening night under the stars<\/p>\n

The festival opens June 24 with a free community block party<\/a> at the Foley Family Community Pavilion, featuring restaurant pop-ups, local wine and beer, and live music. The evening concludes with an outdoor screening of the 1987 romantic comedy \u201cMoonstruck,\u201d the Oscar-winning film that earned Cher the Academy Award for Best Actress. Admission to the party is free, though reservations are recommended for film seating.<\/p>\n

Outdoor screenings continue at West Plaza Park with two beloved classics: Mike Nichols\u2019 1996 comedy \u201cThe Birdcage<\/a>\u201d on June 25 and Jacques Demy\u2019s 1964 musical romance \u201cThe Umbrellas of Cherbourg<\/a>\u201d on June 26, starring Catherine Deneuve and set to Michel Legrand\u2019s soaring score.<\/p>\n

\"TrueTrue West’s Film Festival of Love opens June 24 in Healdsburg and will feature several outdoor screenings. (Israel Valencia \/ Infinity Visuals)<\/p>\n

On June 27, the festival\u2019s marquee event, Amore per Tutti<\/a> (\u201cLove for All\u201d), takes over the Piazza at Bacchus Landing for an evening of Italian-inspired food, wine and cinema. Guests will enjoy a seated dinner by Catelli\u2019s, pairings from Bacchus Collective wineries and music by the baroque string ensemble Beneath a Tree before an outdoor screening of \u201cRoman Holiday,\u201d the 1953 romance starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.<\/p>\n

The timing of the festival was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealdsburg\u2019s a sweet town in the summer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"TheatricalTheatrical poster for the American release of the American romantic comedy film Roman Holiday (1953).
\n\"PublicityPublicity photo of Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck taken for the film Roman Holiday (1953).
\nLove beyond romance<\/p>\n

While classic romances anchor portions of the program, Cooper said the festival\u2019s larger goal is to explore the many ways love shapes people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about rom-coms,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s films that explore the whole notion of love in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Cooper describes it, the festival examines \u201cromance, friendship, family ties, longing, heartbreak, joy, and all the beautiful, complicated ways we find one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the contemporary selections is \u201cCome See Me in the Good Light<\/a>,\u201d the acclaimed documentary following two poets as they navigate an incurable cancer diagnosis. The festival will also screen Edward Burns\u2019 new drama \u201cFinnegan\u2019s Foursome<\/a>,\u201d about brothers reconnecting during a trip to Ireland to scatter their father\u2019s ashes, and the 2024 coming-of-age comedy \u201cMy Old Ass<\/a>,\u201d in which a teenager encounters her 39-year-old self after a psychedelic experience.<\/p>\n

Several international films broaden the festival\u2019s perspective on love and human connection.<\/p>\n

The lineup includes \u201cKy Nam Inn<\/a>,\u201d a Vietnamese drama about a young translator and an older widow who form an unlikely bond in postwar Saigon; the Peruvian film \u201cUndertow,\u201d a love story set in a conservative fishing village; and the French box-office hit \u201cYou Found Me,\u201d in which a woman who communicates with the dead develops a connection with a recently deceased man.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that even if you come to one film at this festival, I want it to tell you what this festival was about,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t want it to be so saccharine-sweet on everything either.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than movies<\/p>\n

Beyond feature films, the festival includes a shorts program, happy-hour gatherings at local tasting rooms from June 25-27 and two secret screenings.<\/p>\n

The festival concludes June 28 with \u201cThe Cycle of Love,\u201d a 2025 documentary about a Delhi street artist who bicycled 6,000 miles in 1977 to reunite with the woman he loved. A closing-night reception in the courtyard of True West Cinemas, featuring wine and hors d\u2019oeuvres, will follow the screening.<\/p>\n

For True West founder and executive director Kathryn Philip, the festival is also an extension of the organization\u2019s\u00a0longstanding\u00a0mission to build community through cinema.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a time of extreme divisiveness, here is a program of films and events designed to bring people together,\u201d Philip said.<\/p>\n

Tickets start at $22 and go on sale June 9.<\/p>\n

If you go<\/p>\n

What: True West Film Festival of Love<\/p>\n

When: June 24-28, 2026<\/p>\n

6 p.m. June 24: Opening Night: Block Party and Moonstruck<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. June 25: Movies Under the Stars: The Birdcage<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. June 26: Movies Under the Stars: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg<\/p>\n

6:30 p.m. June 27: Amore Per Tutti: Seated Dinner and Roman Holiday<\/p>\n

5 p.m. June 28: Festival Finale: The Cycle of Love<\/p>\n

Where: True West Cinemas (371 Healdsburg Ave.), Foley Family Community Pavilion (3 North St.), Bacchus Landing (14210 Bacchus Landing Way), West Plaza Park and additional venues in Healdsburg.<\/p>\n

Admission: From $20<\/p>\n

Tickets and program: truewestfilmcenter.org\/film-festival<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Romance will be in the air \u2014 and on screens across Healdsburg \u2014 when a new film festival…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[17806,13352,17807,17808,17805,95],"class_list":["post-37088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-valencia","tag-film-festival-of-love","tag-films","tag-healdsburg","tag-sonoma-county","tag-true-west-film-center","tag-valencia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}