The Oceanside International Film Festival (OIFF) is an annual film festival held in Oceanside, California. It was founded in 2009 by the Oceanside Cultural Foundation.
History The 11th annual festival was the first in person event since 2019. It ran from February 22-27, 2022. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was held annually in August each year. It was virtual in August 2020, followed up by a virtual "best of" festival in February 2021. This transition was to permanently move the annual festival to February.
Executive director Lou Niles curates the festival along with his wife, director Carly Starr Brullo-Niles. Dmitriv Demidov is the co-chair, Michael E. Vasquez is a committee chair member, and Sterling Anno is the co-programmer.
Notable appearances Notable attendees include Sally Kirkland, Jon St. John, Amir George, Lee Meriwether, TJ Storm, Shawn Hatosy, Carolina Guerra, Ben Robson, Kate Bosworth, Sanoe Lake, John Stockwell, Taylor Steele, Tony Alva, Joanna Cassidy, Taryn Manning and The Silent Comedy.
Notable films and television YearTitleDirector(s)Notes2015Attack of the Killer TomatoesCosta Dillon2017The Black GhiandolaSam Raimi, Catherine Hardwicke, Theodore MelfiShort film2018Jackpot Shawn HatosyTV episode 11 premiere of Animal Kingdom season 3Daisy Belle William WallShort film2020Friend of the WorldBrian Patrick ButlerPremiereThe Power AgentMark AtkinsonBest Actress nomination for Charlie Krapf, short film2022Blue CrushJohn StockwellOpening filmPulp FrictionMark Atkinson, Tony OlmosBest Supporting Actor nomination for Elliott Branch Jr., short film2023TouchJustin BurquistBest Art Direction nomination, short film2024ThinnerTom HollandSpecial screeningHemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink TeaTony OlmosClosing film, multiple nominations
Achievement in Film Award
2018: Jarod Bainbridge and Allyssa Bainbridge
Artist Spotlight Award
2025: Surfer on the Jetty by Tom Smith
Emerging Filmmaker Award
2019: Eleri Edwards for The Goat 2020: Yutao Chen for Dirty Business and Cameron Penn for The Roommates 2025: James Valdez for Canta Santiago
Emerging Student Scholarship Award
2019: Laura Nguyen for Hazel
Inspiring Student Scholarship Award
2019: David Pradel for The City's Champions
Lifetime Achievement Award
2012: William T. Stromberg and Everett Peck 2013: Sally Kirkland and Jon St. John 2014: Saginaw Grant 2015: John DeBello 2016: Kathleen Quinlan and Rolly Crump 2017: Alan Roderick-Jones 2019: Taylor Steele
Oceanside Awareness Award
2015: Stacy Goldberg
Oceanside Impact Award
2022: John Stockwell, Kate Bosworth, Sanoe Lake, Jessica Trent 2023: Taryn Manning 2025: Taylor Lane
Oceanside On Screen Award
2018: Shawn Hatosy 2019: Tony Alva
Oceanside Spotlight Contest
2013: KMR Video Services Oceanside CA Promo by Sam Mattson 2016: Waves N' Craves: Baked Eggs & Spiralized Sweet Potato by Missy Powers 2017: Waves N Craves: The Yummus Episode by Missy Powers
Best Picture
2009: Callous 2012: Working Class by Jeff Durkin Washed Up by Mark Richardson (Audience Choice) 2013: Patrol Base Jaker by David Scantling Broken Knuckles by Justin Burquist (Audience Choice) 2014: Into the Silent Sea by Andrej Landin West by Jesse Weseloh (Audience Choice) 2015: Keep in Touch by Sam Kretchmar The Age of Reason by Andrew Schrader (Audience Choice) 2016: The Whimsical Imagineer We Can't Die (Audience Choice)
2017: Hush by Michael Lewis Foster Our Barrio by Ryan Casselman (Audience Choice)
2018: It's Just a Game Esfuerzo (Audience Choice)
2019: Banana Split
2020: Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish
2022:
2023: The Manliest Man
2024: The Countryman
2025: The Cigarette Surfboard
Best Actor in a Lead Role
2009: Mark Nilsson for Ballbusters 2019: Josh Bywater for Part 5B 2020: Numan Cakir for Toprak 2022: Juan Pablo Zamora for Mar & Cielo 2023: Matthew Kim for The Manliest Man 2024: Kyle Minshew for Accidental Stars 2025: Tom Holland for Last Call
Best Actress in a Lead Role
2009: Kari Nissena for Callous 2019: Hannah Marks for Banana Split 2020: Alia Shawkat for Alina 2022: for 2023: Ling Ling for Filter 2024: Beth Gallagher for To Fall in Love 2025: Audrey Corsa for Solid
Best Animation (Short or Feature)
2009: Perchance to Dream by Lauren Kimball 2012: Thumb Snatchers from the Moon Cocoon by Bradley Schaffer (also Audience Choice) 2015: Tick Tock by Zeynep Kocak Telling a You by M.Y.R.A. Entertainment (Audience Choice) 2016: Sea of Ink by Chenxin Yang 2017: Calley MacDonald for A Boy & His Beast (also Audience Choice) 2018: One Small Step (also Audience Choice) 2019: Arna Selznick for The Most Magnificent Thing 2020: Acaiaca 2022: Crusoe 2023: Yellowstone 88 for Song of Fire 2024: Speedman 2025: Mutual Tides
Best Art Direction (Short or Feature) 2019: Rocket Boy (Design) 2020: Elsa Mickelson for Leave 'Em Laughing (Design) 2022: Katelyn Moger for Never Felt Better 2023: Filter 2024: The Countryman 2025: Keep
Best Cinematography in a Feature
2019: Benjamin Kasulke for Banana Split 2020: Steven Fadellin for Love is Not Love 2022: Karma Gava and Simon Davis for Gianni Berengo Gardin's Tale of Two Cities 2023: Chris Alstrin for The Mirage 2024: Justin Moore for The Buildout 2025: Ben Judkins for The Cigarette Surfboard
Best Cinematography in a Short
2019: Andrew Daughters for Shaped 2020: Jeff Taylor for Unnur 2022: Johnny Agnew for Young and the Reckless 2023: Robert L. Hunter for Reclaim Your Water: Natasha Smith 2024: Jannis Schelenz for The Countryman 2025: Nate Allen Laverty for Creatures of Habit
Best Direction in a Feature
2009: Joey Lanai for Callous 2019: Benjamin Kasulke for Banana Split 2020: Stephen Keep Mills for Love is Not Love 2022: Jeremy Pion-Berlin for Failure to Protect 2023: Danijela Steinfeld for Hold Me Right 2024: Zeshaan Younus for The Buildout 2025: Ben Judkins for The Cigarette Surfboard
Best Direction in a Short
2019: Erin Martinez for Alone Together 2020: Rami Kodeih for Alina 2022: Melissa Kirkendall for You are Me & I am You 2023: Vivian Ip for An Island Drifts 2024: Emily Bennett for Accidental Stars 2025: Harry Holland for Last Call
Best Editing in a Feature
2019: Chris Gentile for Self-Discovery for Social Survival 2020: Vladislav Grishin for Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish 2022: Jay Keuper and Sean Duggan for Keep It a Secret 2023: Peter Hamblin for Sweet Adventure 2024: Matt Latham for The Buildout 2025: Ben Judkins for The Cigarette Surfboard
Best Editing in a Short
2019: Erin Martinez for Alone Together 2020: Rami Kodeih for Alina 2022: Alvin Reyes for Bundini 2023: David Abades Barclay for Salt Lines 2024: Allison Waid for Please Ask for It 2025: Carl Bengtsson for An Exam's Journey
Best Feature Documentary
2012: Working Class by Jeff Durkin (also Audience Choice) 2013: Patrol Base Jaker by David Scantling Finnigan's War by Conor Timmis (Audience Choice) 2014: Art As a Weapon by Jeff Durkin Out In the Line-Up by Ian W. Thomson (Audience Choice) 2015: Omo Child: The River and the Bush by John Rowe Breaking Point by Bill Wisneski (Audience Choice) 2016: The Weekend Sailor by Bernardo Arsuaga It Ain't Pretty by Dayla Soul (Audience Choice) 2017: No Roads In by Josh Wong (also Audience Choice) 2018: Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer and Quinn Costello for Rodents of Unusual Size Bill Wisneski for Shadow of Drought: California’s Looming Water Crisis (Audience Choice) 2019: Bill Wisneski for Shattered Dreams: Sex Trafficking in America 2020: Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish 2022: Failure to Protect 2023: Jack Has a Plan 2025: Call Me Mule
Best Local Student Film
2018: Alana Nichols' Story by Eli Bensen (also Audience Choice)
Best Narrative Feature
2012: Boy with Blue by David Liddell Thorpe (also Audience Choice) 2013: The Racket Boys by Brandon Willer (also Audience Choice) 2015: Wildlike by Frank Hall Green Keep in Touch by Sam Kretchmar (Audience Choice) 2016: Remittance by Patrick Daly and Joel Fendelman ADDicted by Dan Jenski (Audience Choice) 2017: American Satan by Ash Avildsen 2019: Banana Split by Benjamin Kasulke 2020: Toprak by Sevgi Hirschhäuser 2022: by Krishna Ashu Bhati 2024: The Buildout by Zeshaan Younus
Best Narrative Short
2012: Curvas by David Galan Galindo The Lucky One by Bala Balakrishnan (Audience Choice) 2013: Turns by Jake Barsha Instant Justice by Steven Turk and Angie Baggett (Audience Choice) 2014: Bis Gleich by Benjamin Wolff West by Jesse Weseloh (Audience Choice) 2015: Keeper of the Past by Marco J. Riedl The Knockout Game by Benjamin Goalabré (Audience Choice) 2016: 3000 by Tia Tsonis Poor George by Jim Harris (Audience Choice) 2017: Songs of Wild Animals by Mara Weber Iron by L. Gabriel Gonda (Audience Choice) 2018: Ward Crockett for There Is No Door Juan Escobedo for Marisol (Audience Choice) 2019: Erin Martinez for Alone Together 2020: Alina 2022: Mar & Cielo 2023: Black Creek Trail 2024: Patrimony 2025: Last Call
Best Original Score (Short or Feature)
2019: Rick Charnoski and Coan Nichols for The Tony Alva Story 2020: Marco D'Ambrosio for Eat the Rainbow 2022: Seana Thompson for Rogue: The Western 2023: I Am Alright 2024: Brittany Dunton and Jake Monaco for Manō 2025: Linus Kallberg for An Exam's Journey
Best Producer
2009: CHSTV for We Must Remember
Best Screenplay (Short or Feature)
2019: Benjamin Kasulke for Banana Split 2020: Nora Marianna for Alina 2022: Krisha Ashu Bhati and Eva Habermann for 2023: Jim Kempton for Big Wave Guardians
Best Screenplay (Feature)
2024: Jennifer Lane for To Fall in Love
Best Screenplay (Short)
2024: Noah Freeman Hecht for Forget Me Again 2025: Lewis Rose for Keep
Best Short Documentary
2009: Save the World by Michael T. Wood 2012: Angel's Reach by Al Germani The American Dream of Owning a Mobile Home by Promise Yee (Audience Choice) 2013: Threatened: The Controversial Struggle of the Southern Sea Otter by Bill Wisneski Impact by Michael Franzese (Audience Choice) 2014: Baykeepers by Michael J. Lutman LA Miner by Thomas Wood (Audience Choice) 2015: Over the Coals: Santa Maria the BBQ Capitol of the World by Noah Rosenstein King Corduroy by Paul Von Petrzelka (Audience Choice) 2016: Dead Harvest by Ray McNally Aloha for Indo by Elliot Lucas (Audience Choice) 2017: Washed Away by Dana Nachman (also Audience Choice) 2018: David Fokos and Barbarella Fokos for From Haarlem to Harlem Alena Ehrenbold for Tan (Audience Choice) 2019: Andrew Daughters for Shaped 2020: Unnur 2022: You are Me & I am You 2023: One Lost Many Found 2024: Fifth Tide 2025: A Letter from Antarctica
Best Soundtrack (Short or Feature)
2025: Amazigh
Best Student Film (Short or Feature)
2009: Kevin's Kritters: Dolphin Experience by Kevin Anderson 2012: Water on Mars by Chase Smith Expiration Date by Ryan Lagerstrom (Audience Choice) 2013: 420 Remix by Boys & Girls Club of Oceanside at MLK Jr Middle School by David Garcia (K to Middle School) Rainbow Show by Pavel Demidov (Audience Choice) Shoot the Moon by Alexander Gaeta (High School to College) Light Me Up by Ryan Walton and Derek Dolechek (Audience Choice) 2014: Mr. McBob by Pierre Schantz (K to Middle School) Enigma: Blackouts by Jarrod Bainbridge (Audience Choice) Water by Kendall Goldberg (High School, also Audience Choice) Into the Silent Sea by Andrej Landin (College) Flux: Redefining Women's Surfing by Chad King and Mia Montanile (Audience Choice) 2015: Save the Date by Jarrod Bainbridge (K to Middle School) The Sad Snowman by Pierre Schantz (Audience Choice) Two and a Quarter Minutes by Joshua Ovalle (High School) A Stacked Deck by Cameron Penn (Audience Choice) Somos Amigos by Carlos Solano Perez (College) Inner Peace by Ryan LaPine (Audience Choice) 2016: Cricket by Alyssa Bainbridge (K to Middle School)