The Coast Film & Music Festival (CFMF) has announced the full program for its seventh annual celebration, running November 1–9 across several Laguna Beach venues, including the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center, Festival of Arts, Rivian South Coast Theater, The Promenade on Forest, and Hobie Surf Shop. This year’s lineup features 16 feature films and 73 short films spanning multiple genres and themes.
Photo: Jan Schrieber
Opening the festival is The Eyes of Ghana, directed by two-time Academy Award® winner Ben Proudfoot, with executive producers Barack and Michelle Obama. The documentary follows 93-year-old filmmaker Chris Hesse as he races to preserve lost footage documenting Ghana’s path to independence.
The event concludes with Love + War by Academy Award-winning directors Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, and musician Jack Johnson’s The September Sessions. Love + War explores Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario’s life and work, while The September Sessions follows surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado on a 16mm journey to Sumatra’s waves.
Additional feature highlights include Tony Benna’s André is an Idiot, Ben Masters’ The American Southwest, Erin Brockovich and John Hunter Nolan’s Unearth, and Richard Ladkani and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Yanuni. The special “Mountain/Snow Night” programming will showcase Chris Benchetler’s Mountains of the Moon and Todd and Steve Jones’ Pressure Drop.
The short film program is divided into thematic blocks, including “Adventure Shorts,” “Animal Kingdom Shorts,” “Every Day Wonders Shorts,” “Healed by Nature Shorts,” “Our Lands Shorts,” “Our Oceans Shorts,” “Running Shorts,” “Stoker Shorts,” and “Surf Shorts.” Each block offers audiences a curated collection of global storytelling focused on nature, exploration, and human connection.
Programming Director Hayley Nenadal said, “Our festival serves as a showcase for award-winning documentaries and films that tell important, beautiful stories—some tackle big ideas that challenge us to think, while others are unifying experiences that resonate with audiences of all backgrounds.”
Festival Co-Founders Ben Warner and Enich Harris added, “This festival is more than a passive experience—it’s a place to connect, spark conversation, and celebrate the spirit of adventure that unites us.”
Tickets and passes for the Coast Film & Music Festival are available now at the official website.
