<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe 2025 Coast Film & Music Festival was an incredible celebration of art, story, and community,\u201d said Ben Warner, Co-Founder & Executive Director. \u201cOver nine inspiring days in Laguna Beach, we brought people together through more than 100 films shown at multiple venues including the Rivian South Coast Theater, Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center, thought-provoking panels, live music, and unforgettable shared experiences \u2014 from the Coast Summit and Student Stewardship Day to Films on Forest and two magical, sold-out concert nights with Jack Johnson & Friends at the Irvine Bowl. Coast continues to prove that when creativity and purpose meet, community thrives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celebrating Filmmakers & Storytellers<\/p>\n
Nine film awards honored outstanding storytelling and filmmaking, with handcrafted trophies created by Allison Spurlock, a fine-line artist and sculptor from Sitka, Alaska. Spurlock transforms found coastal materials into intricate works inspired by marine life, reflecting her deep connection to the ocean and passion for creative sustainability\u2014values that align perfectly with the festival\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
2025 Film Award Winners:<\/p>\n
\u2013 Best Feature: \u201cAndre Is An Idiot\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 MacGillivray Freeman Environmental Film: \u201cOut of Plain Sight\u201d ($3,000 cash prize)<\/p>\n
\u2013 MacGillivray Freeman Environmental Film Runner-Up: \u201cRock | Plastic | Salmon\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Audience Choice: \u201cBest Day Ever\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Best Short: \u201cThen Comes the Body\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Cultural Maverick: \u201cGangster Gardener\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Wavemaker Award: \u201cComparsa\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Spirit Award: \u201cAmerican Southwest\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Stoke Award: \u201cMountains of The Moon\u201d<\/p>\n
The third annual Coast Summit, presented by A New Earth Project,<\/b> explored \u201cHealthy People, Healthy Planet\u201d through panel discussions, keynote addresses, and networking with world-class athletes, storytellers, activists, and changemakers. What began as a small gathering has evolved into a powerful community united by a shared purpose\u2014to live well, work consciously, and care for the planet that sustains us. From Adelia Sandoval\u2019s moving land acknowledgment at Main Beach to Jon Rose\u2019s closing session on his remarkable journey of impact and healing, Coast Summit wove together science, story, and spirit in a way that reminded us that personal well-being and planetary health are deeply intertwined.<\/p>\n
Special Events<\/b><\/p>\n
The Do Good Village <\/b>offered hands-on experiences with community partners, while outdoor activities included yoga, hikes, kayak tours, and mountain biking.<\/p>\n
Follow The Light Surf Photography Awards<\/b><\/p>\n
The festival also recognized excellence in surf photography through the Follow The Light Awards<\/b>. Ian Grose won the Grand Prize, taking home $5,000 and a working opportunity with Grant Ellis for Surfer\u2019s Journal. Hayden Garfield earned the People\u2019s Choice Award, winning $1,000 cash, a $500 gift card from Aquatech Imaging Solutions, and a working opportunity with Don Meek at A New Earth Project.<\/p>\n
Plans for the 8th annual festival in 2026 are underway. The Coast Film Foundation continues year-round programming, including screenings at Rivian South Coast Theater. For more information, visit coastfilmfestival.com<\/a>.<\/p>\nABOUT THE COAST FILM FOUNDATION<\/b><\/p>\n
The festival is organized by Coast Film Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting films and filmmakers that drive positive social and environmental change. Founded in 2019 by Laguna Beach locals Ben Warner and Enich Harris, the festival has grown into a gathering for those passionate about adventure, storytelling, and environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source shop-eat-surf-outdoor.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 7th Annual Coast Film & Music Festival wrapped nine days of films, music, and community celebration in Laguna Beach, drawing thousands of people from November 1-9. The festival brought together creators, changemakers, cultural icons and fans across multiple venues throughout the beach town, culminating in two consecutive sold-out nights with Jack Johnson & The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2171594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2171593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Event-Recap-Coast-Film-Music-Festival-Concludes-Seventh-Year.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2171593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2171593"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2171593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2171595,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2171593\/revisions\/2171595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2171594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2171593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2171593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2171593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}