Cannabis Film Festival



The was the official site for the 2015 & 2016 Cannabis Film Festival held in California.
Below is archived content from the festival's 2015 event.

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I covered this event in 2015, but didn't make it in 2016 due to other obligations during which I was traveling in Europe covering other music festivals. However, in 2015 I enjoyed and indulged in everything the festival had to offer. Friends had kidded me about going to a pot film festival, and some have suggested starting a cannabis related business. My partner and I actually looked into this - we built a website for edibles even though it was only informational. We have so many questions about the viability of such an effort, but because we have expertise in SEO, we think we can rank a site high for important searches, which should be a huge advantage. But the biggest unknowns are legal. A close friend who was a former Queens assistant district attorney, told us over dinner, that we needed to be in a state where the sale of cannabis products is legal and that there are indeed legal liabilities for shipping across state lines. Also credit card companies are not processing purchases for cannabis businesses - a huge negative, although other options are open. Yet things are changing fast and widespread legalization may be coming to the US, but probably not quickly enough for us. We'd be a startup having to raise capital, navigate a myriad number of state and federal laws, find payment methods that are used by everyone, and find product and store locations, etc. So we've set aside that thought and instead are reminiscing about the films I saw at the Cannabis Film Festival, glass of wine in hand. CW Atwood

I had the pleasure of experiencing the Cannabis Film Festival in Garberville, CA, where I had invested in a featured film, "Red Dirt". The event was co-organized by Rupert Ludlow, with whom I had an enlightening discussion about the immense challenges of initiating a film festival centered around a contentious topic. A surprising revelation came to light concerning their online visibility issues. Their website was not appearing in search results under its name. The festival's webmaster contacted SEO specialist Bob Sakayama for assistance. Bob, the proprietor of Google-Penalty.com - a resource well-regarded by those in the SEO industry for its insights on rank recovery - swiftly diagnosed the issue. Remarkably, the problem, resolved within a week, was not attributed to a Google penalty but was due to a developer's oversight that blocked Googlebot from indexing the site. The concept of a Google penalty was a novel discovery for me. The festival itself was an exhilarating experience, culminating in a distribution agreement for our film. Norman Sitwell

 

So check out future Cannabis Film Festivals, if you find the information on this reconstructed site of interest.

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The Cannabis Film Festival provides a means for filmmakers to share their work with both distributors and the general public. The CFF is designed to enable cream of the crop film projects to gain exposure to larger and more mainstream audiences. The festival is also an amazing opportunity for a broad range of organizations to help further the cause of enlightening the general public about cannabis. The Cannabis Film Festival is a full weekend event that provides a venue for cannabis-related businesses and local artisans to expose their goods and services to festival attendees in between the viewing of film submissions.

Come meet our team!

THE VENUE

For four generations the Garberville Theatre's brightly lit marquee has loomed over the west side of Redwood Drive, beckoning to locals, weary travelers, and movie goers of all ages to step inside, enjoy a bag of delicious hot popcorn, sink into a comfortable seat, suspend their worldly woes, and be transported to another place or time on the silver screen. During that span, literally thousands of theatres in the country were constructed, flourished, declined, and were subsequently closed, remodeled, or demolished.

 

766 Redwood Drive
P.O. Box 356
Garberville, CA 95542

 

WHERE ARE WE?

The 2015 Cannabis Film Festival will be showcased in Garberville, CA; a quaint town nestled behind the redwood curtain at the southern-most part of Humboldt County in Northern CA. In a geographical location that boasts a greater tree than human population, guests will be mesmerized by the beauty of the area and the majesty of world famous redwoods and related attractions.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

They can be found at either the Humboldt House Inn or the Benbow Inn, both close by and located on the map above. Please click the menu icon in the top left for easy access to the information. If you mention that you are there for the Cannabis Film Festival, you will receive a discounted rate by our gracious partners.

Also included, the driving directions from the Benbow Inn to the Garberville Theatre, indicated in blue above.

 

BUY TICKETS

To see films and attend events at the Cannabis Film Festival, you will need to purchase a General Adult or a VIP ticket which will allow you to view all the submissions of the festival.

Don't worry if the pass or package option you are looking for is sold out, we will be reserving a small number tickets available at the entrance for last minute attendees!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GENERAL ADMISSION AND A VIP TICKET?

  • VIP/ALL ACCESS = all movies showings, VIP Lounge w/Dab Bar, VIP gift bag, CFF entertainment, CFF award ceremony, etc
  • $25. Tickets = movie showings

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SUBMISSIONS LIST OF FILMS

 

MARIJUANA MAN

Produced By Manna Films Genre Drama Synopsis On a mountain high above the land and sea, Marijuana Man is gifted with magical seeds and embarks on his mission to plant the world and turn on its inhabitants. His journey takes him on a delightful and mystical growing experience. Manna Films proudly presents an eloquent and..

 

SEA OF GREEN

Produced By ILL Mannered Films Genre Drama / Action Synopsis From writer/director Myster DL comes a story about Philip Waters. Struggling to make ends meet Philip decides to turn to old habits and sell an exclusive strain of marijuana known as The Grim Reefer. Little does Philip know, he has gotten himself in too deep.

 

HIGH THERE

Produced By Good Story Productions Genre Comedy Synopsis High There is a 2014 dark, nonfiction comedy film about a real-life, legendary but down-and-out tabloid television journalist who heads to Hawaii to film a marijuana travel series, only to become lost in a fog of drugs, sex and paranoia as he uncovers a secret government war.

 

TOKE: THE MOVIE

Produced By Deedee Kirkwood Genre Short Film Synopsis TOKE follows the journey of Weedee, a big hearted soccer mom, in what seems to be lighthearted fun, but beneath the surface is a frantic flight from the guilt of abandoning her first love who has become a post Vietnam shadow of himself. With the Pot Fairy.

 

THE GROWING SEASON

Produced By Reactor Films Genre Documentary Synopsis The Growing Season is a documentary film about Timo Haara, a Finnish guy who wants to cultivate high-THC cannabis. Although the cultivation of cannabis for other than narcotic use is legal in Finland, the interpretation of the law allows the authorities to see all cultivation as possible drug.

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Judges

We thank our judges for being a part of the first annual event!

Martin Olson

Martin Olson is a writer and songwriter. Head writer/songwriter for Disney's Phineas and Ferb. Producer of Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular for FX. Author of NY Times best-seller Adventure Time Encyclopedia. Now writing Disney's new series Mikey's Law. His new book The Enchiridion, written with his daughter Olivia for Abrams Books, will be published Oct. 2015.

Kimberly McCullough

Kimberly McCullough has been a working actor since the tender age of seven months. She made her first TV appearance in a diaper commercial opposite Juliet Mills'. She attended NYU's Tisch School for the Arts in 1996-97. McCullough's mother, a dance instructor, fostered her daughter's love of dance and, as a child, Kimberly danced on such shows as Fame, Solid Gold, and The People's Choice Awards. She made her feature film debut when she was 6 in the 1984 break-dancing musical Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. Kimberly was a Director in the ABC/DGA Creative Talent Program 2012-2014. In January, 2013, Kimberly directed her first episode of television on the hit Disney Channel Series, Shake It Up! and became a member of the DGA. She also raised 100k for her feature film project Creve Coeur, Mo. on Indiegogo starring Kathryn Prescott, Jenna Elfman and Zach Knighton. Kimberly recently Directed an episode of KC Undercover, starring Zendaya and will be Directing as episode of Pretty Little Liars in the upcoming season 6.

 

Board Members

Each of our board members and many more supporters, professionals and volunteers comprise the backbone of this important community event. The Cannabis Festival brings together the cream of the crop of cannabis film media - the up close and personal, always educational, and often entertaining world of cannabis to the masses.

Kellie Butterfield Dodds

Kellie Butterfield Dodds is an Emerald Triangle-based cannabis activist, Humboldt Ambassador and the founder and owner of the Cannabis Film Festival.

In 2010, Dodds co-founded the 707 Cannabis College in Garberville, California. The college provides a forum where cannabis professionals and everyday people can learn from industry experts about the proper and appropriate medicinal uses of cannabis, sustainable gardening practices and the historical, current and potential future legal issues surrounding cannabis.

Dodds currently serves as Community Leader of the Emerald Triangle Norcal Chapter of the NORML Women's Alliance, a group of modern mainstream women who advocate for marijuana legalization through grassroots, community-oriented educational campaigns. She is a regular contributor to The Ganjier (www.theganjier.com), an online information-sharing platform for cannabis experts.

Before relocating to Southern Humboldt County from Orange County, Ca in 2006, Dodds worked as a journeyman carpenter, building movie sets for the film industry. She also has extensive experience in corporate retail, experience that she has drawn upon to revolutionize Trim Scene Solutions, Inc., Humboldt's Harvest Headquarters & Smoke Shop, where Dodds currently works as General Manager.

Kyndra Miller, Esq

Kyndra Miller is an attorney with CannaBusiness Law, Inc. in California, a Cannabis Activist, and a self-proclaimed Feminist. She is one of the founding Board Members of the NORML Women's Alliance Foundation, Inc. and a current Board Member of national NORML. She sees cannabis prohibition as a civil rights issue - not just a medical or recreational issue. Her passion for on-the-ground activism, coupled with her desire to influence the implementation of rational and fair laws for cannabis consumers, is the catalyst for her involvement with media projects that seek to educate, entertain and elevate the public about marijuana.  Ms. Miller is honored to be a member of the Cannabis Film Festival team.

Stephen Quiggle, MA

Stephen Quiggle lives with his wife and daughter in the heart of the beautiful Southern Humboldt redwoods. An avid supporter of local grassroots endeavors that feed the spirit and educate the mind, Stephen has a private practice as a counselor, teaches for a local community college and serves as a board member and ardent volunteer with several community endeavors. Stephen comes into contact and makes connections with a broad cross section of the local community in a variety of environments. Adhering to the philosophy of Think globally, act locally, Stephen views the Cannabis Film Festival as showcasing, celebrating, and educating about all aspects of the local industry. Honored to serve as the Executive Director of the CFF, Stephen is committed to raising cannabis consciousness even as our national (perchance global?) understanding of the efficacy and application of the many uses of this amazing plant are revealed.



CannabisFilmFestival.com