The Movies are Coming to the Mountains and You're Invited!
Why White Mountains locals should experience the Show Low Film Festival each October
Every October, something pretty extraordinary happens right here in the White Mountains.
Filmmakers, actors, writers and movie lovers make their way to our mountain community from across Arizona, across the country and around the world for the Show Low Film Festival.
And if you live here, you don’t have to travel to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sundance—or anywhere else—to experience a film festival.
It’s happening right in our backyard.
From October 16–18, the Show Low Film Festival returns to WME Theater Village 8 for three days celebrating independent film, creativity and the people behind the stories.
But here’s something we especially want our local community to know: You do not have to work in the film industry to come. If you love movies, you’re invited.
See Something You Can’t See Everywhere Else
These aren’t simply the movies you’ve already seen advertised a hundred times. The Show Low Film Festival’s 2026 selections include independent features, short films and documentaries representing a wide range of stories and filmmakers, all scored by a panel of judges.
Some may make you laugh. Some may make you cry. Some might introduce you to a filmmaker whose name you’ll recognize years from now. And you’ll get to say: “I saw that at the Show Low Film Festival!”
Even better, our filmmakers come to the White Mountains themselves, giving audiences the chance to meet and connect with the people who created what they just watched. This is unique to our film festival, as each project must have a representative in attendance.
Support Something Special happening in our Community
People travel hundreds—and sometimes thousands—of miles to attend film festivals.
For all of us? It’s just down the road.
The Show Low Film Festival brings filmmakers and visitors into the White Mountains, where they stay in our hotels and cabins, eat at our restaurants, shop at local businesses and discover the community we already know and love.
When locals fill theater seats, we’re doing more than watching a movie. We’re showing visiting filmmakers that the White Mountains are THE place where stories, art, and filmmaking thrive. And every person sitting in that audience matters.
Independent filmmakers don’t create movies for an algorithm. They create them for people. Come be the audience.
You don’t have to be a Filmmaker to Belong Here
Maybe you’ve driven past the theater during festival weekend and wondered what was happening inside. Maybe you’ve heard about the Show Low Film Festival for years but assumed it was primarily for filmmakers. Maybe you’ve simply never been to a film festival before.
Make this the year you walk through the doors.
Come in jeans. Come dressed up. Come for one screening or make a weekend of it. Bring your spouse. Bring your best friend. Bring the person who always talks through movies at home and see if they’ll behave themselves in a theater.
You don’t need to understand filmmaking. You just need to love a good story. Because for one weekend every October, filmmakers from around the world bring their stories to the White Mountains. We want our community here to meet them.
USE SLFF2026 Code for $10 off at checkout
October 16-18, 2026
WME Theater Village 8 | Lakeside, Arizona
Films • Documentaries • Shorts • Filmmakers • Red Carpet • Workshops • Awards • Community
COME FOR THE FILMS. STAY FOR THE FAMILY.
Visit showlowfilmfestival.com for the 2026 selections, schedule, tickets and festival information
Dalea Faulkner is an author, filmmaker, and multi-hyphenate creative living in the White Mountains of Arizona. Hashtag Blessed is streaming on multiple platforms, and the full Amberlight Valley trilogy is available now.
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