BURBANK, Calif. – The 5th Annual Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) will take place Sept. 4th—8th in beautiful Downtown Burbank. The festival will kick off its Opening Night at Warner Bros. to celebrate their 90th Anniversary with a screening of the documentary film, The Brothers Warner. BIFF is excited to officially announce that the second night of the film festival will take place at Universal Studios, showcasing genre films for Comedy and New Media, including the Internet Web Series On Begley Street starring Ed Begley Jr. and his family as they reconstruct their house into the greenest, most sustainable home in North America.

Over 70 independent films will be screened in five days, showcasing films from around the world in a variety of genres. The festival also honors films with socially conscious themes with awards for “Diversity” and “Awareness.” This year, BIFF added a “Faith-Based” category as well as the “Los Angeles County Student Filmmakers Award” to showcase local middle and high school students and their work.

As part of BIFF’s Day of Family Friendly Programming (at the AMC Burbank Town Center 6 Theaters Saturday, Sept. 7th, from 10 a.m.—6:30 p.m.), we are offering Toluca Lake and Burbank residents and employees one free admission for every child under 12 with a paid adult ticket, for any individual blocks from our family programming schedule. “We believe in giving back to the community that supports us,” said BIFF Festival Director and President Jeff Rector.

Jeff is no stranger to Toluca Lake having served on the Neighborhood Council for five years. Rector said, “I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with both Warner Bros. and Universal Studios this year. I would also like to acknowledge the great City of Burbank, The Burbank Downtown Partnership, and Woodbury University for their continued support.”

The festival will conclude with the Closing Night Dinner and Gala Awards Show at Castaways, with NBC weathercaster and comedian Fritz Coleman once again hosting the event. The evening will begin with a media red carpet and cocktail reception, Awards Ceremony, followed by an after-party under the stars.

In addition to the filmmakers’ awards, many Industry Icons will receive special recognition. These include, Iron Man 3 writer/director Shane Black, Academy Award-winning director Brenda Chapman (Brave), award-winning composer Marco Beltrami (World War Z, Trouble with the Curve), Conceptual Artist Nevill Page (Oblivion, Prometheus), Sound Mixer Greg P. Russell (Skyfall, Spiderman films), and actor John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Hair). Visit the website for a complete list of industry honorees and celebrity awards presenters.

For complete festival programming, events, tickets, or for more information visit BurbankFilmFest.org. Please email us at to support the festival as a sponsor, partner, or volunteer.