On this page
Palo Alto lost its art house at Palo Alto Square in 2020 and has never had a giant red-carpet festival. Yet for a few weeks every October, a downtown community center turns into one of the longest-running documentary festivals in the country. Add Cinequest in March, a cluster of community festivals in the fall and a big-city festival a train ride away and a film lover can stay busy all year.
This guide covers festivals that ran in or near Palo Alto in 2025 or 2026, with dates from each festival's own site where we could confirm them. For everyday moviegoing, see our movie theaters guide.
United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF)
The United Nations Association Film Festival is Palo Alto's own festival. It shows documentaries about human rights, the environment, war, migration and other subjects tied to the work of the United Nations. The 2026 festival was the 29th, which dates the first edition to 1998. It ran for 11 days, from October 15 to 25, 2026.
Where it happens
Most screenings take place at the Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, the building it shares with Mitchell Park Library. Palo Alto's mayor gave the opening words on October 15. The 2026 program then branched out:
- Stanford: screenings in the School of Medicine's Alway Building, a room in Lane History Corner at 450 Jane Stanford Way and the CEMEX Auditorium at 641 Knight Way.
- East Palo Alto: a UNAFF in Schools program at the Eastside College Preparatory School's Eastside Theater.
- San Francisco: an evening at the Delancey Screening Room, 600 Embarcadero.
Tickets and format
UNAFF groups films into sessions of one and a half to three hours, loosely by topic. It sells tickets by session rather than by film, so find the session number of the film you want. For 2026 the prices were:
| Ticket | 2026 price |
|---|---|
| General admission, per session | $19 |
| Festival pass, all 11 days | $290 |
| Senior festival pass, 62 and up | $90 |
| Opening or closing night with reception | $60 |
| San Francisco screenings | $20 |
| Students with ID, Stanford screenings, panels and the kids program | Free |
Seating is first come, first served, so arrive early for popular sessions. Filmmakers often stay for questions, which means start times inside a session can drift. Free panels in 2026 covered democracy and truth in the age of AI and finding solutions in wartime. The festival's grand jury prize for best documentary went to Hollywood Does Abortion and its Visionary Award went to Jeff Bridges.
The festival also runs a traveling program and screenings in libraries and for seniors through the year. Watch its site in late summer for the 2027 dates and schedule.
A few tips for first-timers. Pick sessions by subject rather than by title, since most films are new to everyone. Weekday afternoon sessions are the quietest. The Stanford screenings are free, which makes them a good trial run before you commit to a ticketed evening at Mitchell Park. Bring a snack and a sweater, because a session with three films and two question periods can run past the three-hour mark.
Cinequest, San Jose and Mountain View
Cinequest is the big festival of the South Bay. Halfdan Hussey and Kathleen Powell founded it in San Jose in 1990 and it has grown into a showcase for independent features, shorts and new filmmakers, with a strong interest in technology and creativity. It runs every March.
The 2026 edition showed 268 films from 44 countries and ran through March 22, 2026. Screenings were at the California Theatre and the Hammer Theatre in downtown San Jose and at Alamo Drafthouse in Mountain View, the dine-in cinema at San Antonio Center that opened in June 2025. A companion streaming festival called Cinejoy ran March 24 to 31. For Palo Alto residents, the Mountain View screenings are the easy option, a 10 to 15 minute drive from downtown.
In November 2026, Cinequest's home page was announcing March 19 to 30 for its next festival in San Jose and Mountain View, without naming the year in the banner. A May 2026 call for entries listed different 2027 dates, March 9 to 21, so the schedule may still move. Confirm on cinequest.org before you plan travel. Passes usually go on sale well before the festival.
The fall community festivals
October is festival month in Silicon Valley. Several community festivals overlap with UNAFF, each built around a cultural community:
Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest
Presented by Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene and sponsored by the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, this festival ran from October 22 to November 1, 2026. Opening night was at the De Anza College Visual and Performing Arts Center in Cupertino, the in-person weekend of October 23 to 25 was at AMC Sunnyvale 12 and the final week runs online. It began in 2015 as the San Jose J-Town FilmFest.
Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival
The Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival held its 35th edition in October 2026. Opening night was Saturday, October 10 at the Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way in Palo Alto, with the film Once Upon My Mother and a talk with the director afterward. The festival ran through October 25. The 2025 edition used the same opening venue and mixed in-person screenings with virtual watch parties, so expect a similar hybrid format next fall. Our cultural centers guide covers the JCC.
Silicon Valley African Film Festival
The Silicon Valley African Film Festival held its 17th edition in October 2026, centered on San Jose. It has already set October 7 to 11, 2027 for its next festival.
San Jose International Short Film Festival
This shorts festival ran October 16 to 19 in 2025, with opening night at the CinéArts theater at Santana Row. Look for 2026 and 2027 dates on its site.
Film at Stanford
Stanford has no public film festival of its own, but it hosts more film than most visitors realize. UNAFF's Stanford screenings each October are free. Stanford Live's TREES on April 14, 2027 is a live documentary, with filmmaker Sam Green narrating on stage alongside writer Rebecca Solnit and the percussion group Sō Percussion. Departments and student groups also screen films through the year. Use our guide to finding campus events and filter for public events.
In town, the Stanford Theatre runs themed seasons of classic films that work like a slow festival. The city's free summer Family Movie Nights fill the Mitchell Park field on Friday evenings, with recent family releases on a big outdoor screen.
The big-city festival
San Francisco's SFFILM Festival traditionally runs each spring, usually in April, at theaters across the city. We had not seen confirmed 2027 dates on November 1, 2026. Caltrain makes it practical from Palo Alto, though late screenings may outlast the last train. Our guide to riding Caltrain has the schedule basics.
Good to know
- UNAFF films are not rated. Read the session descriptions before bringing children.
- Allow extra time to park at Mitchell Park on opening and closing nights, when crowds are biggest.
- Festival dates move from year to year. The dates here were confirmed on each festival's site or in recent coverage as noted.
Planning a festival trip
For UNAFF, a festival pass makes sense only if you plan to see more than about 15 sessions. Most locals pick three or four sessions by topic and buy them one at a time. For Cinequest, decide early whether you want the San Jose venues or the Mountain View screenings, since the two cities are roughly a half-hour drive apart. Visitors coming for a full festival week can compare hotels near Mitchell Park and Stanford or stay near Caltrain and ride to the San Jose screenings. Our San Jose day trip guide covers dinner near the downtown theaters.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a film festival in Palo Alto?
Yes. The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) is a documentary festival based in Palo Alto. Its 29th edition ran from October 15 to 25, 2026, mostly at Mitchell Park Community Center, with screenings at Stanford, in East Palo Alto and in San Francisco.
How much do UNAFF tickets cost?
For 2026, general admission was $19 per session of one and a half to three hours. A full festival pass cost $290 and a senior pass for ages 62 and up cost $90. Students with a valid ID, all Stanford screenings and all panels were free.
When is Cinequest?
Cinequest runs in March. The 2026 festival showed 268 films from 44 countries and ran through March 22 at the California Theatre and Hammer Theatre in San Jose and Alamo Drafthouse in Mountain View. In November 2026 its home page was announcing March 19 to 30 for the next festival.
Are there Jewish or Asian film festivals near Palo Alto?
Yes. The 35th Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival opened at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto on October 10, 2026 and ran through October 25. The Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest ran from October 22 to November 1, 2026 in Cupertino, Sunnyvale and online.
Can the public attend film screenings at Stanford?
Some. UNAFF's Stanford screenings in October are free and open to all. Stanford Live's April 14, 2027 TREES is a live documentary performance at Bing Concert Hall. Many department screenings are aimed at students, so check each listing before you go.