Founded in 2000 by Tracey Adlai, the VFF is the first and longest continually running film festival in the San Fernando Valley. Over the years, the festival has taken place in the fall, mostly at the El Portal Theatre in the North Hollywood (
NoHo) Arts District. Other screening venues have included the Whitefire Theater and the CAP Theatre, both in
Sherman Oaks, and the Laemmle NoHo 7 Theatre. VFF alumni include film and television director
John Putch, actor and director of
The Help Tate Taylor, producers Laurence Malkin and Straw Weisman, three-time
Emmy award winner Richard Gale, and two-time Emmy Award-winning video journalist Renee Sotile. While primarily showing new independent films, the festival also has had some special screenings of studio-supported films, often made in or about the Valley. One of these was a 2007 screening of
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which included a Q&A with
Robert Romanus and
Amy Heckerling. The festival also has occasionally screened some adult entertainment films—or films about this business, such as
Boogie Nights—in acknowledgment of the Valley's significant role in this area of film production. ==See also==