The time is coming when La Jolla will once again give a nod to its Hollywood neighbors up north with its own brand of glitz and red-carpet glamour. Though it’s still a couple months away, plans are well under way for the fourth annual La Jolla Fashion Film Festival on July 26-27.
The festival, home to the world’s largest gathering of movers and shakers in the fashion film community, will bring together professionals from all corners of the industry to network, attend seminars and panels, screen films and — most importantly — win awards. This year’s event will introduce the International Fashion Film Awards (IFFA), an addition that festival producer Fred Sweet hopes will further solidify the event’s place in the world of fashion films.
“This year we have assembled an all-star international jury of fashion media experts to vote on the films,” said Sweet. “[The IFFAs] will be instrumental in our goal of empowering, supporting and recognizing creative professionals from around the world.”
Last year’s festival was the biggest to date, with hundreds of fashion filmmakers rolling through La Jolla to attend screenings and after parties. Sweet said tickets are selling fast this year, assuring another banner year for the event. Sweet hopes the festival will become an affair for the community to gather around, with involvement from local merchants and community members. He welcomed locals to get in touch with him to become involved.
Last year’s awards were presented to winners in several categories, with New York-based Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri winning the prestigious Red Camera Award. This year, the IFFAs will introduce another element to the award aspect. The winners of the IFFAs, which will be given in several categories, will be announced at an Academy Awards-style ceremony on July 27.
“I was talking to a producer in London who told me, ‘Everyone here thinks the La Jolla Festival is the best in the world,’” Sweet said. “Then another call came in from Brussels and told me people in Europe are calling our festival ‘the Cannes Film Festival of fashion films.’ So I hung up the phone and thought to myself, ‘Well maybe five years of work really is starting to pay off.”
For more information, visit www.ljfff.com. To contact Sweet for opportunities to get involved with the festival, email [email protected].

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