Temecula

Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival (www.tviff.com) Filmmakers and music artists from across America and around the globe come to Temecula every September since 1995 to participate and enjoy the celebration of the two most influential , most enduring, most entertaining art forms and commerce of Film and Music. Attendance has grown from 600 in 1995 to over 15,000 in 2010. TVIFF's tradition of presenting excellence in film and music has featured emerging styles from North America and 20plus countries around the world. The festival is open to US and International films in five categories: Full length features, Shorts, Documentaries, Animation and Student films. The Music competition component of TVIFF is designed to showcase the music vision and artistry of musicians representing all genres of music - from rock to pop, jazz to R&B, Folk to Hip Hop, Country to Latin, Reggae, etc. The Festival's social calendar starts with Opening Night red carpet welcome of 300 filmmakers and music artists participants, followed by nightly filmmaker/musician receptions, capped by an amazing Black Tie Awards Gala where film and music icons mingle with up and coming, independent film and music artists as awards are bestowed to established and the unknown alike for significant body of work, breakout performances, longevity and contributions to Film and Music. TVIFF has had the privileged honoring and hosting such icons as Ray Charles, Gena Rowlands, Smokey Robinson, Carl Reiner, Kenny Loggins, Earth Wind & Fire, William Shatner, Dennis Haysbert, Etta James, Leonard Maltin, Michael Madsen, SLAMDANCE, Withoutabox, Technicolor, UCLA's Robert Robert Rosen, USC's Elizabeth Da;ley. Robert Wise, American Film Institute, Mary Steenburgen, Lalo Schifrin, Dionne Warwick, Christoper Young, John Ottman, Lucas Foster, Jonathan Lynn, Hector Elizondo, Eric Roberts, Trevor Rabin, John Badham, Andy Fickman, Karl Malden, Lucas Grabeel, Rick Schroder, Patty Duke, Marsha Mason, Shirley Jones, Louis Gossett, Jr. John Debney, David Foster, Martin Sheen, Steve Austin, Diane Ladd, Robert Forster, George Lopez, Steve Dorff, Micahel York, Sean Astin, to name a few. Temecula is Southern California's premier wine country destination. It is about an hour and a half from downtown Los Angeles and an hour from San Diego.