Poppy Jasper Film Fest Goes International

Poppy Jasper International Film Festival turned its 20th edition into a regional event, spreading April 8-15 screenings and panels across South Valley cities instead of centering only on Morgan Hill. (pjiff.org, visitmorganhill.org) The 2026 festival listed more than 300 films from more than 30 countries on its ticketing site, while local tourism organizers said the program reached 300 films from 40 countries with more than 500 filmmakers attending. (pjiff2026.eventive.org, visitmorganhill.org) Top awards went to two features: *Mistake*, written and directed by Honey Lauren, won best drama feature, and *Zoe*, about a woman living three different possible lives, won best comedy feature. (moviemaker.com) Festival events ran through Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister, San Juan Bautista and San Martin, with screenings at venues including CURA Contemporary, Morgan Hill Playhouse, The District Theater and Gavilan College Theater. (pjiff.org, morganhilltimes.com) Executive director Mattie Scariot told the *Morgan Hill Times* the festival’s mission is “to change the way we see each other through film,” and the 2026 program leaned into that with strands for local filmmakers, students and women-directed work. (morganhilltimes.com, pjiff.org) The schedule shows that expansion in practical terms: April 8 opened with youth and student blocks at Gavilan College, April 9 split into Local Day programs in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, and later dates added industry panels and feature screenings around the region. (pjiff2026.eventive.org, pjiff.org) MovieMaker said the anniversary edition also honored women filmmakers and international guests, extending a festival that began in South County into a wider Bay Area-facing platform for independent film. (moviemaker.com) For South County, that meant a hometown festival used its 20th year to bring global filmmakers into a circuit of smaller cities rather than a single host town. (moviemaker.com, morganhilltimes.com)