YVFF Participates in the SB County Arts Council’s Inaugural Creative Economy Gathering

On Feb. 23, YVFF participated in the inaugural Creative Economy gathering organized by the San Bernardino County Arts Council: Arts Connection.

A half day of presentations, discussions, and workshops helped identify recurring challenges facing our desert arts community, along with immediate actions to better structure our local creative economy. The Morongo Basin was repeatedly identified as one of the fastest-growing economic regions in San Bernardino County. Creative economies, along with tourism, are two of the key sectors communities can develop and manage to sustain controlled, positive growth.

YVFF, represented by its programmer Matt Beurois, actively contributed to the conversation. New connections were made that will continue expanding the film festival network, ultimately bringing more opportunities for filmmakers, locally and across the Inland Empire.

The convening was emceed by Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez, Executive Director of Arts Connection, supported by Heidi Schwegler and her team at the Yucca Valley Material Lab (Heidi who won best documentary at the YVFF in 2024) and hosted by Eric Linnert, who opened his new community space, Nosotros, to the public for the first time for this event.