The YVFF is an approved member of the Film Festival Alliance.
It means the FFA has vetted YVFF’s operations against recognized professional film festival best practices, from film curation to screenings and related events, and has included the festival in its members directory.
YVFF Ranked 12x in the Top 100 Best Reviewed
The platform FilmFreeway hosts more than 14,000 festival worldwide. The YVFF was recognized as one of the top 100 Best Reviewed Film Festival in the world, 11 times in the past three years (2023-2025), based on filmmakers reviews. Our latest stamps of approval were delivered in January, February, June, July, August, and December 2025.
Town of Yucca Valley Ranking in several “Best Cities” Lists
The Town of Yucca Valley ranked:
2nd America’s Best Small Town by Travel + Leisure magazine
#4 Best small Towns in California by Travel.com
#5 Most Gorgeous Desert Towns in California by Travel magazine
US Congress recognition
California Senate recognition
San Bernardino County recognition
Cultural Contributor
The Basin wide Foundation presented the YVFF with the “Cultural Contributor Awards” in 2023.
Pictured below: Sue Earnest, Community Services Manager for the Town of Yucca Valley, and Matt Beurois, festival founder.
Pictures Credit: Sandra Goodin.
2x Nominee “Best of the Best 2024”
The YVFF was nominated for “Best Local Annual Event” and “Best Family Activity” by the readers of the local newspaper the Hi-Desert Star.
The YVFF is a Top 3 finalist for BEST ANNUAL EVENT at the Best of the Morongo Basin, voted by the readers of the Hi-Desert Star.
The YVFF was a nominee for TRAILBLAZER EVENT at the Joshuas, an Honors Gala organized by the magazine Joshua Tree Voice.
Yucca Valley Film Festival 