The fifth annual festival features a Closing Night Gala honoring legendary producer Gale Anne Hurd, with tributes to Chuck Norris and Sam J. Jones.

LOS ÁNGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, September 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Tarzana International Film Festival (TZIFF) returns October 2–4, 2026, for three days of movies, stars, and imaginative storytelling, bringing together filmmakers, celebrities, and film lovers for an international celebration of independent cinema.

Now celebrating its fifth year, TZIFF will feature red carpet premieres, special screenings, filmmaker events and an expansive lineup of independent films from around the world, culminating in a Closing Night Dinner & Awards Gala honoring some of entertainment’s some of the most recognizable names.

Headlining the celebration, legendary producer Gale Anne Hurd will receive the prestigious Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award, presented by acclaimed filmmaker Ernest Dickerson. The Gala will also feature a special tribute to actor, martial artist and philanthropist Chuck Norris, presented by actor, writer and producer Sean Kanan, while Flash Gordon star Sam J. Jones will receive TZIFF’s Man of Action Award.

OPENING NIGHT: BODY MAN
The festival launches Friday, October 2, at Regal Cinemas at the historic Sherman Oaks Galleria with the Opening Night Festival Premiere of Body Man, a political action thriller starring Sean Kanan, Kate Monroe, Martin Kove, Emilio Rivera, Lochlyn Munro, Tom Arnold and David Chokachi, directed by Michele Kanan.

Opening Night sets the stage for a weekend combining red carpet excitement, special guests, filmmaker networking, and an exceptional showcase of independent cinema.

Saturday and Sunday will feature an extensive lineup of feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos, films by women, science fiction, fantasy and horror, along with two screenwriting categories.

As part of TZIFF’s curated programming, the AI Media Festival (AIMF) will showcase selected work from filmmakers exploring emerging creative technologies and new approaches to cinematic storytelling while keeping the imagination and vision of the storyteller at the center of the creative process.

SATURDAY NIGHT: BOOK OF SECRETS
Saturday evening turns to the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror, culminating in a special screening of award-winning filmmaker, Jeff Rector’s Book of Secrets. The anthology feature journeys across time and space through a mysterious collection of stories unleashed by the discovery of an ancient book hidden inside an old Victorian mansion.

CLOSING NIGHT: RING OF KIBO
Sunday continues with festival screenings before the Closing Night presentation of Ring of Kibo, a family adventure starring John O’Hurley, Vincent De Paul, Bianca D’Ambrosio, Chiara D’Ambrosio, Evan Woodard, directed by Christian Filippella and Kimberly Skyrme. The film follows lifelong friends and explorers who embark on a quest for the legendary Ring of Kibo, an artifact of immense power.

A LEGACY OF IMAGINATION
Following the Closing Night film, the celebration moves to the Mulholland Hills Country Club in Tarzana for the Closing Night Dinner & Awards Gala, featuring a celebrity red carpet, cocktail reception, dinner, awards, entertainment and special presentations.

The Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award honors artists whose careers have expanded the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and imaginative storytelling. This year’s recipient, Gale Anne Hurd, is one of the entertainment industry’s most influential producers, with credits that include The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Tremors and Armageddon, as well as the television phenomenon The Walking Dead.

The evening will also pay tribute to Chuck Norris, presented by Sean Kanan, while Flash Gordon star Sam J. Jones will receive the festival’s Man of Action Award. Special performances will include comedian and longtime television comedy writer Brian Kiley (Conan, The Ellen DeGeneres Show) and singer/songwriter Bonnie Gordon (Star Trek: Prodigy).

The Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award has an especially meaningful connection to Tarzana. Named for the visionary creator of Tarzan®, John Carter of Mars® and The Land That Time Forgot®, Edgar Rice Burroughs purchased a ranch in California’s San Fernando Valley in 1919 and named it Tarzana Ranch after his famous literary hero. The surrounding community eventually adopted the name Tarzana.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. has supported the Tarzana International Film Festival as a sponsor since its inception. “Edgar Rice Burroughs imagined worlds audiences had never seen before,” said Lori Morrissey, Founder and CEO of the Tarzana International Film Festival. “More than a century later, filmmakers are still doing exactly that, using creative tools Burroughs could never have imagined. Bringing that legacy together with today’s independent filmmakers and the future of storytelling is really at the heart of this year’s festival.”

GREAT STORYTELLING HAS NO BOUNDARIES
The 2026 festival connects the imaginative legacy of Edgar Rice Burroughs with today’s independent filmmaking community and a new generation of creators finding innovative ways to bring stories to audiences.

Burroughs himself continually embraced new ways to bring his stories to life, and that spirit of innovation continues today through projects such as John Carter of Mars: The Audio Series. The full-cast dramatic production transforms A Princess of Mars into an immersive audio adventure featuring cinematic sound and a Hollywood cast that includes Sean Patrick Flanery, Ian McDiarmid, Bruce Boxleitner, Tim Russ, and Billy Dee Williams, bringing the epic world of Barsoom to life through the theater of the mind. More information is available at JohnCarterRises.com.

From the Opening Night excitement of Body Man to the mysterious worlds of Book of Secrets and the Closing Night adventure of Ring of Kibo, the 2026 Tarzana International Film Festival offers three days of movies, imagination, entertainment, and discovery.

For tickets and the complete festival screening schedule, visit ItsMySeat.com/TZIFF.

ABOUT THE TARZANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Celebrating its fifth year, the Tarzana International Film Festival showcases exceptional independent films and filmmakers from around the world while celebrating the enduring legacy of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the spirit of imagination, adventure and creativity that helped make Tarzana internationally recognizable.

ABOUT THE AI MEDIA FESTIVAL
As part of TZIFF’s curated programming, the AI Media Festival provides a showcase for filmmakers and artists exploring emerging creative technologies and new approaches to cinematic storytelling while keeping creativity, imagination and the storyteller at the center of the process.

MEDIA CONTACT

Jeff Rector
Tarzana International Film Festival
+1 818-601-2082
milleniumconcepts@gmail.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Media gallery

About The Author
Written By: EIN Presswire