Burbank Hosts the 2017 International Film Festival!

Things were heating up during September in Burbank when the International Film Festival took place Downtown! You may not realize it, but Burbank is actually the Media Capital of the World, where many films and TV shows are filmed, so it was only appropriate for the festival to be held there as it has been for the past few years!

Opening night showings of the films took place all week, and included Red Carpets with appearances by the film’s actors, producers, and creators. I also got to have a walk on the Red Carpet, which I did in a green printed gown which I had handmade for me in Zanzibar! I’ll definitely be sending the women who made it a photo of their work on the Red Carpet!

Each night of the International Film Festival had a different theme for the viewings; from comedy, to horror and everything in between. There were also different time ranges of films from shorts to feature length.

On the opening night, I had the pleasure of attending the festival’s featured film, The List; a baffling, thought-provoking, yet hilarious film about a beautiful woman who gives her nerdy-yet-cute boyfriend a list of things he needs to improve on in order for them to move forward in the relationship. While mine, and I’m sure many people’s initial reactions were “OMG I can’t believe someone would actually do that, he should leave her immediately!” The film played on to show how the boyfriend actually attempts making the changes on the list.

After the film, all of the guests were then invited to the gala reception next to the theaters at Market City Caffe [actually spelled Caffe]. A delicious meal and fine wines were served as everyone mingled and enjoyed the evening. In this particular area of Downtown Burbank there are a ton of your favorite restaurants, including many unique local spots as well! There’s also been quite a few major movies filmed in this exact area, like Jurassic Park: The Lost World!

Just behind this delicious and adorable FroYo is the street where The Lost World: Jurassic Park had a scene filmed…and it’s also right where the International Film Festival was held!

Over 100 films were shown throughout the week across several of Burbank’s AMC theaters, and the festivities ended with an even bigger closing party with all of the guests, actors, and crews from the films. If you love movies and/or the entertainment industry, this is definitely a weeklong event that you don’t want to miss next year!

But for the rest of the year, the film industry experience doesn’t stop in Burbank! At any time you can head there to do a behind the scenes tour of where movies and TV shows are filmed, see where the production studios are, and even go find some major motion picture filming locations outside of the production sets!

You can even spend one of the days you’re in Burbank feeling like you’re actually IN one of everyone’s favorite movies; Harry Potter! That’s right, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located just minutes from Burbank at Universal Studios Hollywood, and comes complete with a life-sized relic of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley!

This was one of the top things I wanted to do while I was in town for the International Film Festival, so I woke up bright and early the next morning for a fun filled Wizarding day before the Film Festival festivities continued later that evening!

At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter you can grab a glass of real butterbeer at Three Broomsticks, or take your pick of your very own wand at Ollivander’s! Stroll the cobblestone streets just like Harry or Hermoine, and feel free to act like you’re really in the movie! You can even get school robes and dress up like the characters in the story!

Another perk about Burbank being so close to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, is that most of the hotels in Burbank offer early admission to the park as part of the Universal Preferred Hotel package! Take your pick from tons of fantastic hotels and you’ll get to enter the park an hour before everyone else, which means the best photo opportunities and getting to the front of all of the lines!

Once you’ve had your fantasy film fix, you can stroll around several areas of Burbank for a real-life movie scene experiences as well!

In fact, there’s a handful of locations that you can head to on your own in Burbank where famous recent and classic films were shot! Many of them were even staged as other states or countries, so you can do quite a bit of traveling just from one trip to Burbank!

For example, you don’t need to go all the way to Morocco to feel like you’re in the famous 1940’s film, Casablanca! Just sign up for a Warner Brothers Studio Tour to see the set, where you can probably even still see that same famous plane!

Other extraordinary classics you’ll recognize that were actually shot in Burbank include: Top Gun, Back to the Future, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Little Rascals, and True Romance.

Or maybe you’d recognize a few recent box office hits that were also filmed in Burbank…

La La Land, the multi-award-winning, heart-string-pulling musical about how the struggle is SO real in Hollywood, was actually mostly filmed and based right in Burbank! You can even visit the location of one of the scenes if you head to The Smokehouse (4420 W Lakeside Dr.).

Everyone’s favorite Rom-Com, Valentine’s Day, starring tons of big names like Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Gardner, Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner, Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, and even Taylor Swift, was based in and filmed in Burbank as well. Bet you probably wish you were strolling around the neighborhood when that was being filmed! You might recognize it if you head to 501 S Buena Vista Street!

Another big-name movie filmed in the quaint neighborhoods of Burbank on Magnolia Street is He’s Just Not That Into You. In fact you can even go to Burbank’s Handy Market where many of the love interests constantly coincided! Like Bradley Cooper. Swoon.

So again, if you love movies, and feeling like you’re really behind the scenes in the entertainment industry, you definitely need to pay a visit to Burbank, whether it’s for the Film Festival, or anytime of the year! Getting there is easy thanks to the convenient Hollywood Burbank Airport, and there’s a ton of hotel options for you to stay at!

During my recent trip to Burbank for the International Film Festival, I stayed at Courtyard Marriott Burbank Airport, which was conveniently located near both the airport, and the Downtown area where the festival was.

I was really impressed with how business-savvy this Courtyard Marriott was, which includes many work space areas in the lobby and a posh patio area! Likewise, I was also super impressed when I saw the dozens of dark-tinted buses and food truck outside of the hotel, which is always a clear indication that a movie or TV show is being filmed there! (AKA always keep an eye out!)

Right now you can also get 2 free tickets to the Burbank Beer Festival on October 21st when you book it through VisitBurbank.com!

So what are you waiting for? Start planning your star-studded trip to Burbank today! For more tips on awesome things to do, be sure to check out some of my other helpful posts below!

5 Ways to Make Your Life Like a Movie in Burbank

Your Guide to Burbank’s Vibrant Nightlife

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Visit Burbank. The opinions and text are all mine.