The Tri-Valley Welcomes the Inaugural Arté Film Festival Celebrating Diasporic Filipino Storytellers

Livermore’s historic Bankhead Theatre will host Community Screenings on June 7, 2026

LIVERMORE, Calif. — 24 April, 2026 — Brand activator, Arté, announced the official launch of the inaugural Arté Film Festival — a boutique festival dedicated to showcasing films that explore the complexities, beauty, and depth of the Filipino American diaspora. From intergenerational stories of migration and resilience to intimate portraits of identity, becoming, belonging, and culture — this festival curates a cinematic experience that centers Filipino American lives, values, and voices. The festival takes place on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at the Bankhead Theatre in Livermore, California, co-presented with Livermore Valley Arts. Doors open at 10AM. Screenings begin at 11:30AM.

A New Festival. A Long Time Coming.
The Arté Film Festival is the first Filipino American and BIPOC-centered community film festival in the Tri-Valley. By spotlighting emerging and established filmmakers, Arté aims to inspire dialogue, foster cultural pride, and create a platform for storytelling that reflects the diverse narratives of Filipino storytellers.

The inaugural program brings together three full features and two critically-acclaimed Pixar short films.

The Film Lineup
The 2026 Arté Film Festival program features the following selections:

Diamonds in the Sand by Janus Victoria. Kodokushi means “lonely death” in Japanese—a fate that Yoji, who lives an isolated life, seems destined for. After a profound loss, he travels to the Philippines with the nurse who cared for his mother. The film is a quiet, moving meditation on grief, dignity, and human connection across cultures.

Asian Persuasion by Jhett Tolentino. A charming New York-set comedy following a lovable hustler trying to offload his ex-wife’s luxury belongings before their divorce is finalized. What unfolds is a witty, heartfelt look at relationships, reinvention, and the Asian American experience, balancing humor with emotional depth.

The Road to Sydney by Benito Bautista. Sydney Loyola, a Philippine dance master and choreographer, grew up in Palawan, Philippines, where she found comfort in dance while facing bullying as a child. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, she navigates the challenges of job loss and potential eviction after her gender affirmation. As she steps into her life as a woman, Sydney begins a personal journey of healing—reconnecting with her roots, reclaiming her art, and seeking to rebuild her relationship with her estranged father.

Weekends (Pixar Short Film) by Trevor Jimenez. An Academy Award-nominated short film following a young boy navigating the divided worlds of his two parents after separation — a story of love, longing, and the ordinary magic of childhood told with extraordinary emotional precision.

Lava (Pixar Short Film) by James Ford Murphy. A musical love story spanning millions of years, Lava follows a Hawaiian volcano who spends his life singing a love song in the hopes of finding the one who will answer. Inspired by the music and natural beauty of Hawaii and set to an original ukulele ballad, this film is among the most beloved short films in Pixar’s history.

The full festival program will be announced in advance of the festival. Select filmmakers will be present for post-screening conversations and Q&As with the audience.

“We warmly welcome the Arté Film Festival and Filipino filmmakers to Livermore,” says Chris Carter, CEO of Livermore Valley Arts. “Our mission is to offer a broad range of arts opportunities and experiences to engage, enrich, and inspire our diverse community, and we deeply value collaboration. I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate that than by partnering with Arté to bring these special films to our community.”

The co-presentation with Livermore Valley Arts reflects a shared commitment to bringing bold, culturally resonant programming to the Tri-Valley and to building the kind of cultural infrastructure that the wine country community continues to support.

“We are honored to welcome a community of celebrated Filipino artists to this event,” shares Joanne Tan, co-founder of Arté and CEO at Good Morning Maxwell. “The day will feature live art by globally acclaimed muralist Venazir Martinez, a roving fashion show by La Union Filipiniana, as well as multiple performing artists and entrepreneurs like Tropa and Dot Wine.”

Tickets for the Arté Film Festival will be available at the Bankhead Theatre box office this Friday, April 24. General admission is $20, student tickets $15, and all-day passes $65. 

“We wanted to make the experience of cinema accessible to as many people as possible in the most memorable way,” says Keesa Ocampo, co-founder at Arté and CEO of the brand and marketing agency WeSparq. “Art becomes more powerful with public access. Our stories become irrefutable the more broadly they’re shared. We hope that this experience becomes the gateway to appreciating the vastness, beauty, and complexity of diasporic Philippine culture.”

The full festival program will be made available at www.ProducedByArte.com. For press inquiries, filmmaker availability, partnership, and ticketing information, contact keesa@wesparq.co.

Follow the festival at @producedbyarte.

ABOUT ARTÉ
Arté is a California-based immersive marketing, events, and production company born from the partnership between Joanne Tan (Good Morning Maxwell) and Keesa Ocampo (WeSparq). Arté blends cultural intelligence, strategic brand storytelling, and high-touch experiential production to create moments that resonate deeply and travel far. Joanne brings a refined eye for hospitality-driven experiences and campaigns, with an expertise in community-rooted programming shaped by her work building beloved lifestyle spaces and events. Keesa contributes growth-focused brand strategy, campaign architecture, and content systems that turn consistency into measurable impact, informed by years of leading WeSparq’s culture-led marketing work and two decades of media production as a two-time Emmy Award winning writer, producer and director. Together, they operate Arté at the intersection of strategy and sensation—designing experiences, campaigns, and productions that feel intentional, elevated, and community-centered. www.ProducedByArte.com