By Gina Yarbrough
San Diego, CA–The GI Film Festival San Diego brings a new lineup of films about the military community to the big screen.
This year’s military-themed film festival takes place May 6 to 8 at the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park.
The festival will feature 15 compelling films that explore service, sacrifice, and the lived experiences of service members and veterans, while also showcasing the creativity of veterans through films that tell stories outside of the military sphere. Each screening will include a post-film panel discussion, giving audiences the opportunity to hear from filmmakers and engage directly with the stories on screen, including conversations with actors, film subjects, and subject-matter experts. These discussions reinforce the festival’s mission to create conversations, expand the definition of service, break down stereotypes, and highlight the wide variety of experiences within the military community.
For 11 years, the GI Film Festival San Diego has been a time-honored tradition, bringing together service members, veterans, military families and caregivers, filmmakers, history lovers and movie enthusiasts to celebrate the art of military storytelling through film. The festival is widely recognized not only for its carefully selected films, but also for its truthful representation of military life, its ability to foster an environment of understanding and respect, and its commitment to showcase the creativity of veterans turned filmmakers. Each year, the festival presents a diverse lineup of films that highlight the experiences of service members and veterans, as well as the challenges that often go unseen in the lives of caregivers, spouses, and military children.
“Many service members and veterans around the world are facing challenges that can be difficult to talk about,” says Douglas Alberto Alvarado, LCSW, U.S. Army OEF veteran, GI Film Festival San Diego advisory committee member, and lead veteran peer counselor with Courage to Call. “Whether facing financial struggles, mental health challenges, family hardships, or simply feeling homesick, every service member and veteran faces obstacles. Events like the GI Film Festival San Diego create space for those stories to be seen, heard and discussed.”
Themes of transitioning back to civilian life are explored in the documentary short “Hope… In the Aftermath of War,” directed by returning filmmaker and veteran Daniel Bernardi. The film follows a soldier grappling with trauma, addiction and fractured family ties after returning from combat, while her daughter confronts the quiet struggles unfolding at home. The search for peace and reconciliation is examined in “Home From The Vietnam War,” a feature documentary that follows a decorated U.S. veteran as he returns to Vietnam with a friend who fled the war as a child, retracing their past while confronting former enemies and long-buried memories. Art as a path to healing also emerges as a central theme in this year’s lineup, highlighted in “Ugo: An Artist at War,” which documents Maxine Giannini’s efforts to preserve her late husband’s World War II drawings, including rare D-Day sketches, as a way to honor service, memory and recovery.
“Every year that I’ve been involved with the GI Film Festival San Diego, I’ve seen firsthand the power this event has to open dialogue and create connections,” Alvarado says. “Audience members have the opportunity to share their experiences and find someone in the room they can relate to. This film festival is more than watching military movies. It’s a celebration of community, collaboration, and camaraderie. Whether it’s your first time attending or you’re a returning guest, it creates an environment that feels like home — a place to belong, to be seen, and to be heard.”
Since 2015, the military-themed film festival has presented more than 300 films by international, U.S., and San Diego County filmmakers, drawing in diverse audiences totaling more than 14,000 guests. Additionally, throughout its history in D.C. and San Diego, the GI Film Festival has welcomed notable personalities, including documentarians Ken Burns and Ric Burns, General (Ret.) Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the late US Senator John McCain, actors Gary Sinise, Glenn Close, Matthew Marsden, Lou Diamond Phillips, Joe Mantegna, George Takei, Virginia Madsen and Jeffrey Wright. The GI Film Festival San Diego continues to honor service and amplify veteran voices, connecting filmmakers and audiences through powerful, human-centered stories.
Film screenings at the GI Film Festival San Diego are open to the public, and tickets are now available. Attendees may purchase individual screening tickets or multi-film ticket packages. General admission is $15 per screening, or $10 for military and veterans. Because some films address sensitive topics, organizers recommend attendees be at least 18 years old.
For information on the 2026 film festival, visit GI Film Festival San Diego.
