Wellness Film Festival launches in Los Angeles, extending World Health Day conversations to global screen industry

A new LA based festival brings together film, wellness, and global creatives to explore mental health, healing, and the future of storytelling.

VENICE CA, CA, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Inaugural May 2–3 edition brings filmmakers, founders, and creative leaders together for a retreat-style platform blending cinema, wellness, and global networking at a pivotal moment for the screen industries. Created by London-based Filmmaker, author and allergist Dr Clare Anyiam-Osigwe (No Shade/BUFF Studios).

Los Angeles, CA. April 2026. The inaugural Wellness Film Festival (WELLFF) will launch in Los Angeles on May 2–3, 2026, convening an international collective of filmmakers, creatives, and industry leaders to address escalating burnout across the global screen sector and pioneer a more sustainable future for storytelling.

Held at KINN Venice, WELLFF introduces a retreat-style festival model, blending curated film screenings with wellness practices, moderated discussions, and high-value networking — positioning itself as a new benchmark for creative wellbeing within the industry.

Bringing together 20+ international filmmakers from Italy, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Jamaica, Taiwan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, WELLFF offers a rare platform for reflection, restoration, and industry connection at a time when conversations around mental health and sustainability are reaching critical mass.

Executive Highlights:
International Participation: 20+ filmmakers across Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, the UK, and the US including::

Dream A World (featuring Tiffany Haddish, Nika King, Ty Burrell and Ringo Starr)

Cycles of Change (from BAFTA-winning filmmaker Emma Lazenby)

Sistahs Getting Well (co-executive produced by Brandi Harvey/ VaultEmpowers).

“I’m excited to join the community and conversation” said Ms.Harvey ahead of her film screening and fireside chat.

Festival Format: A curated blend of screenings, wellness rituals (Sound bath sessions, Yoga, Aromatherapy, Grounding Walks), Film Screenings, Moderated Conversations, and Global Networking in Health and Cinematic Leadership: Founded and directed by Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, building on the legacy of the British Urban Film Festival which Clare Co-Founded with husband, Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe which started in 2005.

Featured speakers include:

Octavia Goredema — Author-to-Author conversation on storytelling, leadership, and personal narrative (Branding yourself for success)

Laurens Grant — Emmy Award Winning Producer, Festival Moderator guiding key discussions across film and wellbeing

Elaine Lee — Founder of BUJI Spirits. Cultural conversation on ritual, hospitality, and mindful consumption

David Lee — Health leadership perspective on longevity and preventative wellbeing

Amanda Mazarov — Immersive sound bath healing and Yin yoga restorative sessions

Alex Franklyn, BSc. Dip SW - WELLFF in-house mental health expert


Together, they anchor WELLFF’s commitment to bridging cinema, science, and soul.

Following World Health Day on April 7, WELLFF extends global conversations around mental health, resilience, and creative sustainability, offering a dedicated space for the industry to pause, recalibrate, and reconnect.

“This is not a traditional film festival,” said Festival Founder, Filmmaker, author and allergist Dr Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, BEM.
“WELLFF meets a critical moment for the screen industry, providing space for reflection, emotional clarity, and sustainable creative practice amid rising pressures and burnout. After creating BUFF, I could see that at traditional festivals there was less space to explore the human behind the film, it was always about chasing a casting agents, securing distribution or awards recognition. WELLFF allows filmmakers, founders and physicians to take a different path away from the hustle and move towards the holistic.”

WELLFF has already received early industry recognition, including a nomination at the Cool Event Awards in the category of Event Organisers Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing, following its launch summit late autumn 2025 in London during the 20th year anniversary of BUFF.

Presented in association with KINN Venice, BUJI Spirits, Do Goodly Foods, Mindfuel Flow Nootropics beverages, Biggs Events and Vivi Labs - The World's First Collagen + NAD+ Coffee. WELLFF is rapidly positioning itself as a high-impact global platform at the intersection of film, health, and culture.

Full Film Line-up:
White Amber, Silent Healers: Nature’s Cure, F**K IT, IT’S OVER, Keep Young and Beautiful, Cycle of Change, Mirrors, Empty, A Little Jaded, Surviving a Brain Haemorrhage, Beyond Fight or Flight: The New Science of Stress, Quantum Qi: The Taoist Art of Nurturing Life, The Power of Yoga: A New Body, A New Mind, A New Soul, The Fine Line, The Perfect Crime: In Search of Love, Terra Joy, Like A Dream, Becoming a Dad, Post, Beg Yuh A Call, Sunburn, Northstar Garden, Dementia: The Island Journey, Only Lazy Americans E-Bike, Interchange, The Seventh Turn and Where We Are Headed.

Dr Clare Anyiam-Osigwe BEM
Wellness Film Festival
info@wellffest.com
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