The 12th Annual NWFFest Opens at UNLV

March 19, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas isn’t usually the city you associate with quiet, contemplative cinema, but it should be. For four days every March, the Flora Dungan Humanities Building on the UNLV campus becomes exactly that. Thursday marked the opening of the 12th Annual Nevada Women’s Film Festival, and the energy on the UNLV campus made one thing immediately clear: this year’s edition is the most ambitious yet. The festival is held during Women’s History Month.

Zombies, Junkyards, and Local Pride

The afternoon hit the ground running with Hollywood Post 43’s Last Stand at 3 p.m. a zombie thriller that proved you can do genre filmmaking on a festival circuit and do it with flair. Starring Brenda Garcia, Simone Lara, Lana Ford, and Gwyn Laree as the fiercely determined members of the Auxiliary, the film wrings genuine suspense and dark comedy from a delirious premise: repel the undead while simultaneously unloading 207 raffle tickets. On one day’s notice. The crowd was delighted.

The evening’s emotional centerpiece belonged to Las Vegas’s own. Sunny Yard, director Trina Colon’s feature debut, screened at 8:05 p.m. to a visibly moved audience. Set against the sunbaked backdrop of a city junkyard — unmistakably, proudly Vegas — the film follows a small-time theft that curdles into something far more complicated and strangely redemptive. Colon was in attendance, and the post-screening Q&A stretched well past its allotted time. That’s always the sign of something that truly landed.

Opening Night at Lazy Dog

When the final credits rolled, the evening wasn’t over. The festival’s official Opening Night Filmmaker Meetup moved the party to Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar at Town Square, running from 10 p.m. to midnight. Filmmakers, festival guests, and industry professionals packed the space and in a nice touch of community spirit, Lazy Dog arranged for 15% of every bill (with code 01LVTS) to go directly back to Women in Film Nevada and the festival itself. It was the kind of night where conversations about the craft spill into conversations about logistics, funding, and the next project exactly what a film festival opening night should be.

A Festival That Means Business

This is a festival that wears its mission plainly. Founded in 2015 by UNLV film professor Nikki Corda, NWFFest has grown into something that draws filmmakers from across the globe while remaining stubbornly rooted in its community. This year’s lineup of 72 films from 15 countries spanning features, documentaries, shorts, animation, and episodic work — is the largest to date, and UNLV students were visible throughout the day running logistics, staffing screenings, and taking careful notes.

What’s Ahead

Three more days remain. Industry panels on the state of Nevada filmmaking, generative AI, vertical filmmaking, and community building are on deck, alongside Friday’s Morning Meetup, the TGIF Lounge downtown, and the Party in Pink mixer. The weekend closes with the 2026 Femmy Awards and the presentation of the Nevada Woman of Achievement Award to Emily Skyle-Golden, founder of the Cordillera International Film Festival.

Day one delivered what a good opening day should: a sense of what’s possible, a few genuine surprises, and the very strong feeling that you’d better come back tomorrow.

The Nevada Women’s Film Festival runs through March 22 at UNLV’s Flora Dungan Humanities Building. Tickets at nwffest.com.