For many years, Burning Man attendees and documentarians have tried to capture experiences which have been described as ‘transformative’. In an effort to support their storytelling, the Burning Man Project has selected an array of feature and short films by these filmmakers which provide a variety of perspectives, historical moments, and significant movements within the global Burning Man community.

The first festival was created by Jim Graham and debuted in Santa Cruz, CA to showcase documentaries about the event in the Black Rock Desert.  In June 2010—in honor of the 25th anniversary of Burning Man—Andie Grace and David Marr created a 2-day film festival (moreso, a retrospective) at the Red Vic Movie House in San Francisco. Afterwards an idea was hatched; to offer a lineup of select films to the Burning Man regional network (aka “Regionals”) with all proceeds going directly into supporting their ongoing community building—and the idea grew and traveled.

With support from Meghan “Megs” Rutigliano, Iris Yee, and Lee Anna Mariglia, these documentaries have been shown in 16 major cities across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Burning Man Film Festival is presented by The Burning Man Project and it’s longtime producer is David Marr.