The Catalina Film Festival is an annual event that takes place at the end of September on Catalina Island, situated in Los Angeles County within the city of Avalon, California. Founded by Festival Director [Ron Truppa], Catalina is known as "Hollywood's Island", as it is the only west coast resort island in the United States, situated in Los Angeles County. Below a 6,200 person ballroom in the Avalon Casino, one of the main venues for the festival, the 1,154 seat Avalon Theater started construction in February 1928 to become the first sound theater ever built in the world by chewing gum-magnate William Wrigley, Jr. After its opening on May 29, 1929, Hollywood pioneers like Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille and D. W. Griffith would come to Catalina just to screen their first "Talkie films."