65th SFFILM Festival By the Numbers

Thank you for joining us for the 65th San Francisco International Film Festival! What a joy it was to welcome people back to the movies for the first in-person Festival since 2019. The sense of community created in these shared spaces is unparalleled, and we were delighted that so many of you chose to spend your time with us.

Over the course of 11 wonderful days SFFILM brought compelling, fresh, and not-to-be-missed films from around the world to the San Francisco Bay Area. Together with over 100 partners, we were able to create screenings, conversations, activations, and events that connected filmmakers with you—passionate film lovers, and our most valued audiences. And you helped to welcome all of our visiting filmmakers and talent with warmth, curiosity, and intelligence as they bared their latest work on the big screen.

 
With 130 films from 56 countries presented in 44 different languages, our Festival had something for everyone! About 56% of films in our lineup were directed by women and 52% were directed by BIPOC filmmakers. Nearly 200 special guests came to the Bay Area, including filmmakers, documentary film subjects, guest moderators, actors, screenwriters, and so many more.

We issued more than 23,000 film and event tickets to attendees from the Bay Area and beyond. A number of events went to rush or sold out completely, including our tribute to the legendary Michelle Yeoh in conversation with Sandra Oh. The talk culminated in a Whitney Houston dance party and even ended up trending on Twitter.

Our presentation of Music + Film: 32 Sounds also found guests dancing in the aisles, and at another point during the Festival, Linoleum director Colin West and star Jim Gaffigan united the audience in doing “the wave” during their introduction for their award-winning film. Following a screening of Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, actress Jenny Slate fielded questions from a full house of adoring and emotional fans at the Castro.

These are just a few of the magical moments that we were thrilled to share with you. And there’s much more to come. Keep an eye on your inbox for news about Youth Filmmaker Camp in July and Doc Stories in November. In the meantime, be sure to follow @SFFILM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.