Our Festival does not have any formal premiere policies for short or mid-length films. Feature films (documentary and fiction) cannot have shown anywhere in Northern California (from Sacramento to Santa Cruz) prior to our Festival or via television or internet broadcast (this includes any other Bay Area festival showings). Our feeling is that the SFFILM Festival is a place where new filmmakers can best debut their work to a prestigious body of jurors, industry representatives, and audiences.

Entries must have been completed on or after January 1, 2020. See Entry Info above for further details.

Read the call for entries information thoroughly, then submit an application either through Filmfreeway.com or the SFFILM website. If you submit through Film Freeway, we require filmmakers provide production information as listed under project and submitter information (you do not need to submit website or social media accounts, or birthdate) and film specifications (primarily credits, run time, completion date, country of origin, and film language). You can upload the film using their platform. If you submit through the SFFILM website, we accept Vimeo links. Contact gga@sffilm.com for information on sending a DVD.

Closed captioning is usually available on event recordings 3-5 days after the event. To request accommodations for a specific event, please e-mail ada@sffilm.org.

Event recordings are typically available post-event on the original event page.