Sep 7, 2010
Festival
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Film Society is now accepting submissions for the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF54, April 21-May 5, 2011), recognized throughout the world as an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city. Narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, family films, youth-produced and television works in all lengths are considered. The primary deadline is Monday, November 8; the final deadline for short films is Monday, December 6; and the final deadline for features only is Monday, December 13.
Refreshingly intimate for a festival of its size and scope, the International combines a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, new digital media work, live music performances and star-studded gala events.
“Few festivals are more suited to their city than the International. It’s clearly a festival programmed by those who love film for people who love film.”-Alex Romanelli, editor, Variety
SFIFF is deeply rooted in the finest traditions of film appreciation both as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change. The International is one of the most highly anticipated cultural events in the Bay Area and an important stop on the international festival circuit. SFIFF53 programmed 293 screenings of 181 films from 46 countries with over 200 filmmaker and industry guests. More than 75,000 enthusiastic filmgoers flocked to San Francisco to celebrate the best of international cinema.
“SFIFF is definitely a filmmakers’ festival-intimate, personal and a joy being part of. A whole community comes together for the love of film. What’s especially great is the broad variety of film with a mix of fiction, shorts and documentaries. This was really inspiring.”-Kaspar Astrup Schröder, The Invention of Dr. Nakamats ?
The Festival’s Golden Gate Awards recognize the best of international and Bay Area talent by honoring superior innovation in documentary, narrative, animation, experimental and television works.
Golden Gate Awards Including a juried award for Best Documentary Feature with a $20,000 prize; Best Investigative Documentary with a $25,000 prize; and awards totaling $35,000 in other categories of documentaries, shorts and works for television.
New Directors Prize A juried cash award of $15,000 to the director of a first-time narrative feature at the Festival.
FIPRESCI Prize Awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics. SFIFF is only one of three festivals in the U.S. selected to present this prestigious award.
Audience Awards for Best Narrative and Best Documentary Features.
A complete list of 2010 award winners is online at sffs.org.
“After the first Q&A session, I said to myself: What an audience! What a festival!”-Lixin Fan, Last Train Home, Best Investigative Documentary Feature
HOW TO ENTER Entry form and information: sffs.org or withoutabox.com.
As part of its expanding Filmmaker Services, the Film Society awards filmmaking grants to innovative and exceptional films. SFFS Filmmaker Services, which include Fiscal Sponsorship and FilmHouse Residencies, are designed to foster creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers.
The San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants will disburse $3 million over a period of five years to narrative feature films that engage issues of social justice. The spring 2011 period for submitting a Letter of Inquiry opens April 14 and closes May 12.
For more information and to apply visit sffs.org/Filmmaker-Services/Grants-and-Prizes.
“Winning the SFFS/KRF grant was out of this world. It motivated us to push our film further towards reality. That’s the real beauty of the SFFS/KRF grant program, to inspire filmmakers to push their ideas closer to reality.”-Richard Levien, SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant recipient