Sep 9, 2014
Festival
The San Francisco Film Society is now accepting submissions for the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 23-May 7, 2015), recognized throughout the world as an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities. Works in all genres, forms and lengths are considered.
Deadlines:
• Early deadline Monday, October 6
• Regular deadline Monday, November 3
• Final deadline for short films Monday, December 1
• Final deadline for features Monday, December 8
HOW TO ENTER Entry form and information: sffs.org or withoutabox.com.
Founded in 1957, SFIFF is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Refreshingly intimate for a festival of its size and scope, the Festival combines a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, new digital media work, live music performances and star-studded gala events.
SFIFF is dedicated to celebrating creativity, inspiration, collaboration and innovation and is deeply rooted in the finest traditions of film appreciation both as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change. SFIFF 2014 presented 263 screenings of 168 films from 56 countries, and brought more than 300 filmmaker and industry guests to the Festival from more than 20 countries around the globe. Tens of thousands of enthusiastic filmgoers flocked to San Francisco to celebrate the best of international cinema, selling out 113 screenings over the Festival’s 15-day run.
“Premiering my film at SFIFF truly was a dream come true. Each screening was met with such warmth from the community. I couldn’t have asked for more engaged and thoughtful audiences nor a more welcoming experience for me and my crew.”
–Sara Dosa, director of The Last Season, winner of the Golden Gate Award for Best Bay Area Documentary Feature at SFIFF 2014
The Festival’s awards and prizes 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 juried awards for Best Documentary Feature with a $10,000 prize; Best Bay Area Documentary Feature with a $5,000 prize; a New Directors Prize of $10,000 for the director of a first narrative feature; and awards totaling more than $10,000 in other categories of shorts, youth-produced and family films.
Audience Awards–For Best Narrative and Best Documentary Features
In addition, SFIFF is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for all three short film categories: documentary, live action and animated, and a qualifying festival for the 8th annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction filmmaking, founded in 2007 to honor exemplary craft in documentaries.
“It was an honor to be included in SFIFF57 and I felt humbled to be part of the Golden Gate section, among world cinema’s great documentaries. The Festival is more than a platform to present work on the big screen to incredible audiences-it is a gateway to a wider community that truly values, celebrates and supports independent films and filmmakers.”
–Jesse Moss, director of The Overnighters, winner of the Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary Feature at SFIFF 2014