San Francisco International Film Festival

NAME OF FESTIVAL: San Francisco International Film Festival

SINCE: 1957

WHERE: San Francisco, California, U.S.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Held each spring for two weeks and highly anticipated by its loyal, passionate audiences, SFIFF is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country's most beautiful cities, featuring some 150 films and live events with more than 100 filmmakers in attendance and nearly two dozen awards presented for excellence in film craft.

Visit Festival Website

San Francisco International Film Festival

San Francisco International Film Festival Announces Lineup of Feature Films to Compete at 2013 Festival

The 56th San Francisco International Film Festival scheduled to run, April 25 – May 9, 2013, today announced the films in competition for the New Directors Prize and the Golden Gate Award nominees for documentary feature.

Ten films will compete for the New Directors Prize of $15,000, which will be given to a narrative first feature that exhibits a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. Twelve documentary films will compete for the Golden Gate Award – the GGA documentary feature winner will receive $20,000 and the Bay Area documentary feature winner will receive $15,000. The winners will be announced at the Golden Gate Awards, Wednesday, May 8.

Deadlines Approaching for Filmmaker Entries to 56th San Francisco International Film Festival

The San Francisco Film Society is now accepting submissions for the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival, 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. The final deadline for short films Monday December 3, and the final deadline for features Monday December 10.

HOW TO ENTER Entry form and information: sffs.org

San Francisco International Film Festival Announces 2013 Dates

The San Francisco Film Society announced the dates for the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival scheduled for April 25 – May 9, 2013. The festival is now also accepting submissions from filmmakers. Deadlines: * Early deadline Tuesday, October 9 * Regular deadline Monday, November 5 * Final deadline for short films Monday, December 3 * Final deadline for features Monday, December 10 Interesting fact, founded in 1957, San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the […]

San Francisco International Film Festival to honor Director Benh Zeitlin

Benh Zeitlin, director of “the highly imaginative and much acclaimed independent narrative feature” Beasts of the Southern Wild, will be the recipient of the inaugural Graham Leggat Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3). Zeitlin is a director, animator, composer and a founding member of Court 13. He lives in New Orleans where dogs, cats, ducks, chickens and a 350-pound swine run wild in his home. Director of […]

Chasing Ice, John Dies at the End and Lola Versus Added to 2012 San Francisco International Film Festival Film Lineup

Jeff Orlowski’s Chasing Ice (USA 2012), Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End (USA 2012) and Daryl Wein’s Lola Versus (USA 2012) have been added to the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) schedule. Featuring breathtaking displays of remote and beautiful landscapes that may never be seen again by human — or any — eyes, Chasing Ice chronicles the quest of photographer James Balog to create his project the Extreme […]

Judy Davis to Receive 2012 Peter J Owens Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival

Judy Davis, described as “one of cinema’s great performers,” will be the recipient of the 2012 Peter J. Owens Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3). The award will be presented to Davis at Film Society Awards Night, Thursday, April 26 at the historic Warfield Theatre. Davis will also be honored at An Evening with Judy Davis at the Castro Theatre, Wednesday, April 25, 7:30 pm. An onstage […]

San Francisco International Film Festival Completes 2012 Lineup, Rock Band Journey Documentary to Close Festival

The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival announced the complete schedule of films and events for the festival running April 19 – May 3, 2012, at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, SF Film Society Cinema, the Castro Theatre and SFMOMA in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. The Centerpiece screening will be Lynn Shelton’s relationship comedy Your Sister’s Sister, starring Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt. Still grief-stricken a year after his brother’s […]

Pierre Rissient to be honored with 2012 Mel Novikoff Award at 55th San Francisco International Film Festival

The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) will present the 2012 Mel Novikoff Award to “the little known yet enormously influential Pierre Rissient for his tireless work behind the scenes on behalf of international cinema.” Rissient is described as being revered by filmmakers of all ages around the world, from Clint Eastwood, who frequently shows him the rough cut of his work, to Werner Herzog, who calls him “the yeast […]

Benoît Jacquot’s Farewell, My Queen Starring Diane Kruger as Queen Marie Antoinette to Open 2012 San Francisco International Film Festival

The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) will open with Farewell, My Queen (Dans les adieux à la reine, France 2012), Described as Benoît Jacquot’s extraordinarily atmospheric historical drama about the turmoil at Versailles in the early days of the French revolution, starring Diane Kruger as Queen Marie Antoinette and Léa Seydoux as her reader. Sumptuous and intimate, Benoît Jacquot’s portrayal of court life at Versailles during four crucial days […]

Kenneth Branagh to be honored with Founder’s Directing Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival

Kenneth Branagh will be the recipient of the Founder’s Directing Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3). “We are thrilled to honor Kenneth Branagh for his remarkable directorial achievements and multifaceted career at this year’s Festival,” said Melanie Blum, the San Francisco Film Society’s interim executive director. Branagh is currently receiving a lot of attention for last year’s Academy Award-nominated performance as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week […]

San Francisco International Film Festival Announces Films Competing for 2012 New Directors Prize and Documentary Prizes

The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) announced the films in competition for the New Directors Prize and the Golden Gate Awards for documentary features. The International will award $70,000 in total prizes this year. The New Directors Prize of $15,000 will be given to a narrative first feature that exhibits a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. The GGA documentary […]

Documentary Filmmaker Barbara Kopple to be honored at 2012 San Francisco International Film Festival

The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) will present the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award to veteran documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Kopple will be presented with the POV award Sunday, April 22, 3:30 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, preceding the screening of her masterful landmark documentary Harlan County, USA (USA 1976). “Barbara Kopple is a pioneering documentarian who brings the highest level of craft to her work whether she […]

Trending Films

San Francisco International Film Festival