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San Francisco Documentary Festival (26)

Postponed

Deadlines

01 Jul 2026
Call for entries

01 Oct 2026
Early deadline

04 Apr 2027
Standard deadline

24 Apr 2027
Extended deadline

11 May 2027
Notification date

03 Jun 2027
13 Jun 2027

Address

530 Divisadero St #721, 94117, San Francisco, CA, United States

Festival description

Short film festival >1' 40'<

Feature film festival >40' 120'<

Festival requirements

Film festival

Fiction

Documentary

Animation

Fantastic

Terror

Experimental

Music Video

Other

Any Genre

Any Theme

Has submission fees

International Festival

Physical Location

January 2025

Production countries: Any

Shooting countries: Any

Director nationalities: Any

Debut Films

School projects

Short Films >1' 40'<

Feature Films >40' 120'<

AI Tools

Any language

Subtitles
English

Share on Social Networks

Facebook
Tweet

English

Festival description (Edition: 26)

Festival start: 03 June 2027 Festival end: 13 June 2027

SF IndieFest is a founding member of the FILM FESTIVAL ALLIANCE

MISSION & OBJECTIVE
We screen the best documentaries from around the world at the Roxie Cinema, the oldest art house theater west of the Mississippi. Many of our titles end up with calendared runs at the Roxie later in the year. We get great press coverage in San Francisco, the second largest film market in the country, plus industry reviews.

San Francisco is a very receptive town for documentaries and our festivals have built a passionate following over the past 25 years.

All submissions are viewed by salaried programming professionals. We do not use AI or volunteer pre-screeners for evaluating films.

LAST YEAR'S PRESS COVERAGE: https://sfindie.com/press-coverage

ABOUT SF DOCFEST
SF DocFest is an annual festival devoted to documentary cinema. Since 2001, this event has brought the most weird and wonderful aspects of real life to the big screen.

Prizes and qualifications

Audience Awards and Jury Prizes

Rules

Any feature or short no more than 18 months old is eligible for consideration. We have no premiere requirements.

LEGAL STUFF: Submitters understand that submission of their work authorizes the Festival to use the work for exhibition, education and/or publicity purposes related to the festival; that the Festival will handle the prints and drives with a maximum of care but cannot be held liable for any damage or loss during shipping, preview, or screening; and that the Festival is also not responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, or royalty infringement related to the work. Submitters may receive future correspondence from the Festival. The festival will never publish your film online without explicit permission.

Feature Docs

Feature Films >40' 120'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 55$ 50.6$ 45.1$ 01 Oct 26

Standard 65$ 59.8$ 53.3$ 04 Apr 27

Extended 75$ 69$ 61.5$ 24 Apr 27

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
24 Apr 27

Save up
11.7$

Submit

Short Docs

Short Films >1' 20'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 45$ 41.4$ 36.9$ 01 Oct 26

Standard 55$ 50.6$ 45.1$ 04 Apr 27

Extended 65$ 59.8$ 53.3$ 24 Apr 27

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
24 Apr 27

Save up
9.9$

Submit

Mid-Length Doc

Short Films >20' 39'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 50$ 46$ 41$ 01 Oct 26

Standard 60$ 55.2$ 49.2$ 04 Apr 27

Extended 70$ 64.4$ 57.4$ 24 Apr 27

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
24 Apr 27

Save up
10.8$

Submit

Bay Area Feature Doc

Short and Feature Films >40' 120'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 45$ 41.4$ 36.9$ 01 Oct 26

Standard 55$ 50.6$ 45.1$ 04 Apr 27

Extended 65$ 59.8$ 53.3$ 24 Apr 27

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
24 Apr 27

Save up
9.9$

Submit

Over 40 minutes. Submissions of films from San Francisco Bay Area based filmmakers. Non Bay Area submissions entered in this category will be disqualified. The Bay Area is defined as extending from Sonoma County to Monterey County and out to Sacramento County. In your cover letter please include how your film qualifies as a Bay Area submission.

Bay Area Mid-Length Doc

Short Films >21' 40'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 40$ 36.8$ 32.8$ 01 Oct 26

Standard 50$ 46$ 41$ 04 Apr 27

Extended 60$ 55.2$ 49.2$ 24 Apr 27

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
24 Apr 27

Save up
9$

Submit

Between 21-40 minutes. Submissions of films from San Francisco Bay Area based filmmakers. Non Bay Area submissions entered in this category will be disqualified. The Bay Area is defined as extending from Sonoma County to Monterey County and out to Sacramento County. In your cover letter please include how your film qualifies as a Bay Area submission.

Bay Area Short Doc

Short Films >1' 20'<

Fee

-8%

PRO 18%

Early 35$ 32.2$ 28.7$ 01 Oct 26

Standard 45$ 41.4$ 36.9$ 04 Apr 27

Extended 55$ 50.6$ 45.1$ 24 Apr 27

Get an Annual Pass and get the maximum discount on festival and submission fees

Submissions deadline
24 Apr 27

Save up
8.1$

Submit

Under 20 minutes. Submissions of films from San Francisco Bay Area based filmmakers. Non Bay Area submissions entered in this category will be disqualified. The Bay Area is defined as extending from Sonoma County to Monterey County and out to Sacramento County. In your cover letter please include how your film qualifies as a Bay Area submission.

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