Début du Festival: 28 mai 2026
Fin du Festival: 07 juin 2026
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 fest has built a passionate following over the past 24 years.
LAST YEAR'S PRESS COVERAGE: https://sfindie.com/press-coverage
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.
"What makes the scrappy San Francisco Documentary Film Festival a treasure to SF Bay Area filmgoers is its willingness to take that extra step to show films a little more out there than bog standard documentaries." - Peter Wong, Broke Ass Stuart
“Docfest offers a zippy blend of politics, music, social issues and youth-oriented subcultures. The good news is that DocFest promotes documentaries as a vibrant, irreverent form of entertainment to a younger demographic, blasting the notion of educational films to smithereens. There’s no room for anything approximating — watch it, I’m about to blaspheme – the obsessively measured and utterly somnambulant musings of Ken Burns.” – Michael Fox, KQED
“Since its inception, DocFest (May 31-June 15 at the Roxie and the Vogue, with opening night at Alamo Drafthouse) has compiled a colorful scrapbook of genuine characters in contrast to the current events survey, educational seminar or social-issue forum that defines many documentary series… There are one or two people in Off the Charts you won’t soon forget, which could be said about nearly every film in DocFest. That’s one of the pleasures of scrapbooks.” – also Michael Fox, KQED
Michael Fox just loves DocFest, here's another:
"Welcome to SF DocFest, the beloved annual compendium of odd, unusual nonfiction films from every nook and corner of our bizarro country and beyond. Waving off the pedigreed, high-profile docs that premiere at Sundance, get theatrical releases (or these days, national virtual releases) and chart a course for the Academy Awards, SF DocFest’s programmers opt for poignant, intimate works that miss the mainstream by dint of their iconoclasm and/or lack of a marketing hook." -KQED
"This week brings the kickoff to the 20th edition of SF Docfest, the rapidly-becoming-venerable nonfiction showcase that nonetheless continues to put the fun in documentary cinema appreciation. While other such showcases tend to be soberly issue-themed, focusing on the environment, activism, or some such, Docfest pursues—though not exclusively—colorful human interest stories, musician profiles, and other subjects on which there will not be a class quiz afterward." - Dennis Harvey, 48Hills
Audience Awards and Jury Prizes
Any feature or short completed after January 1, 2024 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
Long-métrages >40' 120'<
Frais-8%
PRO 18%
Tôt55$50.6$
45.1$
01 oct. 25
Standard65$59.8$
53.3$
21 mars 26
Étendu75$69$
61.5$
11 avril 26
Obtenez un Passe Annuel et obtenez la réduction maximum sur les frais de festival et d’inscription
Date limite d’inscriptions
11 avril 26
Économisez
9.9$
Inscrire
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 fest has built a passionate following over the past 24 years.
LAST YEAR'S PRESS COVERAGE: https://sfindie.com/press-coverage
Short Docs
Court-métrages >1' 19'<
Frais-8%
PRO 18%
Tôt45$41.4$
36.9$
01 oct. 25
Standard55$50.6$
45.1$
21 mars 26
Étendu65$59.8$
53.3$
11 avril 26
Obtenez un Passe Annuel et obtenez la réduction maximum sur les frais de festival et d’inscription
Date limite d’inscriptions
11 avril 26
Économisez
8.1$
Inscrire
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 fest has built a passionate following over the past 24 years.
LAST YEAR'S PRESS COVERAGE: https://sfindie.com/press-coverage
Mid-Length Doc
Court-métrages >20' 39'<
Frais-8%
PRO 18%
Tôt50$46$
41$
01 oct. 25
Standard60$55.2$
49.2$
21 mars 26
Étendu70$64.4$
57.4$
11 avril 26
Obtenez un Passe Annuel et obtenez la réduction maximum sur les frais de festival et d’inscription
Date limite d’inscriptions
11 avril 26
Économisez
9$
Inscrire
Bay Area Feature Doc
Court et Long-métrages >40' 120'<
Frais-8%
PRO 18%
Tôt45$41.4$
36.9$
01 oct. 25
Standard55$50.6$
45.1$
21 mars 26
Étendu65$59.8$
53.3$
11 avril 26
Obtenez un Passe Annuel et obtenez la réduction maximum sur les frais de festival et d’inscription
Date limite d’inscriptions
11 avril 26
Économisez
8.1$
Inscrire
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
Court-métrages >21' 40'<
Frais-8%
PRO 18%
Tôt40$36.8$
32.8$
01 oct. 25
Standard50$46$
41$
21 mars 26
Étendu60$55.2$
49.2$
11 avril 26
Obtenez un Passe Annuel et obtenez la réduction maximum sur les frais de festival et d’inscription
Date limite d’inscriptions
11 avril 26
Économisez
7.2$
Inscrire
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
Court-métrages >1' 20'<
Frais-8%
PRO 18%
Tôt35$32.2$
28.7$
01 oct. 25
Standard45$41.4$
36.9$
21 mars 26
Étendu55$50.6$
45.1$
11 avril 26
Obtenez un Passe Annuel et obtenez la réduction maximum sur les frais de festival et d’inscription
Date limite d’inscriptions
11 avril 26
Économisez
6.3$
Inscrire
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.
Festhome responsabilise les festivals en retenant le paiement des droits de la plupart des nouveaux festivals jusqu'à ce qu'ils aient examiné les candidatures, organisé leurs festivals et d'autres méthodes.
Découvrez les meilleurs films et festivals, en un seul clic