WE WISH GOOD HEALTH AND SAFETY TO ALL FILMMAKERS AND THOSE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ACROSS THE GLOBE AT THIS TIME!
Our commitment and focus this year remains on our core mission of supporting independent filmmakers--YOU! At this time we are planning to host a very modified festival. It will be a hybrid of virtual screenings, and "live" socially distant outdoor screenings and events. We will be honoring our cash awards in various categories and look forward to reviewing your film. We remain flexible and fluid so that if needed we can implement any changes to our programming schedule per COVID mandates and to the health and safety regulations of our local and state leadership. If you have any question regarding our festival please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly!
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Over the bridge from downtown San Diego, a world-class destination presents a world-class celebration for cinematic art! 2020 will mark the 5th Anniversary of the Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF)! We invite filmmakers from across the globe to a festival that is at once both cosmopolitan and intimate, a rare combination that allows for an indelible experience that lasts long after the lights go up.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
CIFF has screened a blend of notable independent films alongside Oscar-nominated features. Past films have included: JOJO RABBIT, Marriage Story, Clemency, A Hidden Life, One Child Nation, and 2020 Oscar-nominated Live Action short, Nefta Football Club and OSCAR Winner, The Neighbors' Window, The Finest Hours, 45 Years, Darkest Hour, Green Book, Roma, Widows, and The Favourite.
CIFF’s festival-goers applaud the vision of filmmakers who use film as a platform to educate, illuminate, and entertain the world. The four-day pedestrian-friendly festival offers a slate of more than 80 films cultivated from a diverse selection of genres, plus compelling panels, lively workshops, and of course, parties! Mingle with industry leaders including our Host and Honorary Jury President, film critic, and author LEONARD MALTIN, whose Celebrity Tribute has become a festival highlight, honoring emerging talent, composers, cultural icons, humanitarians and legendary actors whose contributions have impacted the film industry in an indelible way. Past honorees include Cloris Leachman, Dean Cundey, John Toll, Lois Burwell, Diane Warren, Kris Bowers, Michelle Philips, Stephen Bishop, Alex Wolff, Andy Garcia, and Jacob Trembly.
Coronado’s Film Legacy
Coronado’s enduring love affair with Hollywood began back in the earliest days of filmmaking when “movie people” were irresistibly drawn to the legendary hospitality of the iconic Hotel del Coronado, the festival’s presenting sponsor, built at water’s edge in 1888. Coronado Beach is consistently ranked in the Top 10 destinations in the U.S. by numerous travel magazines and blogs. The island’s perfect weather and close proximity to Los Angeles have continued to make it a favorite Hollywood go-to spot since the days when industry pioneers such as Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin strolled the town’s avenues, followed in time by the likes of John Wayne, Billy Wilder, Marilyn Monroe and, just this past year, Tom Cruise in the soon-to-be-released “Top Gun: Maverick.”
SCREENERS + JURORS
All submitted films will be viewed by a qualified team of at least 3 screeners comprised of filmmakers, writers, actors, and veteran film aficionados. Film awards will be determined by a jury of industry professionals, including Oscar-nominated Producer Lisa Bruce, p.g.a. (“The Theory of Everything,” “Darkest Hour”) and Jim Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Animation, and Family at Warner Bros. Entertainment.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Narrative Feature
Any genre. Must be at least 40 minutes and no longer than 180 minutes in length including credits.
Narrative Short
Any genre. Must be under 40 minutes in length including credits.
Documentary Feature
Non-fiction, any genre (historical, military, political, environmental, cultural, you name it). Must be at least 40 minutes and no longer than 180 minutes in length including credits.
Documentary Short:
Non-fiction, any genre. Must be under 40 minutes in length including credits
Animated Short: Any genre. Must be under 40 minutes in length including credits.
STUDENT SUBMISSIONS
CIFF supports next-generation filmmakers!
All student filmmakers must have been enrolled as a student in high school or college, university, film/art school, or institution of higher learning with an established film department at the time the submitted film was made, and the film must have been completed within the last two years. When submitting a film online, the student filmmaker must provide the name and address of the school, and name and contact information of teacher, grade or educational level, and year when the film was completed.
Student work will be judged separately according to the filmmaker’s experience level depending upon whether the filmmaker was in high school or under, or a more advanced level such as college or post-graduate work.
I. Student Film – Advanced
A film in any genre made by a filmmaker who is in college, university, film/art school, or institution of higher learning with an established film department.
II. Student Film – High School & Under
A film in any genre made by a filmmaker who is in high school or younger.
Categories
Student Short must be under 40 minutes in length including credits
Student Feature must be at least 40 minutes in length including credits.
Documentary Short must be under 40 minutes - must be based on a non-fiction subject (historical, military, political, environmental, cultural, you name it)
Documentary Feature must be at least 40 minutes in length including credits - must be based on a non-fiction subject (historical, military, political, environmental, cultural, you name it)
CIFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
COMPETITION AWARDS
Awards may include, but are not limited to, the following categories:
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Animated Feature
Best Short Film
CASH AWARDS
Advocating for strong independent voices in film, CIFF offers numerous cash awards.
The Emerald Award(s) - $5,000: Sponsored by Ken Fitzgerald and Ruby Carr. Any category. Awarded to the film or films that best portray the following: A person (or persons) who identifies a need or wrong, takes a risk, and works selflessly to promote peace, education, freedom from oppression, well-being, and/or protection of the planet and all that live upon it. A film that reminds viewers that each of us can be a force for good in the world. In the event of more than one winner in this category, the cash prize will be distributed among the winners at the judges’ discretion.
Dr. George M. Sanger Student Film Award(s) - $5,000:
Established in memory of the beloved Coronado physician who “always loved encouraging young people,” by his wife Blossom, and underwritten by daughter Wendy McGuire, and son in law Dev Purkayastha, CIFF is honored to present this award on behalf of the Sanger family. The jury will select one grand prize film that will be awarded $2,000 and the remainder of the prize funds will be divided at the discretion of our jury members regardless of category, representing the best of young, fresh, emerging film talent. In the event of more than one grand prize winner (jury tie), the cash prize will be distributed among the winners in an amount determined by the jury.
The Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Awards -- $5,000: Donated in memory of Dale St. Denis, Coronado architect, artist, and staunch supporter of the women who brought CIFF to life, by his wife Doug St. Denis. Three cash prizes will be awarded for excellent achievement by one or more female filmmakers in any category:
$2,000 - The Mary Pickford Award. For outstanding achievement in filmmaking. Named for the industry pioneer whose vision, persistence and independent spirit took her from ingénue to major celebrity to producer of her own films, to co-founding United Artists studio.
$2,000 – The Fearless Female Filmmaker Award. For outstanding achievement by a female filmmaker who started with an idea, ran with it, and brought it to the screen for the rest of us to discuss, debate, and perhaps even shift our perception.
$1,000 – The Frances Marion Award. For outstanding achievement in screenwriting by a female. Named in honor of the legendary artist, director, and two-time Academy-Award winning screenwriter during Hollywood’s Golden Age.
