The 22 year old San Francisco Independent Film Festival also has a program of all short films: short shorts, long shorts, cool shorts, comedy shorts, weird shorts, music shorts, documentary shorts, experimental shorts, genre shorts, student shorts.

Not only do we love shorts programs, but our long standing loyal audience in San Francisco REALLY loves shorts. The shorts programs at SF IndieFest, SF DocFest and Another Hole in the Head are consistently some of our best attended programs so now we are doing a whole festival of them!

SF IndieFest is a founding member of the FILM FESTIVAL ALLIANCE

--ANNOUNCEMENT: We have every intention to present this festival in a live movie theater. The only reason we would cancel the fest if we can not find a theater in San Francisco to play films. Should that occur, your submission fee will be automatically refunded by FilmFreeway. But know that currently we have no plans to cancel or move to an all-online event. --

Awards & Prizes

Best of the Fest - $500 cash prize
Best US Narrative
Best Foreign Narrative
Best Local Narrative
Best US Documentary
Best Foreign Documentary
Best Local Documentary
Best US Comedy
Best Foreign Comedy
Best Local Comedy
Best US Drama
Best Foreign Drama
Best Local Drama
Best Music Video
Best Dance Film
Best Genre Film
Best Student Film
Best Animation
Best Experimental Film
Best US Single Take Film
Best Foreign Single Take Film
Jury Prize for Best Narrative
Jury Prize for Best Documentary

Rules & Terms

Any short film under 40 minutes and no more then 18 months old is eligible for consideration.

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 under any circumstances.
24 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Rachel Pollack

    What a great experience. This festival was an honor to be a part of and it was run smoothly and professionally. I was so thrilled to be a part of it. Thank you to everyone.

    October 2019
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  • Emmanuelle Antolin

    Great opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work in a beautiful theater with great attendance. Beautifully curated. Jeff was very responsive for questions and concerns. Because the festival runs three days, and there is a lounge to have drinks and socialize, it's a great venue for chatting with film-goers and other filmmakers. Really great experience!!

    September 2019
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  • Cloie Leger

    Had a great time meeting everyone and the Founder/Director Jeff Ross was amazing! Highly recommend this one.

    September 2019
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  • Noëlle Charpentier

    Our movie was featured in a block of shorts beautifully curated and I was in awe of the quality of all movies. The location, New People is a little gem of a theatre with a nice installation. I had a great time and we are very grateful to have been a part of this year’s edition. Jeff and his team are passionate and the absolute best at communicating.

    Thank you so much!

    September 2019
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  • Florian Schott

    We had a wonderful time in SF screening our Short Film 'Baxu and the Giants'. Jeff was great and quick to answer any questions we had before traveling from Namibia to San Francisco. The audience was fantastic, the New People Cinema is a wonderful place to watch your own film and we got to know a couple of really cool filmmakers.

    September 2019
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