The San Diego Streaming Film Festival - with in-person screenings and awards ceremony - is the first of its kind where award winners will stream their content on the Roku and Amazon Fire TV platforms.
BACKGROUND - WINNERS STREAM ON ROKU & FIRETV
The San Diego Indie Film Network (SDIFN) streaming channel collaborates with our festival and serves as a valuable resource for indie filmmakers, providing a platform for showcasing their work to a wider audience. The channel is hosted on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, which boasts combined over 190 million viewers on the two platforms combined.
By curating and streaming a diverse selection of independent films, the SDIFN aims to support and promote the artistic endeavors of the indie film community. The film festival is an extension of this mission, allowing award-winning films to reach a larger viewership and gain well-deserved recognition.
HONORING OUR HOMETOWN FILMMAKERS IN SAN DIEGO
To our host city and region, a portion of our categories are exclusive to San Diego area filmmakers - these categories are only open to San Diego based and filmed submissions (see details below). They are "Cosplay," in honor of Comic-Con, "Surf and Turf," for San Diego's beautiful coastline, and "Best of San Diego," where America's Finest City can be showcased. The remaining categories are open for all.
AWARDS CEREMONY
The festival will culminate in an awards ceremony, where the winners in each category will be announced and honored for their contributions in independent film. In addition to the recognition, award-winning films will receive promotional support from the SDIFN, further extending their reach and impact.
Film enthusiasts are encouraged to join the San Diego Indie Film Network's streaming channel to enjoy the film festival and discover inspiring works by local filmmakers. The festival provides an opportunity to connect with the vibrant indie film community in San Diego and support emerging talent in the industry.
PRIZES
Category and Recognition Award winners will have the option to place their film on the San Diego Indie Film Network streaming channel at no charge while retaining exclusive ownership of their intellectual property. This gives filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work on the Roku and FireTV platforms, which boasts 190+ million viewers, even as they pursue distribution deals with major networks.
AWARD CATEGORIES
The festival offers a variety of categories, including narrative features, documentaries, animated films, and short films, ensuring a diverse lineup that appeals to a wide range of tastes. Each category will have its own award, recognizing excellence in storytelling, cinematography, acting, and other aspects of filmmaking. Categories are:
-- Cosplay (San Diego Exclusive)
-- Best of San Diego (San Diego Exclusive)
-- Surf and Turf (San Diego Exclusive)
-- Honoring our Military (Feature or Short)
-- Paranormal Feature (Feature or Short)
-- Web Series
-- TV Pilot
-- Proof of Concept or Experimental
-- Animated (Feature or Short)
-- Student (Feature or Short)
-- Narrative Feature
-- Narrative Short
-- Documentary Feature
-- Documentary Short
In addition to category winners, Recognition Awards will be given for the following:
-- Best Actress
-- Best Actor
-- Best Ensemble
-- Best Director
-- Best Cinematography
-- Best Editing
-- Best Binge Worthy
SELECTION PROCESS
Films are rated by judges for the following criteria:
-- Direction
-- Writing
-- Cinematography
-- Performances
-- Production Value
-- Pacing
-- Structure
-- Sound / Music
The top rated 3 films from each category will be selected for in-person screenings in San Diego and will contend for category and recognition awards Official Selections will be announced March 1, 2027.
Category and Recognition awards are announced April 10, 2027 during the Awards Ceremony held at the beautiful Grand Ritz Theatre in downtown Escondido. Email notifications will be sent shortly afterward.
All Official Selections receive 1 free ticket to the Awards Ceremony. A 50% discount is available for all in their party.
JUDGES
Proud of the support of our dedicated and influential film industry leaders, from Hollywood to San Diego alike:
*** Amanda Lestayo *** (New)
Content & Acquisition Partnerships Executive at Paramount+
*** Melissa Garcia *** (New)
Director of Studio Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery
*** Maral Mofrad *** (New)
Director, Creative | Content & Platform Marketing Roku
*** Guillermo Cummings *** (New)
Director Social Programming/Strategy Warner Bros. Discovery
*** Matthew Farrugia *** (New)
Assistant Editor, Marvel Studios
*** Camie Carpenter *** (New)
Talent Agent, Hollywood Talent Associates
*** Steph Groce *** (New)
Film Financer, Entrepreneur, CEO Bragabilia Beverage
Mark Moore (Returning)
Former Head of Physical Production at Digital Domain (Armageddon, Titanic, Interview with a Vampire, True Lies, Color of Night and Apollo 13)
Ana Toro-Mancilla (Returning)
Head of Production at TIS
Former Head of Physical Production, Amazon Studios
Lead production and production services for Paramount Pictures
Jena Block (Returning)
TV Development, ABGO Pictures (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Assassination Nation, Bridges, Mosul, Relic, Extraction, Cherry)
Janet Lessnau (Returning)
Theatre Director, Grand Ritz Theatre
Executive Producer, 76 Days Adrift
Beth Accomando (Returning)
Beth covers arts and culture in San Diego for KPBS and hosts the Cinema Junkie podcast and blog. With a background in film studies from UCSD, her work spans decades, including editing Attack of the Killer Tomatoes sequels and serving on film selection committees for local festivals. As a longtime film critic, she has contributed to NPR and Public Radio International, championing independent and international cinema. She also volunteers with Film Geeks SD, bringing bold genre filmmaking to the Media Arts Center San Diego. Her passions include Hong Kong cinema, Japanese monster movies, horror, and film noir.
Our judging panel also includes a well-rounded selection of San Diego industry related individuals who bring their expertise, knowledge and acumen to review submissions. These include Theatre Directors, Producers, Actors and and more.
