San Francisco's 16th Another Hole in the Head Film Festival will run December 1st - December 15th 2019, at New People Cinema in San Francisco.

With this festival, we seek broader horizons than our original genre festival allows. All styles of independent film are welcome to compete. Whether it's a major production from a professional company, a student film, or a micro-budget labor of love, we are committed to giving each film due consideration.

We are located in a very receptive town for film, and we've built a passionate following over the years. 2019 will mark our 16th year among the most highly rated festivals in the world, and we're still growing!

San Francisco is the second largest film market in the country and a great promotional platform for indie filmmakers who are trying to get their film out into the world. Many films that screen at our festival spark the attention of other film festivals and film brokers/buyers. In addition, the films and the festival are reviewed by some of the top players in the industry, such as Variety, The San Francisco Chronicle, Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting, Twitch, and Way Too Indie, just to name a few.

Our "theatrical home" is New People Cinema in San Francisco's Japantown. A 143-seat underground venue located in the New People Building, the Cinema is equipped with cutting-edge HD digital projection, 35mm film projection and a THX®-certified sound system. New People Cinema hosts many local film festivals including the San Francisco International Film Festival, CAAMFest, Green Film Festival, and the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco.

Awards & Prizes

*Audience Awards:

(Genre Division)
Top Film
Best US Film
Best Foreign Film
Best Local Film
Best Student Film
Best Action/Adventure Film
Best Animated Film
Best Art/Experimental Film
Best Comedy Film
Best Crime Film
Best Documentary Film
Best Fan Film
Best Fantasy Film
Best Horror Film
Best Music Video
Best Mystery Film
Best Noir Film
Best Science Fiction Film
Best Thriller/Suspense Film
Best Western Film

(Non-Genre Division)
Top Film
Best US Film
Best Foreign Film
Best Local Film
Best Student Film
Best Comedy Film
Best Documentary Film
Best Drama Film
Best Music Video

Staff Awards:
Best Genre Feature
Best Genre Short
Best Non-Genre Feature
Best Non-Genre Short
Best Trailer (entries limited to films screening in the festival)

*In the event that there are fewer than three eligible films in a category, that award will be suspended during that festival. When there are a sufficient number of both features and shorts in a category, one of each will receive an award.

AUDIENCE AWARDS 2018

Audience Awards (Genre Division):
Top Feature - [Tie] Alive; Galaxy Lords
Top Short - The Quiet Room
Best US Feature - The Night Sitter
Best US Short - Unzipping
Best Foreign Feature - Lifechanger
Best Foreign Short - Hangover Food
Best Local Film - Snaggletooth
Best Student Film - Beyond Horizons
Best Action/Adventure Film - Earthy Encounters
Best Animated Film - Double King
Best Art/Experimental Film - Pee Free Pool
Best Comedy Feature - Killer Unicorn
Best Comedy Short - Toasted
Best Documentary - Giant Women, Micro-Budget
Best Fantasy Film - Should You Meet a Lady in a Darkened Wood
Best Horror Feature - Echoes of Fear
Best Horror Short - The Hidebehind
Best Music Video - Avicenna
Best Science Fiction Feature - Reborn
Best Science Fiction Short - Deep Clean
Best Thriller/Suspense Feature - Rondo
Best Thriller/Suspense Short - Frank's Last Job
​
Audience Awards (Non-Genre Division):
Top Feature - Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records
Top Short - No Tricks
Best US Film - Heather Has Four Moms
Best Foreign Film - Piscina (Pool)
Best Local Film - The Last Lesson
Best Comedy - Pretty Pretty Prison
Best Documentary - The World is Round So That Nobody Can Hide in the Corners, Part 1 - Refuge
Best Drama - Good Morning Pakistan
​
Staff Awards:
27 West (Genre Feature)
Faulty Father (Genre Short)
I Love My Mum (Non-Genre Film)

Rules & Terms

Only online screeners will be considered for short films. Feature film screeners in the form of DVD, Blu-ray, and USB drive may be accepted for consideration with prior permission from the Festival Producers [George Kaskanlian Jr. (415-793-6868) or Eric Ringer (eric.ringer@gmail.com)].

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.
17 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Benjamin Welmond

    The whole team did an amazing job curating a group of great movies into one festival. The theater is really beautiful, it's underground so it does a great job muffling sound.

    February 2019
    Helpful
  • Atomic Elroy

    thanks for including my work.

    January 2019
    Helpful
  • Festival Formula

    What can we say? We absolutely love Another Hole In The Head! We were thrilled to see 10 of our clients screen this year as it really is one of the friendliest film festivals delivering high quality work. It's such a great team. You'd be a fool to miss out on this film festival.

    January 2019
    Helpful
  • Melvin Cartagena

    I wasn't able to attend in person, but they were very communicative and kept me informed of the status of my submission every step of the submission process.

    January 2019
    Helpful
  • Tait Colberg

    Excellent communication: I spoke directly with the festival's Director George K. on most matters by email and phone. Strong publicity too: the festival's website was handsome and user-friendly, and posts on social networks about feature films and attached shorts were frequent; local media also ran stories about the festival, including short reviews of particular films. Although I could not attend, a friend in SF caught the screening of our feature 27 WEST and sent pictures to me: cool venue, strong attendance, friendly and helpful staff. In the end we received a generous Staff Award, and our DCP returned home quickly, safe and sound. Thank you, AHITH 2018!

    December 2018
    Helpful