San Francisco Dance Film Festival (SFDFF) is a multi-day international event showcasing the best in dance film from around the world.

For our 2024 season we will celebrate our 15-Year anniversary with enhanced in-person programs, building back the much-missed excitement of film on the big screen and live interactions among artists and audiences. We may also offer virtual programming and bonus material to include our international community who may not be able to attend in person.

SFDFF has become one of the most respected and influential dance film festivals in the world. A non-profit organization operating year round, SFDFF has the mission of supporting independent artists through screenings, panels, filmmaking workshops, and original film productions that bring together professionals from the communities of dance, filmmaking, and music in unprecedented collaborations.

The festival continues to seek groundbreaking work in the field of screendance, and welcomes submissions of dance-based narrative shorts and features, documentaries, live performance captures, installations, music videos and XR works. All forms of dance are welcome.

Unsure about your film's category? No problem! We'll help you find the right fit. If needed, we'll reassign your film to the most appropriate category during the review process.

Filmmaker Benefits:

— Eligibility for filmmaker awards
— Free Festival Pass providing admission to programs and events during the festival
— Industry networking and discovery opportunities. Several of the films screened at SFDFF have gone on to receive distribution offers.
— Opportunities for further exposure via our “Encore Shorts" spotlight series, "On the Road" touring reel and other educational outreach programs
— Inclusion in our permanent digital archive.
— “Official SFDFF Selection” laurel to help promote your film

Awards & Prizes

All films selected for the Festival are eligible for the following awards. Winners will be chosen by independent award jury.

— Best Documentary Feature
— Best Documentary Short
— Best Live Performance Film
— Best Screendance Film
• Under 10 minutes
• Over 10 minutes
— Best Narrative Dance Film
— Best Student Film
— Best Art/Experimental

Audience Favorite awards, selected by audience survey, will be announced the week following the festival. In addition to receiving the award, winning films may be presented at an encore screening during SFDFF's spring festival.

Rules & Terms

FILM COMPETITION GENERAL RULES & GUIDELINES

— All dance-based films of any style or length will be considered.

— Films must have a production date of 2022 or later.

— Filmmakers must Include high-resolution film stills and/or production photos with each submission, including photo credits.

— Films with dialogue or music lyrics must include a closed caption .srt file if selected

— Student filmmakers must submit a current, valid student ID or proof of enrollment at the time the film was made, with your submission.

— As fellow artists we take to heart the amount of work put into each film. Therefore, we are careful to ensure that each film is screened by at least three reviewers.

EXHIBITION FORMATS
Selected films will be requested in their native frame rate in QuickTime format using one of the following codecs: ProRes, ProRes HQ, or ProRes 4444. Blu-ray may be requested as an additional option for films over 20 minutes ONLY. A ProRes file will also be required as backup.

RELEASE
— The individual or production company submitting the film hereby warrants that they have cleared all necessary copyrights, including any underlying rights, to submit this film and its supporting materials to SFDFF and will hold SFDFF harmless from and against any and all third party claims.

— By submitting your film, SFDFF is hereby granted the right to utilize any submitted materials, including video and still images for purposes of promotion of the 2024 Festival and for future institutional promotion of SFDFF.

— If selected, filmmakers agree to participate in SFDFF’s "Encore Shorts" program.

— Once submitted, a film cannot be withdrawn for any reason.
41 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Mesha Kussman

    Wonderful festival! Well organized and attended. This One Is For You was featured in the Raising Voices program. Really appreciate their commitment to supporting film as a way to encourage social change!

    December 2023
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  • Richard James Allen

    Karen Pearlman and I were delighted to participate again in the San Francisco Dance Film Festival with our new Physical TV dance film 'Impossible Image'. Thanks so much to Greta and the team - there is so much care and thoughtfulness in your approach to presenting this beautiful artform, it is wonderful to be part of it.

    October 2023
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  • Kate Harpootlian

    I'm so glad our film got to premiere at this festival! It was extremely well organized with clear and timely communication. Everyone that worked for the festival was so kind and invested in each film. I met some lovely fellow filmmakers at the meet and greet which I appreciated they had. Overall, a wonderful experience!

    October 2023
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  • Kyung Jung Kim

    The Festival is really trendy and hotttt-!!!
    It shows artistic(cinematic) diversity as well as professionalism of dance very well. Above all, it was great to talk to other participants through Zoom despite the COVID-19 situation and the staff were very kind.

    December 2022
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  • Edwin FrankO

    Awesome experience and very inspiring. Thank you for selecting Fuego for your film festival and shout out to Ben for putting in so much time to make sure all films were on point for the festival. Hope to be back in person next year!

    November 2022
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