Named one of Moviemaker Magazine's 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee for 7 years in a row!!! The 13th Annual Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, October 13-17th, 2021 was dubbed “a young Sundance” by indieWire, and “an all-inclusive resort for cinephiles” by Filmmaker Magazine. The longest continually running film festival in New Mexico, SFiFF is now one of the top regional film festivals in the United States. The Fest is a creative center for film in Santa Fe, allowing filmmakers to connect with industry and distributors. SFiFF showcases emerging and established filmmakers by screening features and shorts in one of the greatest art cities in the world. SFiFF offers cash prizes in most categories, filmmaker travel, and all-access passes to the festival. Santa Fe is now one of the greatest theater cities on earth with the recently opened Violet Crown, George RR Martin’s Jean Cocteau, the historic Lensic theater, The Screen, and the Center for Contemporary Arts.
Santa Fe Independent Film Festival (SFiFF) is the premiere forum for international and independent cinema in the area. Focusing on artistic excellence, SFiFF serves as a creative center for film year-round, and as a presentation of the year's top films each October. SFiFF provides professional opportunities for artists, and unmatched audience participation in the world’s greatest little film city.
SFiFF’s past guests have included Shirley MacLaine, Gena Rowlands, Robert Redford, Ethan Hawke, Wes Studi, Jay Roach, Ali MacGraw, John Sayles, and Jacqueline Bisset. For the 11th Annual Festival in 2019, SFiFF welcomed Tantoo Cardinal and Jane Seymour, each accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, SFiFF presented a hybrid festival locally at a Drive-In theater as well as online.
The Santa Fe Independent Film Festival is accepting entries for Narrative films, Documentaries, International films, Short films, Animated films, Indigenous films, Student films, and Virtual Reality. Filmmakers whose films are selected for the festival will have countless creative opportunities, including screenings in Santa Fe’s unique, arthouse theaters. Dependent on public health orders, travel and hotel rooms will be available to those films that get accepted on a case-by-case basis. Visit santafeindependent.com for more information.
Safety of SFiFF audience members and guests is our first priority. As theaters reopen responsibly, and Santa Fe begins to enliven, we are optimistic that the 2021 festival will take place with few restrictions, but with the utmost consideration for safety. We will adhere to the recommendations from the State of New Mexico, and national guidelines as well. Certain screenings, Q & A sessions, and film panels may be made available online, and there may still be limits on large gatherings, but the festival itself will continue its commitment to presenting world-class cinema in Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe Film Institute will present cash awards in the following categories for 2021 winners at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival.
$1,000 Cash Prize for Best Narrative Feature (International or USA)
$1,000 Cash Prize for Best Documentary Feature (International or USA)
$500 Cash Prize for Best Narrative Short (International or USA)
$500 Cash Prize for Best Documentary Short (International or USA))
$500 Cash Prize for Best New Mexico Short
All award winners receive a special artisan-made SFiFF Statue Award.
Non-Cash Awards
Audience Choice Best Narrative Feature
Audience Choice Best Documentary Feature
Audience Choice Best Short
Best New Mexico Narrative Feature
Best New Mexico Documentary Feature
Best Experimental Short
Best Animated Short