The Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) is one of the largest and longest-running international film festivals in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the country. A cornerstone program of the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC), SJFF brings people together from across Washington—and virtually around the globe—to celebrate and showcase the vibrancy and diversity of global Jewish life through cinema to build connections, illuminate perspectives, increase understanding, and offer experiences that amplify profound Jewish experiences for everyone.

SJFF is a hybrid festival, screening films in person and virtually for 2 weeks each spring. Learn more at: www.seattlejff.org

Awards & Prizes

SJFF attendees cast their ballots for the festival's Audience Choice Awards for Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature Film and Best Short Documentary and Narrative Short Films. Every other year, SJFF names a REEL Difference and REAL Difference Award to distinguished filmmakers, producers, artists and agents of arts philanthropy and change. Past recipients include: Academy Award nominated German director Michael Verhoeven, Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis and documentary filmmakers Aviva Kempner and Dani Menkin, actors Elliot Gould and Sasson Gabay, festival co-founder Deborah Rosen, Tiffany Shlain, and producer Michael Benaroya of Benaroya Pictures.

Rules & Terms

To qualify for consideration, all submissions must include a completed entry form, nonrefundable entry fee and screener. All submissions must also include featured content (i.e., narratives, stories, characters, geographies, languages) about global Jewish and Israeli life, history, politics, and culture. The goal of a Jewish Film Festival is to connect audiences of all stripes to the diversity and complexity of that experience.

In doing so, all applicants certify that they have the legal right to submit and exhibit the film. The applicant is hereby responsible and liable for any breach of rights or the law in the submission and exhibition process.

If you are a local Washington State resident filmmaker, you may email sjff@sjcc.org or boxoffice@sjcc.org to discuss fee waiver code to input during your submission process.

Please note that once submission fees have been paid, they may not be refunded.

Viewing rights are restricted to organizational and SJFF staff, SJFF committee, and at our discretion, potential and key sponsors and speakers/panelists.

SJFF retains sole discretion to accept or decline submissions for any reason. Submission of a film does not guarantee exhibition in the festival. The decision of SJFF is final.

SJFF exhibits formats include DCP (preferably) and Blu-Ray for physical theater venues, and virtually through upload to Elevent/Cinesend.

SJFF welcomes U.S. and international entries. Foreign language films must include English subtitles.

Film contacts will be notified of selection decision via email by February 1.

Selected applicants grant SJFF rights to utilize sections of their HD trailer or FilmFreeway screener for festival PR/promotion, such as our trailer, and to share with the press, unless otherwise notified or delimited.