Sikhlens, The World’s Premier Sikh Film Festival, is holding its 20th Annual Sikh Arts and Film Festival (SAFF) scheduled for November 21st - 24th, 2024 at multiple venues, including the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and the Frida Cinemas Theater in Southern California.

It includes four days of events with an Opening night gala, art exhibits and the screening of dozens of movies throughout the weekend. It provides an outlet for sharing Sikh heritage and Sikh culture with the rest of the world, showcasing Sikh talent, and instilling pride in the Sikh community.

Sikhlens seeks work from artists in a variety of fields, not just films. Our festival also highlights art, music, and books which can be submitted separately. It creates appropriate avenues for this work to be shared with the rest of the world with the aim of getting more exposure for the presenters, and at the same time creating awareness about Sikhs.

In addition to seeking Sikh-centric content, Sikhlens is also looking for Sikh filmmakers that have produced films about mainstream topics, or social issues.

Sikhlens has been embedded in the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts for the last 10 years. Through the "Project S” and "Destination S” scholarship programs students have travelled throughout the world to produce Sikh-centric films. Recent trips to the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Malawi, Kenyon, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Australia, Canada, and France have produced some former festival submissions.

By submitting your film to our film festival, you are also entering the chance to be selected and screened at one or more of our many mini film festivals, known as Sikhlens-In-A- Box. These are smaller one day film festivals we hold throughout the world.

The deadline for submissions is September 1st, 2024.

Your entry must be Sikh-centric - related to Sikh culture, Sikh religion, etc. Films submitted must be available in English or if in another language, with English subtitles. Please ensure that your entry meets this requirement and that it is stated in the description of your entry.

Submitted films must be available for exhibition in MP4 format. Once accepted you will be asked to upload a Press Kit including a short bio, a photo of yourself, a short description of the film, and either a film poster or still photo.

Entrants are responsible for obtaining any necessary licenses, royalties, release forms, clearances, and permits necessary to present their work. Sikhlens is not responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, or royalty infringement related to the work. Every precaution will be taken to safeguard all materials sent to the festival. However, SAFF is not responsible for damage to submitted materials incurred by shipping to or from the festival.

The exhibition copy supplier will be responsible for the cost of the shipment to Sikhlens. Sikhlens will return the print postage prepaid to the supplier or to the next destination as indicated by the supplier (Features only). Entry materials and/or short films will not be returned with the exception of hard drives and flash drives with a prepaid postage and self-addressed envelope. Sikhlens takes the utmost care in the handling of your entry. Sikhlens does not pay additional charges for originals, masters, or special prints. Notifications will be emailed. All correspondence will be done through email, only through the original submitter. The number(s), date(s), time(s), and locations of the screenings of films are subject to the discretion of Sikhlens.

IF YOUR FILM IS SELECTED FOR SAFF, IT MAY ALSO BE SELECTED FOR SCREENING AT OUR ONE OR MORE OF OUR SATELLITE FILM FESTIVAL EVENTS (SIKHLENS-IN-A-BOX) AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO USA, CANADA, INDIA, AND THE UK.

Clearance and Copyrights:
All entries must obtain the appropriate copyright clearances (e.g. music, images, etc.). Failure to do so will result in the entry being disqualified from the competition. In other words, the entrant (s) must hold all legal rights for the submission, as well as any necessary clearances for public exhibition.

YOUR FILM MUST BE SIKH CENTRIC, OR HAVE A SIKH INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM, OR IT WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.