The South Sound Experimental Film Fest is a celebration of experimental film-making from local artists in Washington & Oregon.
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Our intention is to harbor a community for the exploration and development of the creative potentialities of the growing medium.
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Our mission is to platform independent work which may otherwise get pushed to the fringe due to identity, insufficient resources, or qualifications of practice or technique.
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Our first festival was in 2021, held in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum. We are extremely grateful for the amazing support we receive from NWFF, and thanks to their ongoing sponsorship, we are excited to present our fifth year of showcasing experimental independent art and cinema and from the fringes of the PNW.

Through our collaborations, we are able to contribute to a vast international network that promotes experimentation, the development of new film techniques, and the exploration of contemporary hybrid forms of filmmaking.

Thank you for being here with us. x

Awards & Prizes

we do not generate awards and/or prizes. we believe in the celebration of the work.

Rules & Terms

S.S.E.F.F. is now accepting submissions for its fifth annual festival!

We are a grassroots festival operating entirely out of pocket — with no sponsors, grants, or outside funding. If you’d like to support us, please consider making a donation via our website, www.southsoundfilmfest.com

Submission Guidelines:

Open to artists based in the Pacific Northwest, but we also consider work from outside the region.

Maximum runtime: 30 minutes.

All formats welcome, but final files must be sent as H.264 .mp4 or .mov for projection.

We’re especially interested in:

Work by BIPOC filmmakers

Trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming voices

Radical documentation of the PNW

Hand-crafted, experimental, and unconventional storytelling

Films with diverse narratives and/or techniques

Submission Fee: $10
(All fees go directly toward running the festival.)

Need a fee waiver? Email us at: southsoundfilmfest@gmail.com

Deadline: October 20, 2025
Notifications: October 31, 2025
Seattle Festival Dates: November 22–23, 2025 (Saturday & Sunday) (Northwest Film Forum)
Portland Festival Dates: February 21, 2026 (PAMCUT Tomorrow Theater)

7 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Adria K. Hernandez

    Great festival! Great people! Very honored and happy to be a part of South Sound, a beautiful group and festival!

    November 2025
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  • Alex Granstrom

    I really loved the creativity of these shorts, and was impressed with what they were able to get together here. Real celebration of abstract, unusual, and thought-provoking indie cinema. It's held in Capitol Hill, easy to get to!

    January 2025
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  • Michael Woods

    Awesome screening with lovely people. I felt truly seen and respected by the programmers in a way that’s rare. Thank you so much.

    December 2024
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  • YUN-JIEH WU

    Fantastic festival filled with so much love! Thrilled to be screening in 2024—huge thanks to the curator for the opportunity!

    December 2024
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  • Wesley Klingele

    I can't recommend SSEFF enough. It is run by passionate artists that truly care about highlighting local filmmakers and their work. They are also incredibly accommodating if anything comes up and respond right away. It was an honor to be selected among so many talented filmmakers.

    December 2023
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