SpIFF is pleased to launch the 26th Edition of the Spokane International Film Festival, to run in March 2025! Since 1999, SpIFF has showcased work from around the globe and the Pacific Northwest, especially from up-and-coming filmmakers!

The Spokane International Film Festival is an intimate festival where filmmakers and audiences engage the art and entertainment of cinema. We offer a small, selective offering of world-class films. These are the very best features, documentaries and shorts that have been made around the world during the past year still yearning to be shown to a Spokane audience.

SpIFFy Juried Awards:
Best Animated Short
Best Northwest Short
Best Northwest Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Narrative Feature
Best Short
Most Promising Filmmaker

Audience Awards:
Best Animated Short
Best Northwest Short
Best Northwest Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Narrative Feature
Best Short

SpIFF reserves the right to modify awards or to add awards that recognize significant achievement in filmmaking.

SpIFF accepts features, documentaries, animations, and shorts from around the world. Genre is open.

SpIFF will be in-person for the 2025 edition!

Required Notifications: When submitting on FilmFreeway, you must notify us if you plan to require a screening fee. Knowing these conditions will enable us to best plan our program with a minimum of disruption.

SpIFF loves Pacific Northwest filmmakers! We especially love Pacific Northwest filmmakers who have their Spokane premiere at SpIFF! But we are sad to say that, except in very unusual circumstances, SpIFF is not able to screen open submissions that receive significant exhibition in Spokane prior to SpIFF, either via theatrical, non-theatrical, broadcast, or streaming venues. Such submissions may be declined at the discretion of the programmers. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us at submissions@spokanefilmfestival.org before screening in Spokane and before submitting your work to SpIFF.

SpIFF will NOT consider open submissions that were publicly screened before the submission deadline of our most recently completed festival (i.e. 15 October 2023 for SpIFF 2025). Nor do we screen works that are readily available on the internet (i.e. without password protection), except in extraordinary circumstances, such as retrospective screenings or films of regional significance. In addition, SpIFF will NOT consider open submissions that are readily available on the internet (i.e. without password protection or on a streaming service), except in extraordinary circumstances. Please contact submissions@spokanefilmfestival.org before submitting your work or before screening it in Spokane if you have any questions regarding this policy.

Please contact us at submissions@spokanefilmfestival.org if you are unable to submit through Film Freeway.

Submission Format: Submit preview copies as a secure online screener, via FilmFreeway.

Presentation Format: We will exhibit accepted works from DCP.

Notification: The Festival will notify, by email via FilmFreeway, all open submissions on or before February 9, 2025 whether or not their work has been selected by SpIFF.

Loss and Damage: Every precaution will be taken to safeguard all materials submitted to the festival. However, we cannot accept or assume responsibility in the event of loss or damage.

Please note: If your work is accepted for SpIFF, we greatly appreciate a variety of high-resolution images files, such as stills from the work and a poster, being available on Film Freeway.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Tommy Heffernan

    Had a great time at SpIFF's opening weekend - Bing Crosby was a super cool venue (Magic Lantern was also very cozy), crowd turnout was good, and the after-party was an awesome chance to talk with other filmmakers, creatives, and organizers. Definitely recommend submitting!

    February 2024
  • We had such a wonderful time sharing our short film IMPENETRABLE with the SpIFF! Wow everyone was so kind, the movies were great, we met so many wonderful people, and the audience was so supportive and reactive to the films. AND the opening night party was a delight! SpIFF gave me a serious pep in my step!

    February 2024
  • Robert Vaughn

    Excellent festival run by Pete and his team. Very supportive, engaging audiences. I highly recommend this festival.

    February 2024
  • It was a real honor to have the opportunity to attend the 2023 Spokane International Film Festival with our film, "A Dreamer's Search." I was grateful for the warm welcome from the staff and was greatly inspired by all the incredible films. Meeting such wonderful people and soaking in the marvelous atmosphere was a privilege. I am looking forward to returning for what promises to be an even more remarkable experience next year!

    February 2023
  • What an honor it was to have my first feature film, MOUNTAINSIDE, chosen to be the closing night in-person film at SpIFF. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, from communication with the festival coordinators, to hospitality provided by the festival, and just the overall festival experience. I can't say enough about the audience either! Full of enthusiastic and supportive questions during the Q&A, and the very fact that so many people even came out to see a feature film by some random filmmaker they basically knew nothing about-- it still blows my mind. I definitely recommend this festival to future submitters!

    February 2023