The Alameda International Film Festival celebrates independent filmmaking with an annual festival held in February in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Festival is committed to exposing exciting new films to wider audiences. 2023's packed theatres watched submissions from filmmakers well established in the industry as well as directors and film students just starting out.

The film festival was first conceived in the late autumn of 2007 by several friends and artists gathered at an old Victorian home in the island city of Alameda, just next to Oakland, and across the bay from San Francisco.

In the last 13 years, the festival has grown dramatically. In 2023, we offered 4 days of independent features and shorts, guest artists, and parties with hundreds of attendees present.

We look forward to continuing to grow with the support of the filmmaking community. We can't wait to find out what we'll be showing next year!

Cash prizes up to $5,500.00 USD across several categories

The Alameda International Film Festival accepts live action, animated, and documentary films in any genre. (Please do not submit trailers or episodes in a series.)

This year the festival is looking for films in several different categories:

Films that are 1 second to 14 minutes, 59 seconds

Films that are 15 to 30 minutes

Films that are 30 plus minutes to 45 minutes

Films that are 45 plus minutes

* ALL FILMS SUBMITTED MUST HAVE BEEN MADE NO EARLIER THAN 2022.

**Note, Filmmakers who have been official selections at prior Alameda International Film Festival/Long Day Short Film Festivals, 2011-2023, should contact us directly for a fee waiver.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Christopher Stoudt

    Mark and co. do such an amazing job curating this festival and the audiences are so generous and kind. Highly recommend applying to this fantastic festival

    March 2024
  • Mitra Shahidi

    Thank you so much for this wonderful festival. Mark and Colin, you guys are great! Thank you for the award, the panel, and the screenings were all very well organized. The theater is beautiful and the atmosphere was amazing. A true gem of a festival. Can't wait to come back.

    March 2024
  • Halder Gomes

    Fantastic festival! Great hospitality, lovely audience, nice organization, an adorable city and an icredible movie theatre. Certainly a festival to the list of the unforgetables ones.
    Thanks to everyone in Alameda, specially to my host family who made me feel at home. Yes, this festival promotes this amazing cultural and artistic - and unique - exchange!

    March 2024
  • Aiden Keltner

    Really great festival with wonderful people!!

    March 2024
  • Peter Litwinowicz

    What a great festival! Well organized, well-attended and great films! Fantastic communication too, and a good place to meet other filmmakers. Kudos!

    March 2024