International Film Festival

What is interesting about the festival

How do you like movies? Then why not visit the San Diego International Film Festival! Located just 120 miles south of Hollywood, it has quickly become a favorite with industry fans and celebrities alike. Chat with movie lovers, meet directors and celebrities from all over the world.

The festival includes an eventful five days filled with ribbons, meetings and parties. Held by SDiFFF in the bustling city center, just a few steps from the beach.

Notable features of the festival include the following:

• the opportunity to meet industry professionals;
• unique parties in the famous places of San Diego;
• VIP rooms for viewing more than 120 independent films;
• special thematic programs, from environmental impact to equestrianism.

San Diego has a big-city vibe combined with California-style restaurants, pubs and stunning natural scenery. So the International Film Festival fits into this situation just in time.

The San Diego International Film Festival has established itself as a source of outstanding independent cinema. It gives way to both beginners and established filmmakers from all over the world.

The festival receives 2,300 entries from over 60 countries. The program includes 115 films, including 13 documentaries and 72 short films. All screenings take place at the Balboa Theatre, Regal Theatres, and the ArcLight Cinema in La Jolla.

The San Diego Film Festival (SDiFFF) is the premier film event in the region. SDiFFF offers a completely unique movie experience, with world premieres, never-before-seen studio releases, independent filmmakers and glamorous parties.

The film festival features thought-provoking themes:

• environmental impact;
• women in cinema;
• American Indians;
• Horseback Riding.

Every year more than 200 directors from all over the world showcase their films. The audience has a unique opportunity to meet and personally ask questions to the directors and actors after the screening.

Pictures from more than 60 countries of the world come here. The final selection presents the best films from independent directors and film studios. The organizers announce the final schedule annually at the end of summer.

The mission of the festival is to use the experience of cinema to explore the global impact on culture, to establish a dialogue with peoples and to develop in viewers an understanding of a diverse and complex world.

Story

The film festival was founded in 2001 by directors Robin Laatz and Karl Kozak. During its first decade, the event hosted thousands of directors, actors and moviegoers in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp District. Films screened during this time included The Blair Witch Project, Fahrenheit 9/11, Transamerica, and Napoleon Dynamite.

The founders developed and introduced several specialty programs, including Cinema for Indians, Student Short Film, Women in Film, and a series of year-round film screenings.

In 2013, film critic Geoffrey Lyons was added as the festival's host and became honorary chairman of the jury.

By 2016, the festival was labeled "International", whereas previously it was known only as the San Diego Film Festival.

Festival program

The competition program includes fresh films from both well-known and emerging directors, from comedies to dramas. To qualify for the feature program, a film must be over 30 minutes long.

• Documentaries

Based on real events, the documentaries section aims to provide a vivid reflection of the world. The paintings are meant to take viewers to places they can't see and to meet people they would never have met.

• Short films

The segment consists of six short programs. Each of them consists of about eight mini-movies and lasts an hour and a half.

• Cinema for Indians

Supporting Native American filmmakers is part of the core mission of SDiFFF. For a film to fall into this category, it must be directed by an Native American filmmaker or on a topic related to their culture.

• Social justice

The purpose of this block is to harness cinematic power to tell stories with long-term social impact. The goal is to draw attention to social problems, to create positive changes in the world. Problems may include homelessness, violence against women, environmental crisis, discrimination on various grounds.

• Horseback Riding

Films that chronicle the varied creative endeavors of those who honor horses. To celebrate the diversity and richness of the history of equestrian culture in human society is the main goal of this program.