28th San Francisco Independent Film Festival (Feb 5-15, 2026)
28th San Francisco Screenplay Competition (Feb 5-15, 2026)
25th San Francisco Documentary Festival (May 28-June 7, 2026)
21st San Francisco Short Film Festival (Oct 15-22, 2026)
8th San Francisco Documentary Festival (Oct 15-22, 2026)
“A glorious celebration of gutsy independent cinema.” – Fandor
“SF IndieFest, as the San Francisco Independent Film Festival has been affectionately known from the day Jeff Ross conceived it 20 years ago, is a million miles from Hollywood. It’s even further removed, if that’s possible, from an American independent cinema that long ago evolved from a bunch of pissed-off outsiders into a sedate, Sundance-sanctioned niche where respected character actors play the leads in small-scale adult dramas. (These worlds intersect at the Academy Awards, where a couple indies every year are embraced as underdog mascots. It’s become so routine that nobody even sees it anymore as proof of Hollywood’s abandonment of movies for adults.)” – Michael Fox, KQED Arts
“IndieFest is a wild movie ride, with no seat belts or dashboard padding.” David Lamble, Bay Area Reporter
“Now in its 21st year, IndieFest is no longer the rowdy kid at the back of the class. Still, the local event remains a magnet for offbeat funky movies, heavy on music, underground subcultures and marginal individuals; films you’ll see here first and perhaps nowhere else.“ – Sura Wood, SF Arts Monthly
“Sundance may have sold out, but SF IndieFest keeps it real” – Annie Lo, Flavorpill
“While the Bay Area is flush with festivals, this one remains an under-the-radar standout.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
“The San Francisco Independent Film Festival, the Bay Area’s version of Slamdance, provides a showcase for edgy cinematic work — and a great excuse to do some serious partying.” – David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle
“I’m certainly happy that IndieFest exists, because it is a celebration of films that don’t necessarily get distributed widely,” HITS director David Cross says, “I’m happy to be a part of it with my film, which is very much in the category of a low-budget, little indie movie. I’m glad there’s a place for it.” – SF Chronicle
“SF IndieFest’s main agenda from February 11 to 25 will be promoting intriguing films which can’t be easily categorized. Such Mission District venues as the venerable Roxie Theater and the new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will act as magnets for adventurous cinephiles.” – Peter Wong, Beyond Chron
“For many independent filmmakers, festivals such as SF Indiefest—aka the San Francisco Independent Film Festival–are the only way to bring their works before an audience. For filmgoers, SF Indiefest is the place to see original cinematic works created by directors who want to tell edgy stories which come from their hearts and souls. While some have bemoaned the death of cinema, the curators and filmmakers at SF Indiefest are keeping the craft of film alive.” – David Elijah Nahmod, SF SOUNDS
“SF IndieFest is the one festival of the year where you should throw a dart at the program and take a chance. Not because you’re guaranteed a masterpiece, but because it’s the best fest to see something that would never, ever breach your filter otherwise.” -Michael Fox, KQED
Past participants have included Gregg Araki, Abel Ferrara, Larry Kent, David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, Robert Romanus, Chris Gore, Don Argott, Don Coscarelli, Bruce Campbell, Penelope Spheeris, Jon Cryer, David Cross, Jennifer Beals, Ryuhei Matsuda, James Duvall, Toyoda Toshiaki, Uwe Boll, Bill Plympton, Christopher Coppola, Edward Furlong, Rachael Bella, Glenn Shadix, Nathan Silver, Joe Swanburg, Bill Plympton, Ben Wheatley, Jeremy Saulnier, Bob Byington, Alex Cox, Gaspar Noe, Todd Verow, Don Hertzfeldt, Sam Elliot, Robert Schwartzman, Mia Wasikowska, John Leguizano, Mena Suvari, Brittany Murphy, Eric Roberts, Debby Harry, Rob Halford and Billy Corgan, Steve Zahn, Dylan Baker and many more. Check out the lineups of past festivals in our Archives and some of the PRESS from past festivals.
