Santa Fe Independent Film Festival


The Santa Fe Independent Film Festival is a film festival placed in Santa Fe, New Mexico. SFIFF presents five days and nights of film in October. SFIFF screens films at The Lensic Performing Arts Center, Violet Crown Cinema, Center for a Contemporary Arts, The Screen, and George R.R. Martin's Jean Cocteau Cinema.

History

The Santa Fe Independent Film Festival began in 2009 and by 2011 had extended the tourism season in Santa Fe into late October.
SFIFF 2012 festival honored Chris Eyre, Rudolfo Anaya, and Judy Blume and sold out screenings at the Lensic. SFIFF hosted a filmmakers brunch that connected industry professionals & local filmmakers together.
In 2013 SFIFF was named one of Moviemaker Magazine's 25 Coolest General Film Festivals on the planet. 2013 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival awarded John Waters & actor Wes Studi. John Waters performed his live one-man show This Filthy World at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
SFIFF 2014 brought over 10,000 attendees for the first time, and presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Shirley MacLaine and George RR Martin.
In 2015 Santa Fe Independent Film Festival honored Ted Hope, Imogene Hughes, and Hampton Sides.
SFIFF 2015 honored Gena Rowlands with a lifetime achievement award.
SFIFF 2016 presented Jacqueline Bisset with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Jay Roach with the American filmmaker award.
SFIFF 2017 presented John Sayles & Maggie Renzi with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Pulitzer Prize winner N. Scott Momaday was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by Robert Redford and John Waters, Chris Eyre, George R.R. Martin, and Wes Studi returned as guests. SFIFF presented a Q&A with Ethan Hawke at Center for a Contemporary Arts.
SFIFF 2018 presented Bill Plympton with a Lifetime Achievement Award & Alexandria Bombach received the festival's Visionary Award for Santa Fe Independent Film Festival's 10th Annual Festival.
In 2019, SFIFF was named one of Moviemaker Magazine's 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.

Special Guests

Over the past eleven years the festival has brought Gena Rowlands, Robert Redford, Ethan Hawke, Shirley MacLaine, Jacqueline Bisset, John Sayles, Maggie Renzi, Jay Roach, John Waters,Ali MacGraw, Ted Hope, Chris Eyre, Judy Blume, Rudolfo Anaya, N. Scott Momaday, Bill Plympton, Alton Walpole, Kirby Dick, Tony Mark, Aviva Farber, Wes Studi, Gary Farmer, John Nichols,Russell Means, Digby Wolfe

Notable Films