SFFILM

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SFFILM is a nonprofit arts organization in San Francisco that runs year‑round film screenings, media education, and filmmaker services. It used to be called The San Francisco Film Society and rebranded as SFFILM in 2017. The organization is led by Executive Director Anne Lai and Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks.

Each year, SFFILM presents more than 300 films through festivals, series, and individual screenings. Its flagship event is the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival), an 11‑day festival in the spring. The festival began in 1957, started by Irving “Bud” Levin, who wanted the United States to have its own major festival. It is among the longest‑running film festivals in the Americas and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.

SFFILM’s Education programs reach over 11,000 students and teachers annually, from kindergarten through college, to build media literacy, cultural awareness, global understanding, and a lifelong love of cinema. Since 1991, the SFFILM Youth Education program has served more than 95,000 Bay Area students and 3,000 teachers from over 350 schools. All programs align with California’s Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for public schools.

FilmHouse provides 4,800 square feet of office space free of charge to narrative and documentary filmmakers at any stage of production. The SFFILM/KRF Filmmaking Grants, awarded twice a year through a partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, support narrative feature filmmakers who contribute to the Bay Area film community, and there is also an annual grant for documentary features in postproduction.