ABOUT US
The Santa Cruz Film Festival supports and promotes the love of the moving-image
arts within the local Santa Cruz and Greater Monterey Bay Area.
SCFF is an artist-driven, filmmaker-forward festival for original films world-wide.
Through the production of an annual film festival, year-round events and educational programming, the Santa Cruz Film Festival engages the community in their
appreciation of the moving-image medium—from short and experimental films, to narrative and documentary features. Since 2000, SCFF has screened over 2000 independent films, including scores of locally-produced works in front
of tens of thousands of dedicated cinephiles.
The festival is proud to not only showcase new creative movers and
shakers, but also to provide an interactive experience where filmmakers, musicians, performers, and the community come together to celebrate
the creativity in an unforgettable week.
The SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL is curated under the leadership of Programming Director Logan Walker.
ENTRY GUIDELINES ENTRY GUIDELINES ENTRY GUIDELINES ENTRY GUIDELINES
©2025 THE SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL
Awards are determined by a panel of jurors, comprising local filmmakers, community leaders, & esteemed film educators.
SCFF seeks submissions of powerful films for our 26th annual festival.
Films made in or by filmmakers from Santa Cruz/California are highly encouraged.
SCFF 2026 will be held October 14-18, 2025 at the Del Mar, Colligan Theater, Santa Cruz Cinema, Indexical, and The 418 Project with the festival line-up to be announced early September.
COMPLETION DATE:
As a celebration of recent video, SCFF requires that all submitted work be completed after January 1, 2024.
GENRE:
There are absolutely no hard and fast genre restrictions governing the SCFF curatorial process.
NOTE: For student produced work, please include either proof of enrollment or a copy of Student ID. Santa Cruz/Monterey local produced work, please include proof of residency in Santa Cruz/Monterey County such as a Driver's License copy, etc. Youth works please include proof of age.
PREMIERE POLICY:
We are quite honored to present world, national and local premieres of work and proudly reference such status in promoting the festival and its programs. The SCFF curatorial process is open, however, to all works regardless of “premiere status.” We hold no policy of inclusion or exclusion based on this status and such status has little bearing on our selection decisions.
SUBMISSIONS:
Please use our FilmFreeway Page for all submissions through a secure screener link (Vimeo or YouTube preferred). We currently do not accept any physical submissions including Film, DVDs, Blu-rays, or Hard Drives. If selected, filmmakers must provide a high-resolution digital copy (DCP, ProRes, or MP4) for screening. Please contact us at info@santacruzfilmfestivals.org for any questions.
DEADLINES & ENTRY FEES:
Early Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026 ***DEADLINE OPEN***
Regular Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026
Extended Submission Deadline: May 31, 2026
Late Submission Deadline: August 7, 2026
NOTE: Santa Cruz Film Festival alumni may submit for free.
Please email Logan@santacruzfilmfestivals.org for a code.
SELECTED FILMS:
Submitters for SCFF 2026 have been informed.
PLEASE NOTE that all dates and details relative to SCFF 2026 are tentative and subject to change.
Questions? Please contact SCFF at info@santacruzfilmfestivals.org