WELCOME TO THE 26TH ANNUAL SANTA CRUZ FILM FESTIVAL 

SCFF 2026 will be held October 14-18, 2026 at the Del Mar, Colligan Theater, Santa Cruz Cinema, and The 418 Project with the festival line-up to be announced early September. 

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COMPLETION DATE:
As a celebration of recent video, SCFF requires that all submitted work be completed after January 1, 2024.

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GENRE:
There are no hard and fast genre restrictions governing the SCFF curatorial process.

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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.

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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. 

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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 logan@santacruzfilmfestivals.org for any questions.

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DEADLINES & ENTRY FEES:

Late Submission Deadline: August 7, 2026 

NOTE: Santa Cruz Film Festival alumni may submit for free. Please email logan@santacruzfilmfestivals.org for a code.

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SELECTED FILMS:
Submitters for SCFF 2025 have been informed. 

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PLEASE NOTE that all dates and details relative to SCFF 2025 are tentative and subject to change.

Questions? Please contact SCFF at president@santacruzfilmfestivals.org