The San Francisco Independent Cinema Festival is your passport to new perspectives.
Our annual SF/ICF returns to the bay for a full schedule of screenings and special events. Screening Feature Length & Short Films from around the world in San Francisco’s best cinemas.
As festival dates grow closer, make sure to visit this page for the most up-to-date information regarding Festival Ticketing (including All-Event Passes), as well as for announcements regarding this seasons SF/ICF Award Winners, as well as the publication date of the Festival Film Guide – which features the complete SF/ICF screening schedule.
Check out our extensive FAQ, located at the bottom of this page, featuring answers to just about every question regarding general attendance and policies, and how to catch a screening at the fest!
Make sure to check out our Online Festival Program & Film Guide.
Our Program Guide is released 2-3 weeks prior to our festival Opening Day (which normally takes place each fall).
All festival screenings are listed there, along with this season’s Award Winners and most of the fest’s upcoming special events.
The Festival Program & Film Guide is released 2-3 weeks prior to our festival Opening Day (which normally takes place each fall). Additionally, a limited number of physical program guides will be available to ticket holders at our festival venues. Due to environmental concerns, we try to limit these physical copies to attendees who request a
physical souvenir copy.
All festival screenings take place throughout the greater San Francisco area. Screening locations will be announced closer to the festival dates with the online release of our Film Schedule and
Program Guide.
Yes, you will need a ticket or festival pass to attend all screenings and any other festival events. Tickets and passes will be available through our festival’s Ticketing Page, with sales starting 2-3 weeks prior to festival Opening Day.
Tickets & Passes to the festival are always available online 2-3 weeks prior to the start of the festival and are offered for sale via our festival’s online ticketing service website. Online tickets must be purchased with a debit or
credit card. Additionally, any remaining tickets will also be available for sale at our festival venues during the days of the festival
(during festival screening hours only). These on-site ticket sales during the festival may be purchased with a debit or
credit card. Venues generally prohibit cash sales (for insurance reasons) for on-site sales, but in rare instances,
select venues may accept cash. It is recommended to assume that cash sales will NOT be offered at most venues.
This varies from venue to venue. Usually, there is a booth or table either in the cinema lobby or near the venue’s Box Office. This table/booth will be clearly marked with our film festival signage and logos.
This is where you pick up your physical tickets that are needed for entry to the cinema theater. If you purchased tickets online, this is where you exchange your QR Code or printout for a physical ticket. Additionally, if there are tickets available and you wish to purchase tickets on-site, this is where you would also make such purchases.
As soon as possible! Our events often sell out, sometimes within the first week of online sales. If there is an event
you want to make sure you catch, the sooner you purchase tickets, the better. Festival film screenings & events may
sell out quickly.
Generally, credit and debit cards only. Online tickets & passes must be purchased with a debit or credit card. Ticket sales at our festival venues may also be purchased with a debit or credit card. Venues prohibit cash sales (for insurance reasons), but in rare instances, select venues may accept cash. However, due to the rarity of this, it is recommended to assume that cash sales will NOT be offered at most venues.
Generally, NO. Venues for the most part prohibit cash sales (for insurance reasons). However, in rare cases, some venues may accept cash. It is recommended to assume that cash sales will NOT be offered at most venues.
10 minutes after the film screening (or other event) begins, or when tickets sell out, whichever happens first.
Yes, …as long as they are available.
Please note that our events often sell out, sometimes within the first week of online sales. If there is an event you
want to make sure you catch, the sooner you purchase tickets, the better. Festival film screenings & events may sell out quickly.
Yes. Tickets for individual screenings will be available on our Ticketing Page. Individual ticket sales begin 2-3 weeks prior to the festival’s Opening Day.
Yes. Tickets & passes for all screenings at the festival, and for all festival screenings taking place over each one day period, are also offered for sale.
No. Our festival does not offer reserved seating for tickets or passes. All seating is general admission. Ticket
holder seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Often, Yes. Tickets are also often available for sale at our festival venues during the days of the festival (during festival screening hours only). Ticket sales available during the fest may be purchased with a debit or credit card.
Yes. In the event of sold-out screenings, the festival does offer a standby rush ticket line with sales in the event seats are available.
Generally, it is smaller festivals where programmers are present at every screening. As a mid-sized festival, our
programmers may not be present at all our screenings and events. But there will always be a significant number of
festival staff on hand to answer questions and help out, but festival attendees may not always run into our
programmers or event directors at general screenings. Festival programmers, program directors, and our event
directors are always reachable through email requests however.
Our event is organized similarly to a cooperative and is overseen by annually rotating board members – each with an equal vote in festival matters artistic and financial. Board members are often present at the festival and our other events.
As such, board members generally prefer not to be seen or treated as individual figureheads. Unofficial policy is that the board, our festival members, staffers, volunteers, guests, filmmakers, and attendees are all in this together, with filmmakers being the stars and true focus of the festival!
Yes. We can always use the help; please refer to our contact form or volunteer request email on our Volunteer Page.
Email us at: contact@sficf.com
To see about attending a sold-out screening: it is recommended to arrive 30 minutes prior to a films listed start time – to see if any tickets have been released.
Feel free to check-in at our hospitality desk to inquire about a Standby Line. In some cases, 15 minutes after a sold out screening or event has begun, the remaining seats may be released to the public, often at a discounted price.
Unfortunately, all festival tickets and passes are non-refundable. All sales are final.
You need to email a list, alphabetized (A-Z) by last name, to our festival’s general email at least 48 hours prior to
your film screening start time, or you may also drop off a printed list, alphabetized (A-Z) by last name, at our
festival’s hospitality desk at least 2 hours prior to your film screening start time.
When attending the festival it is recommended to arrive 1 hour prior to the films starting time that is listed on your ticket and in the program guide.
Arriving 1 hour prior allows time to park, pick up tickets (which are required to enter our venues), get concessions, and still be sure to catch the start of the film.
Note that festival films often may NOT have trailers playing before the screening, meaning films can start promptly at their listed start time. As such, it is highly recommended to check-in with festival staff at the theater lobby at least 10-15 minutes prior to any screening times listed in our festival program guide.
Yes. Generally.
Note that festival films often may NOT have trailers playing before the screening, meaning films can start promptly at their listed start time. As such, it is highly recommended to check-in with festival staff at the theater lobby at least 10-15 minutes prior to any screening times listed in our festival program guide.
Late arrivals are allowed for non-sold-out film screening events. Late entries to sold-out screenings MAY be
allowed on a space-available basis, but this is NOT guaranteed. Late arrival is NOT allowed for award ceremonies,
galas, or party events.
There is no dedicated festival attendee parking available at our venues. Please check each venue’s parking
availability on their individual websites
Most independent films are not rated by the MPA, and as such they do not have an official MPA rating. However, the festival does try to program films with others of similar themes and content.
On occasion, the festival may also choose to assign a rating for a film (such as being Mature Content or having Adult Themes) as a way to signal to viewers about content that may be triggering to some.
The festival is obligated to follow each venue’s individual guidelines. Generally, children are permitted. However, some screenings and events (especially party events) may be adults-only. Read the film descriptions in our Film
Guide about each screening to help determine suitability. Understand that many films in our festival might be screening in a cinema for the only time ever, so it is generally recommended not to attend screenings with babies or children who may be disruptive, as any person causing a disturbance will be asked to leave a screening. Check out each venue’s specific guidelines for precise clarification
on this rule.
The festival must abide by each venue’s specific policies regarding this issue. Normally, pets are NOT allowed,
with the possible exception of very well-mannered service animals. Again, for this rule, please contact our venues
directly to learn their specific policies.
The general policy is that every feature film screening with over 25 tickets sold will have a Q&A, as long as a.) the filmmaker agrees to it and b.) the festival screenings are running on-schedule. We do our best to have as many
Q&As as possible, but they are dependent on scheduling, attendance, and the availability of talent.
Due to schedules often being subject to “change without notice”, the festival prefers not to announce all the
celebrities who might be attending. We generally leave that up to the producers and directors of each film, so the
best thing to do is follow our social media and the social media accounts of our festival films to keep track of posts
from the films and celebrities you are interested in. Otherwise, the festival usually waits to announce celebrity
appearances until 24 hours before the appearance (at which time attendance is typically a certainty), but by that
time, event tickets often have already sold out.
Generally, the best way for a festival guest to meet a celebrity is to purchase a ticket to the film they are
appearing in and then use their best observation and manners to discern if the celebrity is allowing fans to approach
them. If so, they can then introduce themselves. Most celebrities attending festival events are prepared to meet
fans, but like anyone else, they are allowed to have private moments with friends and family too. Be polite and take
“no” for an answer if given, but usually, you will find most celebs are happy to briefly say hello to the fans.
The best way for festival guests to network is to watch as many films as possible at the festival, making sure to
introduce themselves to any filmmakers, cast, and crew members in attendance. Attending special events, parties,
meet-ups, and ceremonies is the next best way to make friends and contacts and make the most of the festival
experience
Distributors regularly inquire about which premiere screenings have a festival “buzz”, award wins, and sold out
screenings. They will often reach out for introductions with independent films that meet those criteria. However, it is
worth noting that film festival protocols have changed at a breathtaking pace in recent years, and it is not as
common for festival guests to meet distributors at festival screenings today as it once was. As most distributors
today send representatives only to World Premieres or to films with specific celebrities or up-and-coming talent
involved. Still, distributors do reach out to our programmers to contact many of our festival films that premiered to a
s old-out audience, or had significant buzz and major award wins at our festival.
The festival must abide by each venue’s specific policies regarding this issue. See our sponsorship page for
information about advertising with the festival. Soliciting festival guests individually for commercial purposes is not
allowed.
The festival must abide by each venue’s specific policies regarding this issue. Accepted filmmakers have options
for press material distribution at the festival, depending on venue policy. Festival guests, however, generally will
NOT have many options for press material distribution. Guests may check-in with festival staff at the Hospitality
Desk to see if they can accommodate requests, which they often do whenever possible, when allowed by venue
policy
All festival submissions are handled through our FilmFreeway page
©️ San Francisco Independent Cinema Festival