Seattle International Film Festival
Also known as: SIFF
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The Seattle International Film Festival pairs international and independent features with documentaries and short films, with audience voting for the Golden Space Needle Awards. Its programme includes Northwest Connections for regional filmmaking, cINeDIGENOUS, curated with Indigenous partners, and ShortsFest, which spans animation, live action, documentary and experimental work. The festival dates back to 1976 and forms part of SIFF, a Seattle arts nonprofit that also operates year-round cinemas and film education programmes.
The 53rd edition runs from 13–23 May 2027 in Seattle-area cinemas, including SIFF venues. Its competitions include new directors, American independent cinema, Ibero-American cinema and documentary filmmaking.
Country
United States (USA)
Focus
Animation, Documentary, Experimental
Categories
Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Short
Dates
13 May 2027 — 23 May 2027
Awards and prizes
The 2027 awards include Golden Space Needle audience prizes for narrative film, documentary, director, performance and short film. The Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, presented by Women in Film Seattle, recognises a woman-directed feature through audience voting.
Five juried feature competitions award US$5,000 each: Official Competition, New Directors, New American Cinema, Ibero-American Cinema and Documentary Film. Three short-film jury prizes, for live action, animation and documentary, award US$2,500 each.
Festival rules
For the 2027 edition, short films run 40 minutes or less; features run 41 minutes or more. Each submission requires a completed application, an individual secure online screener and the applicable fee. Rough cuts are accepted with unfinished elements identified. The project’s premiere date must be January 2026 or later.
Films must be Western Washington State premieres, with preference for Pacific Northwest premieres. US television broadcast or video-on-demand availability before the festival makes a film ineligible. Shorts previously available online may be considered, but must not screen publicly in Western Washington before 31 May 2027. Programmers assign selected films to sections; gala presentations are by invitation.
Contacts
- siff.net
- entries@siff.net — Festival submissions and eligibility
- cinema@siff.net — Programming enquiries
- 206.464.5830 — General information
- SIFF Film Center, 167 Republican St, Seattle, WA 98109 — Mailing address
- siff.net — Film submissions and current FAQ