Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival – A Doc Festival for All

We stand in solidarity with people of color and anti-racists protesting police violence and other forms of state-sanctioned white supremacy. In support of this ongoing movement, and in-keeping with our belief in the power of documentary to help us look beyond ourselves and to foster critical thinking, we’ve added a permanent, evolving section to this website, dedicated to social justice in documentary media. This section is intended to supplement, not supplant, the inclusion of these issues in the festival’s film selections, news updates and other content, and to provide a central place for our audience to find information and resources. Click Here to see the current iteration of this page.

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SEBASTOPOL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

A Doc Festival for All

The inspiration behind the founding of the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival in 2007 was an immense curiosity into lives outside of our own. Over the years since, we’ve worked to serve as a bridge for independent non-fiction filmmakers to audiences keen to explore and learn.

SDFF brings the best documentaries and filmmakers from around the world to northern California for an annual celebration of non-fiction films. We’ll exhibit 70 to 75 films over four days on six screens in Sebastopol. Our audience includes documentary film lovers, industry professionals, filmmakers, and curious bystanders.

In 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named SDFF a Qualifying Festival for the Documentary Short Subject category. Recipients of the SDFF Jury Award for Short Subject and Jury Award for Mini-Doc are now eligible for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

An all-volunteer Steering Committee of filmmakers, film scholars and critics, and film lovers run SDFF. MovieMaker magazine named SDFF “One of the Coolest Film Festivals” twice. While that was a nice feather in our cap, seeing the raves of filmmakers, festival attendees, and our community is our greatest satisfaction.

News from SDFF

SDFF Presents Inaugural Doc Spirit Awards to Filmmakers Vivien Hillgrove & Jim LeBrecht

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20 hours ago
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SDFF proudly announces the Inaugural presentation of the Jean McGlothlin Documentary Spirit Award to filmmakers and longtime festival supporters, Vivien Hillgrove and James LeBrecht. While...

SDFF NEWS BITS: ALUMNI UPDATES, FEST + DOC INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

SDFF ALUMNI NEWS Italian documentarian and journalist, Stefano Liberti, whose film Soyalism (2019, Italy) was an SDFF 2020 Official Selection, made the news this week when he...

Congratulations to SDFF Alumni on Emmy Award Wins for Dick Johnson Is Dead

Last Time Doc Short-listed for the Academy Awards will be Eligible for Emmy Congrats to East Bay filmmaker and SDFF alum Nels Bangerter on the...

2020’s “Personhood: Policing Pregnant Women In America” Gives Context to Recent Texas Abortion Ban

SDFF 2020 Selection Gives Insight Into Increasing Restrictions on Women’s Bodily Autonomy, Self-Determination, Citizenship The recent Texas abortion ban granting private citizens the right to...

How Documentary Community Can Help Afghan Refugees Seeking Aid & Asylum

D-WORD JOINS WITH AFGHAN RESOURCES PROJECT, REQUIRES URGENT FUNDING After several weeks working to help move Afghani colleagues and associates out of harms’ way, longtime...

Michelle Meow/SF Commonwealth Club to Host a Tribute to Sally Gearhart

Life of Lesbian Luminary & Gender Studies Pioneer Celebrated On Sept. 30, the SF Commonwealth Club will hold a special tribute to lesbian feminist activist,...