Founded in 2007, the first ever Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival (SDFF) boldly curated 44 films that brought into focus a wealth of talented filmmakers from Sonoma County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Sixteen years later, nearly 700 titles from 62 countries were openly submitted for SDFF 2023. Sixty-three films were programmed, attended by 93 filmmakers and an impressive audience, through in-person and streaming delivery.
SDFF honors diversity in all forms. We continue to provide equal opportunity for filmmakers through open calls for entry; explore what it’s like for any life to wake to its existence.
SDFF is an Oscar ® qualifying Film Festival for documentaries in the short form. Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival is proudly progressive, often featuring spotlights on social justice, journalism, current issues. When the right films come through we’ve programmed different POV’s of the same story. Given the proliferation of AI, documentary might become our only touchstone for what was ‘real’ at a moment in time. What better platform than a non-fiction film festival to encourage fresh and critical thinking?
Indigenous Land Acknowledgment
We respectfully and gratefully acknowledge that we live and work on the unceded, traditional lands of the Me-Wuk (Coast Miwok), Southern Pomo, Kashaya people.
SDFF Through the Years
Franklin J. Schaffner Jury Awards
SDFF Jury Awards given are through the generosity of the Schaffner Family Foundation.
Director Franklin J. Schaffner began in live television, where he won 4 Emmys in Direction: one for the teleplay Twelve Angry Men (1954), two for The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (1955) and one for an episode of The Defenders (1962). Soon after, he progressed to the silver screen where he helmed such notable projects as The Planet of the Apes, Patton (for which he won both the Directors Guild of America Award and an Academy Award® for Best Director), Nicholas and Alexandra, Papillion, and The Boys From Brazil. He is considered one of the great epic directors of his time, along with Richard Attenborough and David lean, and widely revered by filmmakers and historians for his body of work.
Filmmaker recipients and SDFF are honored by the Schaffner Foundation’s support. It strengthens our commitment to excellence in craft, storytelling and authenticity.