Santa Fe Independent Film Festival

Founding

The Santa Fe Independent Film Festival (also known as SFIFF and Santa Fe IFF) was created in 2009 through collaboration between filmmakers Jacques Paisner and David Moore. The festival commences in October each year in multiple theaters in the Santa Fe area. The festival's goal was to create a pathway between community and filmmakers through experiencing New Mexico, in an attempt to keep film vibrant in the state.

The festival screens narrative features, short films, animation, experimental, documentary, underground and art cinema, international or local.

2009

The inaugural of SFIFF in 2009 brought about 500 attendees and 25 screenings.

2010

In the festival's second year, it presented 80 films that spanned through 6 days, 40 of which were international premieres from twelve different countries, all to the expected attendance rate of 2,000.

Awards to the Best Feature, Best New Mexican Film, Best International, Best Animated, Best Documentary and Audience Choice Award were decided by an online ballot.

2011

Growing, Santa Fe IFF now screened 100 films spanning a 5-day event to an audience of 2,500 viewers with a projection of interns from 30 to 75. The festival also began to highlight themes. In 2011, The Santa Fe Independent Film Festival partnered with Robert Redford's production company, Milagro at Los Luceros, which is based in New Mexico for Latin and Native Americans.

Special guests invited were Academy Award Winners Tony Mark, Kirby Dick, Digby Wolfe and New Mexico’s Alton Walpole, a local filmmaker in Santa Fe. Aviva Farber, Jon Hendry, and Wes and Maura Studi presented the awards to the winners of certain awards.

2012

In SFIFF's fourth year, 5,000 people attended the New Mexico Premiere and Red Carpet Gala opening of “Bless Me Ultima”, the film adaptation of the novel by Rudolfo Anaya at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, as well as the New Mexico premiere of Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes.

A filmmaker’s brunch was organized to speak of film progression in New Mexico between local filmmakers and professionals throughout the festival. Special guests included Director Chris Eyre, Rudolfo Anaya, Judy Blume, along with the McManus Brothers, directors of the independent film, “Funeral Kings”.

SFIFF Testimonials

"In fact, I often felt like I was at an all-inclusive resort for cinephiles rather than attending a mere film festival." Lauren Wissot, Filmmaker Magazine

Special Guests

In its initial four years the festival has brought Chris Eyre, Judy Blume, Rudolfo Anaya, McManus Brothers, Alton Walpole, Kirby Dick, Tony Mark, Aviva Farber, Jon Hendry, Wes Studi, Gary Farmer, Russell Means, Digby Wolfe

Notable Films