Overview
Crossroads is San Francisco Cinematheque's annual film festival, dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary avant-garde film, video, and performance work. The 17th edition (CROSSROADS 2026) runs September 4-6, 2026, at Gray Area in San Francisco. The festival was inaugurated in 2010 and has been presented annually at Gray Area since 2022.
Crossroads is a curated, non-competitive festival. There are no jury prizes, no competition categories, and no awards. The festival pays rental fees to all works screened, which is uncommon for experimental film festivals. The curatorial process is open to submissions but selection is based on curatorial judgment, not competition.
The festival programs work across a wide range of experimental forms: avant-garde film, video art, personal cinema, abstract film, expanded cinema (multi-projector works, live performance with film/video), and formally innovative narrative and documentary work. The festival is less interested in traditionally-formatted narrative films or topically-oriented documentary films. CROSSROADS has been described as "the most expansive showcase for experimental media in the United States" (Alex Fields, In Review Online).
Since 2022, CROSSROADS has been followed by an online "echo" featuring works included in the theatrical presentations, presented at sfcinematheque.org. The 2026 online echo is pending funding confirmation.
Submission Details
Crossroads accepts submissions through an online submission form (Google Forms) posted on the CROSSROADS 2026 call for entries page. The festival does not use FilmFreeway.
CROSSROADS 2026 Deadlines and Fees:
| Deadline | Date | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Early | January 31, 2026 | $25 per entry |
| Late | February 28, 2026 | $30 per entry |
| Extended | March 31, 2026 | $30 per entry |
Payments are accepted via PayPal, Venmo (@sfcinematheque), or check/money order (payable to San Francisco Cinematheque, mailed to 55 Taylor Street, San Francisco CA 94102). Entry fees are waived for Cinematheque members with no limit on number of entries.
Completion date preference: CROSSROADS prefers to preview film/video work completed 2024-2026. Work completed prior to 2024 may be submitted if the filmmaker feels it is right for the festival, keeping the curatorial preference in mind.
Premiere policy: CROSSROADS has no premiere requirement. The festival is open to all works regardless of premiere status. World, national, and local premieres are honored and referenced in promotional materials, but premiere status has little bearing on selection decisions.
Submission format: The strong preference is streaming online video. If physical media is necessary (DVD, Blu-ray, film print, hard drive), filmmakers should contact festival@sfcinematheque.org to discuss.
Exhibition formats: Viable formats for cinema space exhibition include 8mm, Super-8mm, 16mm, QuickTime/ProRes, and Blu-ray. CROSSROADS cannot present work as DCP or 35mm. The festival also presents multi-projector ("expanded cinema") works, performance cinema, and works involving live music or other live components. Installation work or work intended for gallery presentation cannot be accommodated. Online echo screenings use digital video (QuickTime ProRes preferred).
Notification: Entrants of films selected for CROSSROADS 2026 will be informed via email approximately mid-June 2026. Final information on the work and the artist(s) (film note, bio, images, etc.) will be requested at that time. Exhibition copies must be provided by July 31, 2026. All physical exhibition media will be returned at the conclusion of the festival.
Rental fees: Cinematheque pays rental fees for all works screened in CROSSROADS. This is a significant benefit for experimental filmmakers, as many comparable festivals do not pay screening fees.
Key Sections
Crossroads does not organize its program into named competitive sections. The festival is curated as a series of screening programs, typically grouped by thematic, formal, or durational relationships among the selected works. The 2026 edition runs across three days (September 4-6) at Gray Area.
Programming includes:
- Avant-garde film and video - single-projector experimental film and video works
- Expanded cinema - multi-projector works, live performance with film/video
- Performance cinema - works involving dance, motion performance, live music, or other live components
- Experimental animation - formally innovative animated work
- Personal and diary film - first-person and autobiographical cinema
- Abstract and graphic cinema - non-representational film and video
- Conceptual work - idea-driven cinematic forms
- Formally innovative narrative and documentary - work that challenges conventional narrative or documentary structure
Past CROSSROADS editions have included work by artists such as Nathaniel Dorsky, Kevin Jerome Everson, Sky Hopinka, Cauleen Smith, Deborah Stratman, Jodie Mack, Simon Liu, Daichi Saito, Jerome Hiler, Saul Levine, and many others. The festival's curatorial history is documented on the CROSSROADS history page.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Crossroads is a non-competitive festival. There are no prizes, no jury, and no awards. The festival's value for filmmakers is exhibition, rental fees, and inclusion in a curated program alongside other experimental work. For avant-garde and experimental filmmakers, CROSSROADS is one of the most important US exhibition opportunities, particularly for work in 16mm, Super-8mm, and expanded cinema formats that cannot be presented at festivals requiring DCP.
The festival's inability to present DCP or 35mm is a defining constraint. Filmmakers whose work exists only in DCP or 35mm cannot be programmed. The accepted exhibition formats (8mm, Super-8mm, 16mm, QuickTime/ProRes, Blu-ray) align with the material practices of experimental cinema but exclude standard digital cinema packages.
The rental fee policy is a concrete financial benefit. Unlike most festivals that do not pay screening fees, CROSSROADS pays rental fees for all selected works, treating filmmakers as artists rather than content providers. This is consistent with San Francisco Cinematheque's broader organizational ethos as a nonprofit experimental media arts center.
The festival's submission fee ($25-30) is modest compared to major international festivals, and is waived entirely for Cinematheque members. Membership information is available at sfcinematheque.org/supportmembership.
The festival's venue, Gray Area, is a San Francisco arts organization focused on creative technology and digital culture. The venue provides a cinema space suitable for expanded cinema and live performance work, which is a specific curatorial priority for CROSSROADS.
For filmmakers whose work is selected, the festival requests film notes, bios, and images for the program. The festival also promotes selected works through its website and social media channels. The online echo (when it occurs) provides additional exposure beyond the physical festival dates.
Festival History
Crossroads was inaugurated in 2010 by San Francisco Cinematheque as an annual festival dedicated to contemporary experimental film, video, and performance cinema. The festival was founded to provide a dedicated exhibition platform for avant-garde moving image work within the broader San Francisco Bay Area arts ecosystem.
San Francisco Cinematheque itself was founded in 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating experimental media arts organizations in the United States. Cinematheque's year-round programming includes screenings, performances, exhibitions, and publications dedicated to artist-made cinema. CROSSROADS functions as the organization's flagship annual festival event, consolidating its curatorial work into a three-day public program.
From its inaugural edition in 2010 through 2021, CROSSROADS was presented at various San Francisco venues. Since 2022, the festival has been held annually at Gray Area. The festival has maintained its commitment to presenting work across the full range of experimental moving image practices, from single-projector 16mm film to multi-projector expanded cinema performances.
The festival has grown over 17 editions into what critics have called the most expansive showcase for experimental media in the United States. The 16th edition (CROSSROADS 2025) was held August 29-31, 2025, at Gray Area. The 17th edition (CROSSROADS 2026) will be held September 4-6, 2026, at Gray Area, with the festival line-up to be announced in late July 2026.
The online "echo" program was introduced in 2022 as a way to extend the festival's reach beyond physical attendance. The echo presents digital video versions of works included in the theatrical program on the Cinematheque website, subject to filmmaker agreement and funding availability.
See Also
For festival submission strategy and budgeting, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For experimental filmmaking approaches, see Experimental Filmmaking Guide. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy.
Festival Submission Resources
The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide
Christopher Schiller's comprehensive guide to navigating the festival circuit, from submission strategy to on-the-ground networking.
Film Festival Secrets
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DCP Media Drives
Browse B&H Photo's selection of DCP-compatible hard drives and media for festival delivery requirements.
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