Santa Fe Film Festival

Overview

The Santa Fe Film Festival is New Mexico's most important film festival. Founded in 1999 and held annually in November in Santa Fe -- one of the oldest cities in the United States and one of the American arts world's most celebrated small cities -- the festival presents independent American and international cinema in an extraordinary cultural setting.

Santa Fe's identity as a center for fine art, traditional Indigenous arts (Pueblo pottery, jewelry, and weaving), Spanish colonial heritage, and contemporary creative culture gives the festival an unusually rich aesthetic context. The city's adobe architecture, its high desert light, and its population of artists, writers, and creative professionals create a sophisticated audience for independent cinema.

New Mexico's significant Native American population -- with 23 Pueblo tribes and the Navajo Nation within the state -- gives the festival particular resonance for films addressing Indigenous experience and culture.

Key Sections

• Feature Film Program -- independent American and international features
• Southwest Film Program -- films addressing the American Southwest and its cultures
• Indigenous Film Section -- films by and about Native American communities
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs

What Filmmakers Should Know

The festival accepts open submissions. For New Mexico filmmakers, this is the most important state platform. Films addressing Indigenous culture and the American Southwest will find especially engaged audiences.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Best New Mexico Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

Santa Fe Film Festival was founded in 1999 and has operated in one of America's most arts-engaged small cities.

See Also

For Indigenous filmmaking, see American Indian Film Festival. For Southwest US cinema, see Film Festival Strategy.