Spokane International Film Festival (SpIFF)

Overview

The Spokane International Film Festival (SpIFF) is eastern Washington's primary film festival. Presented by the Contemporary Arts Alliance (CAA), a Spokane-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SpIFF has screened international and independent features, documentaries, and short films since 1999. The 27th annual festival ran March 6 to 8, 2026, at multiple venues across downtown Spokane. The 28th edition is planned for March 2027, with submissions open via FilmFreeway.

SpIFF is an intimate festival where filmmakers and audiences engage directly with the art of cinema. The festival programs a small, selective offering of world-class features, documentaries, and shorts that have not yet been commercially released. Screenings, parties, and events are open to the public and designed to encourage interaction between filmmakers and audiences.

Spokane is the second-largest city in Washington State (approximately 230,000 residents), located in the Inland Northwest - a region spanning eastern Washington and northern Idaho that is culturally distinct from the coastal Pacific Northwest. The city is home to Gonzaga University and Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Spokane's downtown core, where SpIFF screenings take place, has experienced significant revitalization with restaurants, breweries, and arts venues.

Submission Details

Submissions for SpIFF 2027 are open via FilmFreeway.

Eligibility Rules

• SpIFF will not consider open submissions that were publicly screened before the submission deadline of the most recently completed festival (October 15, 2025 for SpIFF 2027)
• Films readily available on the internet without password protection will not be considered, except in extraordinary circumstances (retrospective screenings, films of regional significance, or special invitations)
• SpIFF loves Pacific Northwest filmmakers and especially values those who have their Spokane premiere at SpIFF. Open submissions that receive significant prior exhibition in Spokane (theatrical, non-theatrical, broadcast, or streaming) may be declined at the programmers' discretion
• Filmmakers who plan to require a screening fee must notify SpIFF when submitting on FilmFreeway
• Contact submissions@spokanefilmfestival.org with any eligibility questions before submitting or before screening work in Spokane

Submission Categories

• Narrative feature films
• Documentary feature films
• Short films (narrative, documentary, animated)
• Genre is open

Awards and Prizes

SpIFF presents both jury awards and audience awards. The 2026 festival awarded the following:

The SpIFFy Award is the festival's signature trophy. Jury awards are announced at the SpIFF Awards Party, held on the Saturday night of the festival. The 2026 Awards Party took place at the Garland Theater, hosted between the 6pm and 8:30pm screenings, with light food and desserts. Beverages are available at the BON BON, the iconic bar adjacent to the Garland Theater. Audience awards are announced on the SpIFF website after all ballots are counted.

Festival Program and Screenings

Venues

SpIFF screenings and events take place at multiple venues across downtown Spokane. The 2026 festival utilized:

• Garland Theater - historic venue used for screenings and the SpIFF Awards Party
• Multiple downtown Spokane venues - screenings spread across downtown

The festival's multi-venue approach encourages audiences to explore downtown Spokane and creates a festival atmosphere across the city core.

Festival Format

SpIFF runs for three days (Friday through Sunday in recent editions). The 2026 festival ran March 6 to 8. The intimate scale means the festival programs a selective lineup rather than a massive slate. Screenings are followed by Q&As with filmmakers, and the festival's size ensures that attending filmmakers have direct access to audiences and other filmmakers.

Awards Party

The Saturday night SpIFF Awards Party is a central social event of the festival. Held at the Garland Theater between evening screenings, the party combines the jury award announcements with food, drinks, and socializing. This event is open to the public and is designed to maximize filmmaker-audience interaction.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Spokane Premiere Requirement

For Pacific Northwest filmmakers, SpIFF places strong emphasis on the Spokane premiere. Open submissions that receive significant exhibition in Spokane prior to SpIFF (via theatrical, non-theatrical, broadcast, or streaming venues) may be declined. Filmmakers should contact submissions@spokanefilmfestival.org before screening their work in Spokane if they plan to submit to SpIFF. This is a key strategic consideration: if you want to screen at SpIFF, hold your Spokane premiere for the festival.

No Online Availability

SpIFF will not consider open submissions that are readily available on the internet without password protection. This applies to streaming services, public Vimeo/YouTube uploads, and similar platforms. Filmmakers should ensure their film is not publicly available online before submitting. Password-protected screeners are fine.

Intimate Festival Scale

SpIFF is intentionally small and selective. The festival programs a limited number of films rather than running hundreds of screenings. This means competition for slots is high relative to the festival's size, but also means selected films get meaningful attention from audiences and press. The intimate format maximizes filmmaker-audience interaction.

No Formal Film Market

SpIFF does not host a film market or industry marketplace. The festival is a cultural event, not a distribution marketplace. Filmmakers should not expect acquisition executives or structured industry meetings. The value is in audience engagement, community connection, and the festival's reputation within the Pacific Northwest regional circuit. Press attendance is primarily local and regional.

Budgeting for Attendance

Spokane is significantly more affordable than Seattle or Portland. Hotel rates in downtown Spokane typically run $90 to $160 per night. The nearest major airport is Spokane-Fairchild International Airport (GEG), approximately 7 miles from downtown, with direct flights from most major US cities. Downtown Spokane is compact and walkable, with the festival's multiple venues within reasonable proximity. Amtrak's Empire Builder stops in Spokane.

Inland Northwest Audience

Spokane's audience is culturally distinct from the coastal Pacific Northwest. The Inland Northwest has strong connections to agriculture, mining heritage, and outdoor recreation. The city has an educated population thanks to Gonzaga University and WSU's medical school campus. Audiences are enthusiastic about independent cinema - the region is underserved by major film events, and SpIFF audiences bring strong engagement to screenings. Filmmakers with films about rural America, the American West, or subjects resonating with inland communities may find particularly receptive audiences.

Festival History

The Spokane International Film Festival was founded in 1999 and has operated annually as eastern Washington's primary film cultural event. The festival is a presentation of the Contemporary Arts Alliance (CAA), a Spokane-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage a diverse audience in the arts by bringing high-quality regional, national, and international contemporary art to the Inland Northwest. CAA was founded in 1995 and has brought an array of artistic programs to the region, including international acoustic artists, visual and installation art exhibits, contemporary dance, and film.

The president of CAA is Dr. Pete Porter, a Professor of Film in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Porter specializes in nonhuman animal representation in film and media, Menippean satire in film, film festival studies, cognitive-analytical film theory, and animation studies. His scholarship includes work on The Big Lebowski and a forthcoming book titled A Cinema of Persons: From Marching Penguins to Octopus Teachers.

The 27th annual SpIFF ran March 6 to 8, 2026, in Spokane. The 28th edition is planned for March 2027, with submissions open via FilmFreeway and a notification date of February 6, 2027.

See Also

For Pacific Northwest festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For independent filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. To calculate the return on festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. Visit the official SpIFF website or the SpIFF FilmFreeway page for current submission information.