Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting the best in independent film and filmmakers from around the world, inspiring savvy film lovers and introducing the power of film to student filmmakers.

Mission Statement

The Sonoma International Film Festival provides a welcoming, entertaining, and inspiring cinematic experience that supports and promotes independent films and celebrates the cultural diversity in the Sonoma Valley through the art of film. The Sonoma International Film Festival is a non-profit 501 (c)(3). Tax ID 68-0428999.

About SIFF

Named “One of the 25 Coolest Festivals” by MovieMaker Magazine and one of “America’s Top Ten Destination Film Festivals” by USA Today, the five-day film festival takes place every March screening an estimated 120 films from 200 filmmakers representing 40 countries. An estimated 7,500 live attendees and 30,000 virtual viewers, makes SIFF one of the largest arts non-profit organizations in Sonoma Valley. SIFF is noted for its participation of film and media industry jurists and panelists and continues to grow its reputation in finding and cultivating new talent from around the world, creating a significant platform for networking and distribution opportunities. SIFF programs full-length features, documentaries, as well as shorts programming in Animation, Comedy, Culinary, Documentary, Dramatic and Foreign categories. Cash and production completion grants are awarded annually to Jury and Audience Award winners. Sonoma International Film Festival is committed to the 50/50 gender parity industry pledge, as well as programming films that cover the gamut of human experience from environmental, LGBTQI+, social justice and other diverse viewpoints.

History

Founded in 1997 by friends Carolyn Stolman and Jerry Seltzer, the Sonoma International Film Festival was created to promote

Sonoma, California Sonoma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's p ...

, and its

Sister Cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

, as a destination festival to showcase the cinematic arts. Early festivals focused on the breadth of Bay Area filmmakers with work from industry veterans such as Francis Ford Coppola,

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios ...

and Danny Glover showcased. Continued focus on not only new film programming, but on what Sonoma Valley is known for—exceptional food and wine—were early components to the expanded festival experience. Since 2002, SIFF’s key initiative, the Sonoma Valley High School Media Arts Program, has provided leadership and financial resources to create a state-of-the-art studio in order for students to explore creative pursuits and diverse storytelling viewpoints through the power of film. To date, Sonoma International Film Festival has given more than $650,000, with hundreds of students graduating through the program. Prominent festival attendees include: Brooke Adams,

Karen Allen Karen Jane Allen (born October 5, 1951) is an American film and stage actress. After making her film debut in ''Animal House'' (1978), she portrayed Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), a role she la ...

David Arquette David Arquette (born September 8, 1971) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film franchise ''Scream'', for which he won a Teen Choice Award and two Blockbuster En ...

, Demián Bichir, Willie Brown, Francis Ford Coppola,

Dominique Crenn Dominique Crenn (born 1965) is a French chef. she is the only woman chef in the United States to attain three Michelin stars, for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco, California. Biography Crenn, originally from Locronan, was adopted ...

, James Cromwell, Blythe Danner, David Duchonvy, Jon Favreau,

Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known f ...

, Tyler Florence,

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in '' Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in '' The Delta Force'' (1986 ...

, Danny Glover, Melissa Joan Hart,

Patricia Heaton Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on sitcoms, having played Debra Barone on ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005) as well as Frances "Frankie" Heck on '' The Middl ...

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, ...

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. His roles include Winston Zeddemore in the '' Ghostbusters'' film series, Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in '' The Crow'' (1994), and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003) ...

, Lauren Hutton,

Robert Kamen Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as creator of '' The Karate Kid franchise'', as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which includes the screenplay for ''The Fifth ...

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in '' Beetlejuice'' ...

, Jude Law,

Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Critics' Choice A ...

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primet ...

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

, William Macy,

Jena Malone Jena Laine Malone (; born November 21, 1984) is an American actress, musician, and photographer. Known for her roles in both independent films and mainstream blockbuster features, she has received numerous accolades, including nominations for a ...

, Richard May, Angelina Mondavi, Matthew Modine,

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...

, Julia Ormond,

Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions. After his early roles in the television series '' M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy '' Risky Bu ...

Mary-Louise Parker Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' '' Prelude to a Kiss'' in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles i ...

, Alexander Payne, Eric Roberts,

Mark Romanek Mark Romanek (; born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker whose directing work includes feature films, television, music videos and commercials. Romanek wrote and directed the 2002 film ''One Hour Photo'' and directed the 2010 film '' Neve ...

, Emmy Rossum,

Meg Ryan Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1981 when she made her acting debut in the drama film ''Rich and Famous''. She later joined the cast of the CBS soap oper ...

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

, Tony Shaloub, Rachael Taylor, Casey Thompson, Deborah Unger,

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

Kimberly Williams-Paisley Kimberly Payne Williams-Paisley (née Williams; born September 14, 1971) is an American actress known for her co-starring roles on ''According to Jim'' and '' Nashville,'' as well as her breakthrough performance in '' Father of the Bride'' (199 ...

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

and

Saul Zaentz Saul Zaentz (; February 28, 1921January 3, 2014) was an American film producer and record company executive. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and, in 1996, was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Zaentz's film p ...

. Noted festival jurists and panelists include:

, John Bailey, Ed Begley Jr., Steve Chagolian, James Cromwell, Nigel Daly, Tom Davia, Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard, Joe Della Rosa, David Dinerstein, Scott Feinberg, Gudrun Giddings, Pamela Guest, Grant Gullickson, JD Heyman, Michael Howell,

, Gabrielle Kelly, Hunt Lowry, Michèle Maheux,

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

, Mike Repesch, Arianne Rocchi, Ingrid Rudefors,

Anna Serner Anna Serner, born 11 October 1964 in Stockholm, is a Swedish legal professional, public speaker and former CEO of the Swedish Film Institute. Biography Born in 1964, Anna Serner is the CEO of the Swedish Film Institute. She took up the post o ...

, Bart Walker, Lucy Walker and April Wright.

Honors And Tributes

Francis Ford Coppola 1998 Danny Glover 1999

2000 Richard May 2001

2002 Alexander Payne 2003

2003

2003 Blythe Danner 2004

2005 Danny Glover 2006

2007

2008

2009 Lauren Hutton 2010

2011

2012

2013 Demián Bichir 2013 Jude Law 2014

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

2015

2016

Leadership

Staff Ginny Krieger, Executive Director, began her career with SIFF as a Board of Directors member in 2001. She has held management roles within the organization including Co-Director, Administrative Director, and Assistant Director prior to serving in her current role. Krieger’s career includes C-level positions with health, wellness, fitness and luxury services companies prior to relocating to Sonoma from Boston. Her management, finance, strategy and organizational acumen provide the needed guidance and leadership necessary to produce world-class festival experiences year after year. Carl Spence, Artistic Director, brings decades of film festival and industry experience including longtime leadership roles with Seattle International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, and San Francisco International Film Festival, among others. Concurrent to his role with Sonoma International Film Festival, he is the Co-Founder, Co-Director, and Chief Curator of the Orcas Island Film Festival. Spence also serves as a consultant to key industry stalwarts such as FilmFreeway and Eventive; and as served as a jurist at internationally acclaimed festivals including Sundance Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival, Savannah Film Festival, Ashland Film Festival, Cleveland Film Festival, Frameline and Vancouver International Film Festival. Kevin W. McNeely, Director Emeritus, continues to inspire and support creative development and pursuits in Sonoma and around the world. Under his guidance, the Sonoma Valley High School Media Arts Program was conceived in 2002 and remains SIFF's primary annual charitable giving initiative. He served as the SIFF Board of Directors Chairman prior to becoming Executive Director in 2010 and Artistic Director in 2020.

Board of Directors

Bob Berg (Chairman), Ken Wornick (Vice Chairman), Keith Casale (Treasurer), Cynthia Wornick (Secretary), Armar A. Archbold, Amanda Bevan, Chris Cahill, Jon Curry, Greg Hanss, Kimberly Hughes, Patrick Pesetti, and Johanna Wolf.

References

External links

* * * Film festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area Sonoma, California Tourist attractions in Sonoma County, California {{US-film-festival-stub