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52nd edition
Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle, United States
May 7-17, 2026
11 days
About Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual multi-week event programmed by the Seattle-based arts nonprofit SIFF, which also operates three year-round cinemas in the city. The festival screens a lineup drawn from more than 80 countries and is one of the largest film festivals in the United States by attendance, drawing around 150,000 attendees. Documentary programming is a regular pillar alongside narrative features, shorts and retrospectives.
Festival details
Location
Seattle, WA · Seattle, United States
Scope
International
Focus
World Cinema · Documentary · Narrative Features · Shorts · Animation
Duration
11 days
Founded
1976
Awards
Golden Space Needle Audience Awards
Signature audience-voted awards (Best Film, Documentary, Director, Actor, Actress).
Grand Jury Prize - Documentary Feature
Jury award in the New Documentary Competition.
Grand Jury Prize - Narrative Feature
Jury award in New Directors or Official Competition.
FutureWave Shorts Award
For filmmakers 18 and under in the FutureWave youth program.
Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision
Audience-voted, honoring a female director and her body of work.
Special programs
Annual Film Festival
Multi-week spring festival with films from 80+ countries.
SIFF Cinema
Year-round programming across SIFF Cinema Downtown, Uptown and Film Center.
SIFF Education
Year-round programs for students, teachers and families.
Ani-Marathon
Annual showcase of anime features.
Movie Club
Curated screening series for members and the public.
For filmmakers
Screening eligibility
Submissions via FilmFreeway with early, regular and late deadlines.
Accepted formats
Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Short Film, Animation
Best Documentary Films
Award-Winning Documentaries
Curated For You
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