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San Francisco Film Festivals 2025
Written by: Jill Loeffler • Published: January 22, 2014 • Updated: January 9, 2025
If you enjoy movies like me, you will love the diversity of films at this year's San Francisco film festivals.
Each year, you will find almost fifty festivals that range from the large International Film Festival in April to the smaller Dance Film Festival in November.
One of the things I love about living in San Francisco is that we also have new festivals all the time.
They take on new and often talked about subjects that are not often covered in other theater settings.
I'll add these new ones as they are announced throughout the year.
This year's San Francisco film festivals show their masterpieces at theaters throughout the city.
Disclaimer: I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.
January 2025
Noir City
Dates: 1/24 - 2/2
Location: Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland
Enjoy classic noir creations from around the world at this year's Noir City Film Festival. Most of these works are from the 1940s and 1950s.
This year's theme is "Where Winsome Women Turn Wicked!" and features 24 movies with femmes who made their film noire fatale!
Some of this year's films include:
- Out of the Past (1947)
- The Narrow Margin (1952)
- Tension (1949)
- The Prowler (1951)
Many of the films this year include the six actresses featured in Eddie Muller's 2002 book Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir. The book is being reissued in April 2025 with updates and new information, so this is your chance to see these ladies in action before you pick up the revised edition of this book!
This year's event is in Oakland at the Grand Lake Theater.
>> Visit their site for this years schedule
February 2025
San Francisco Independent Film Festival
Dates: 2/6 - 2/13
The San Francisco Independent Film Festival is back again in 2025 with 80 films on their schedule.
Created by indie filmmakers, these films cover a wide variety of topics from around the world including some from the Bay Area.
Genres include animation, comedy, documentary, erotic, sports and so many others. You can also enjoy both shorts and feature length films.
This year's festival can be enjoyed both in person or virtually.
All in person movies are at the Roxie Theater in the Mission District.
>> Visit their site to learn more and see this year's full schedule
March 2025
San Francisco Greek Film Festival
Dates: 3/15 - 3/22
Location: 600 The Embarcadero in the Delancey Screening Room
All pieces shown during this festival showcase works from Greek filmmakers. They include both shorts and full length films.
All productions include English subtitles.
In addition, producers from Greece will be on hand to interact and answer questions about the Greek film industry.
>> Visit their site for this year's full schedule
April 2025
SF Urban Film Fest
Dates: TBD
We all know San Francisco is a big, beautiful, complex city. But what does that mean?
Let yourself delve deeper into this urban world with the 10th annual week-long SF Urban Film Fest, whose film screenings, panel discussions, and storytelling workshops are designed to inspire and awaken civic engagement.
>> Visit their site for more details
Ocean Film Festival
Dates: 4/11 - 4/13
This year marks the 22nd anniversary for the Ocean Film Festival.
Over the course of five days, you get the chance to see more than 50 works that celebrate the oceans around it.
They include pieces on our oceans' fragile ecosystem, stories about those that explore its depths and surfers that use it to make a living.
>> Visit this official site for a full list of this year's films
San Francisco International Film Festival
Dates: 4/17 - 4/27
This is one of the largest San Francisco film festivals.
It's also the longest running film festival in the Americas.
For ten days in the spring, it features dozens of films from countries around the world.
>> Visit their site for this year's calendar
Silent Film Festival
Dates: TBD
This unique festival celebrates silent movies as an art form.
For four days, you get the chance to see 18 beautiful pieces set to music.
All films show at the gorgeous Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in the Marina District.
>> Visit their site for details
Berlin & Beyond
Dates: TBD
This year marks the 28th Anniversary for this popular SF event.
All productions are from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
This one showcases the amazing talent from this part of the world.
>> Visit their site for details
May 2025
CAAM Fest
Dates: TBD
Presented by the Center for Asian American Media, CAAM Fest presents works by the world's most innovative Asian and Asian American artists.
The 120 pieces for this year celebrate film, music, food and digital media.
>> More on their official site
June 2025
SF Doc Fest
Dates: 5/29 - 6/8
This annual event dedicates itself to documentaries. It started in 2001.
This two week event showcases real live stories that give us a look inside the beautiful and chaotic world we live in.
>> Find this year's schedule on their official site
San Francisco Black Film Festival
Dates: TBD
Enjoy four days of films created by Black filmmakers, writers, and actors this June in San Francisco.
This festival includes both feature length films and shorts.
Most are shown at the African American Arts and Cultural Complex at 762 Fulton Street.
>> More about this year's festival
Frameline
Dates: 6/18 - 6/28
Frameline is SF's International LGBT Film Festival.
Pieces include documentaries that capture the spirit of the community, world cinema with international themes and shorts that provide a quick look at stories about this community.
>> Visit the official Frameline site
Queer Women of Color
Dates: 6/13 - 6/15
This year's Queer Women of Color Festival heads into its 20th year.
See more than 50 films dedicated to educating the community about this diverse and sometimes misunderstood community.
>> Visit their official site for more details
July 2025
SF Frozen Film Festival
Dates: 7/16 - 7/20
This is one of the San Francisco film festivals that offers the chance for independent filmmakers, youth, and artists in under served communities to showcase their creations.
All films play at the Roxie Theater in the heart of SF's Mission District.
LABORFEST
Dates: TBD
For over 25 years, this is one of the San Francisco film festivals that showcases the history and culture of working people.
It tells the real story of those working hard to make a living including people in unions, unorganized workers and those that support them.
It includes films, but also walking tours, talks, and other important events throughout SF. Here is where you will find this year's shows.
>> Full schedule for this July
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Dates: July 17 - August 3
This event introduces you to documentaries, feature films and narrative shorts produced by members of the Jewish community.
All entries are from independent filmmakers that create pieces reflecting the traditions, history and thoughts of this community.
>> Visit their site for more details
August 2025
TBD
September 2025
Ocean Beach Surf Film Festival
Dates: TBD for 2025
Making its debut in 2024, this film festival is all about the San Francisco surf scene.
It features just a few films over three days in mid-September.
>> Find out more on their official site
October 2025
Latino Film Festival
Dates: TBD
This annual festival showcases works from both up-and-coming and well known filmmakers from the US, Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.
The festival includes documentaries, fiction, and short films. All focus on the Latino culture and communities.
>> More on their official site
Arab Film Festival
Dates: TBD
This is one of the San Francisco film festivals designed to raise the awareness of the Arab community.
It features productions with an alternative view of real life Arab people and their culture, history, art and politics.
>> Visit their site for additional details
SF International South Asian Film Festival
Dates: TBD
This fest offers the best independent cinema from South Asia and the Diaspora.
It's the oldest South Asian film festival in the US.
Enjoy everything from documentaries to Bollywood over three days of screenings at the Roxie and Castro Theatre.
>> More about this year's film festival
UNAFF (United Nations Association Film Festival)
Dates: TBD
For eight days, you get the chance to catch a variety of documentary films dealing with human rights, environmental issues, population, and migrations.
Other film topics include women's issues, refugees, homelessness, racism, health and more. Films are from independent film makers from around the world.
>> More about this year's festival
SF International Festival of Short Films
Dates: 11/6 - 11/13
If you like your movies in bit size chunks, then this is the festival for you. All movies shown during this event are less than 30 minutes.
It's one of the best as they offer a diverse range of engaging materials in a short amount of time that will really make you think.
>> Visit the SF Indie site for details
Green Film Festival of San Francisco
Dates: 11/6 - 11/13
The Green Film Festival is another one of the fantastic San Francisco film festivals produced by SF IndieFest.
This event features films about the challenges we face on maintaining a livable and thriving planet.
It includes documentaries, adventures, animation and even a narrative fiction film category with environmental themes.
It's a great way to learn more about our challenges and some of the solutions others are working on.
>> Visit their site for details
Dance Film Festival
Dates: 11/5 - 11/9
This light-hearted festival showcases interesting dance based films.
The large range of dance films shown here highlight the diverse talent and innovations of this talented group of artists.
>> Visit their site for this year's film line-up
November 2025
Transgender Film Festival
Dates: TBD
This is a San Francisco film festival that offers an opportunity for the transgender community to get their story out to the rest of the world.
For three days in November, it features award winning flicks by transgender and gender variant artists from around the world.
This year's event will be at the Roxie in the Mission.
December 2025
Another Hole in the Head
Dates: TBD
The annual Another Hole in the Head Genre Film Festival features horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy and exploitation films.
It offers you the chance to see engaging pieces that are not typically shown in local theaters.
This film festival offers both in person and on demand viewings.
>> Visit the SF IndieFest site for details
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