Santa Clarita International Film Festival

What Santa Clarita International Film Festival does

The Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that produces an annual international film festival in Santa Clarita, California, a market where roughly 65% of residents work in the film industry. Founded in 2021 and operating with a small team of 1–10 employees, SCIFF has scaled its flagship event to approximately 1,300 attendees and 175 films, alongside 59 virtual films, 30 music performances, 30 comedy performances, and 15 awards in its most recent edition (December 11–14, 2025). The festival has expanded beyond pure film into a multi-disciplinary program covering music, comedy, and art.

SCIFF's business model combines four revenue streams: tiered ticket and festival pass sales (single tickets from $5 up to $250 premium passes), tiered corporate sponsorship packages ranging from $250 to $15,000, tax-deductible donations enabled by its non-profit status, and filmmaker submission fees. Its technology footprint is light and platform-dependent: the website integrates Stripe for payments and FilmFreeway as the industry-standard film submission intake channel, with no proprietary platform components described. Operational partners include the College of the Canyons (internship pipeline announced 2025-11-28) and Lexen Hotel as the official partner hotel, both of which anchor the festival in the local Santa Clarita ecosystem.

Name

Santa Clarita International Film Festival

Legal name

Santa Clarita International Film Festival

Website

https://sciff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs an annual multi-disciplinary festival — film, music, comedy, and art — in Santa Clarita, California, serving indie filmmakers, local audiences, and regional sponsors since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival / Arts Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAKAD

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

Keywords

• Film festival events
• Independent film screenings
• Arts festival programming
• Filmmaker submission platform
• Arts community nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clarita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to film screenings, comedy shows, music performances, panels, table reads, book readings, art gallery, and opening/closing night events. Various price points from $5-$250.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers ranging from $250 to $15,000, including Festival Presenting Sponsor, Film Presenting Sponsor, Film Opening/Closing Night Sponsor, Film Screening Block Sponsorship, Film Award Sponsorship, Day Sponsorship, and Acoustic Stage sponsorship.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations as SCIFF is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Donations support the festival operations and Left of Center program for women filmmakers.
4. Film Submission Fees: Revenue from film submission fees via FilmFreeway platform. Accepts submissions until October 15th annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that hosts an annual multi-disciplinary arts festival in Santa Clarita, California, running over four days (December 11-14, 2025). The festival combines film screenings with comedy, music, visual arts, panel discussions, table reads, and book readings, providing independent filmmakers with exhibition, awards, and networking opportunities while entertaining local audiences. The festival accepts submissions through FilmFreeway, sells tickets via its website, secures corporate sponsorships, and runs a 501c3 donation program including the Left of Center incubator for women filmmakers.

Product overview

The Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF) is a multi-disciplinary arts festival organized as a 501c3 non-profit organization. The festival operates as a platform combining multiple artistic mediums into a unified event, featuring a core Film Festival program with screenings across narrative features, documentary features, shorts, and animated films. Supporting programming includes a Comedy Festival with live stand-up performances, Music Performances across multiple stages (Acoustic Stage, Blaze the Mic Showcase, Legion Hall), an Art Gallery exhibition, Panel Discussions on film industry topics, Table Reads for screenplays, and Book Readings. The festival offers supplementary services including ticket passes (All Access Festival Passes), sponsorship packages, donation opportunities, and food truck provisions. The event runs annually over 3 days (December 11-14, 2025) at multiple venues in Santa Clarita, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Festival Program Annual 3-4 day film festival featuring screenings of narrative features, documentary features, short films, animated shorts, foreign films, music videos, micro shorts, and pitch trailers across multiple Santa Clarita theaters (December 11-14, 2025). Includes 12+ award categories with trophies presented to winning filmmakers.
• Comedy Festival Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 1300 attendees over 3 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• College of the Canyons (COC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2025SCIFF launched a new internship program in partnership with College of the Canyons, expanding its training and development initiatives for emerging filmmakers. Students from the college participate as screeners, reviewers, camera operators, production assistants, and coordinators across festival departments. The partnership provides COC students with real-world production experience and professional workflows in film and event production.
• Lexen Hotel (Official Partner Hotel)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Lexen Hotel is SCIFF's official partner hotel for 2024, located in Old Town Newhall. Festival attendees receive 15% discount using code 7500. The hotel celebrates the historic culture of Old Town Newhall while embracing contemporary travel elegance.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Austin Film Festival: Texas-based non-profit festival of comparable size combining screenplay competition, indie film screenings and panel programming. Comparable as a community-rooted, multi-discipline festival that leans on industry networking rather than red-carpet glamour.
• Slamdance Film Festival: Independent film festival that explicitly positions itself for emerging filmmakers outside the major festival circuit. Mirrors SCIFF's indie/submission-fee-driven model and appeal to first-time and self-distributing filmmakers.
• Cleveland International Film Festival: Non-profit regional film festival of comparable scale, known for indie/foreign film programming and strong community sponsorships. Closely comparable scale, non-profit structure, and mix of submission fees, ticket sales and sponsor revenue.
• Nashville Film Festival: Mid-sized US non-profit regional festival covering indie features, docs, shorts and music-driven programming. Comparable in size, organization type, and mix of film/music/community programming at a regional level.
• Mill Valley Film Festival: California non-profit regional festival with a multi-day curated program blending indie features, documentaries and shorts. Comparable in California geography, scale, and indie/community orientation.
• Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival: California-based non-profit festival built around indie/emerging filmmakers and creativity-themed programming. Comparable scale and multi-discipline approach (film + technology + arts), serving a similar independent-filmmaker ecosystem.
• Sarasota Film Festival: Florida-based non-profit community film festival of comparable regional scale. Closely comparable in operating model, sponsor/ticket mix, and ability to draw local audiences in a non-major-market metro.
• Bend Film Festival: Smaller non-profit regional festival combining indie film screenings with music and storytelling programming. Comparable in community-driven scale, multi-medium format, and lean operating team.
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival: California-based non-profit regional film festival of comparable scale, also screening independent and prestige films with multi-day program and awards. Closest geographic peer and the most directly comparable California indie-festival operating model.
• Palm Springs International Film Festival: Southern California non-profit festival running a multi-day indie/awards-oriented program near LA. Directly comparable as a California-based festival serving overlapping filmmaker and attendee pools, with similar sponsor/donation revenue mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sciffest3210/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCIFFESTIVAL
• Instagraminstagram.com/sciffestival

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Santa Clarita International Film Festival