United Nations Association Film Festival

What United Nations Association Film Festival does

The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1998 at Stanford University, jointly produced with the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter of UNA-USA. UNAFF operates a non-competitive, documentary-only film festival — positioned in its own materials as the world's only public film forum dedicated to UN-related issues — screening films on human rights, environmental survival, refugee protection, women's issues, disease control, war and peace, and education. The core offering is the annual October festival held at Stanford venues (Cubberley Auditorium, Annenberg Auditorium, Bechtel International Center), featuring ~30 films selected from 250+ international submissions. It is complemented by the UNAFF Extension Program (a traveling festival reaching 9+ U.S. cities through local UNA chapter partners) and five year-round community programs: UNAFF in Libraries, UNAFF for Seniors, UNAFF with Veterans, UNAFF Women's Salon, and UNAFF in Schools.

The organization runs with a core team of 1-10 staff (Festival Director Jasmina Bojic, Assistant Director, plus volunteers and interns) and does not develop proprietary software; its technological footprint is standard nonprofit digital infrastructure (unaff.org website, Constant Contact email list, Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/Instagram/LinkedIn channels). Its underlying "technology" is documentary film and video as a medium for social-political understanding and education, leveraging a curated international content library built through two decades of open filmmaker submissions rather than any platform architecture.

UNAFF's go-to-market is event-driven and partnership-led: annual flagship festival, traveling regional screenings, and hyper-targeted community programs distributed through partnerships with Stanford University, local UNA chapters, libraries, senior living facilities (Channing House), and educational institutions. Revenue is assembled from four streams: individual donations (tax-deductible), foundation grants (Arts Council Silicon Valley, Draper Foundation, Agape Foundation), corporate sponsorships (Hewlett-Packard, Draper International, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, plus local businesses), and ticket sales ($4-$8 per session; $20-$50 festival passes; many screenings free). Customer segments are the Bay Area and national general public (human rights/documentary audiences), international documentary filmmakers (content suppliers), and institutional partners (sponsors, educational and community venues).

Name

United Nations Association Film Festival

Legal name

United Nations Association Film Festival

Website

https://unaff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UNAFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces an annual documentary film festival at Stanford University and year-round traveling and community screenings on UN-related issues including human rights, environmental survival, refugee protection, and women's rights, serving Bay Area and U.S. audiences through partnerships with UNA chapters, libraries, schools, and senior communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Festival

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), 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)

SECONDARYMPADAKAI

Campus & Educational Screenings (Universities, Schools)

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

SECONDARYMPADAJAJ

Non-Theatrical Distribution (Educational, Airlines, Cruise, Community)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Distribution (Theatrical, Home Entertainment, International Sales)

SECONDARYMPADAKAF

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional)

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

Keywords

• Documentary film festival
• Nonprofit arts organization
• Human rights education
• Documentary screenings
• Community film programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The festival generates funding through individual donations from supporters who appreciate documentary filmmaking as a tool for social and political understanding.
2. Grants and Foundations: UNAFF receives grants from various foundations and grant-making organizations including Arts Council Silicon Valley, Draper Foundation, Agape Foundation, and others.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial and in-kind support. Major sponsors have included Hewlett-Packard, Draper International, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and various local businesses (restaurants, hotels, printers).
4. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales at festival screenings. Pricing varies by year: general public $6-8 per session, students $4-5, with festival passes ranging from $20-50. Some screenings are free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UNAFF curates an annual non-competitive documentary film festival at Stanford University focused on UN-related topics such as human rights, environmental survival, refugee protection, women's issues, and education. The festival is supplemented by the UNAFF Extension Program (traveling festival) and year-round community screening programs including UNAFF in Libraries, UNAFF for Seniors, UNAFF with Veterans, UNAFF Women's Salon, and UNAFF in Schools that bring selected documentaries to communities nationwide.

Product overview

The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) is a nonprofit documentary film festival that operates as a single, unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the annual UNAFF Film Festival held at Stanford University, supplemented by year-round special screening programs including UNAFF in Libraries, UNAFF for Seniors, UNAFF Women's Salon, UNAFF in Schools, and UNAFF with Veterans. Additionally, UNAFF operates the UNAFF Traveling Festival (also called UNAFF Extension Program) which brings selected documentaries to various locations across the United States. All programs focus on documentary films dealing with UN-related issues such as human rights, environmental survival, women's issues, refugee protection, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UNAFF Extension Program (UNAFF EP): Traveling film festival program bringing UNAFF documentaries to various cities including San Francisco, Berkeley, Monterey, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Salt Lake City, and Harvard University
• UNAFF Traveling Festival

Products and services

• UNAFF Annual Film Festival The flagship annual documentary film festival held each October at Stanford University venues (Cubberley Auditorium, Annenberg Auditorium, Bechtel International Center), screening curated documentaries on UN-related topics such as human rights, environmental survival, refugee protection, and education. Targeted at general public audiences with ticket sales and festival passes.
• UNAFF Extension Program (Traveling Festival) A traveling film festival that brings selected documentaries from previous UNAFF festivals to multiple U.S. cities including San Francisco, Berkeley, Monterey, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Salt Lake City, Boston/Harvard, Las Vegas, New York/NYU, and Sonoma County through partnerships with UNA chapters.
• UNAFF in Libraries Free public screening program bringing documentary films to public library venues such as Rinconada Library in Palo Alto, targeting community education and access for general audiences.
• UNAFF for Seniors Special screening program at senior living communities such as Channing House in Palo Alto, featuring documentaries relevant to senior audiences on UN-related topics.
• UNAFF Women's Salon Special screening program featuring documentaries focused on women's issues and women's rights, held at community venues such as Rinconada Library.
• UNAFF in Schools Educational screening program bringing documentaries to schools and universities for educational purposes, including screenings at Stanford University's Pigott Hall.
• UNAFF with Veterans Special screening program featuring documentaries related to veterans and military themes, held at community venues such as Channing House in Palo Alto.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached close to 500 audience members at inaugural 1998 festival
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Stanford Film SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Co-presenter and organizer of UNAFF since its founding in 1998. The Stanford Film Society partners with UNA Midpeninsula Chapter to produce the annual documentary film festival at Stanford University.
• UNA Midpeninsula ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Co-presenter and organizer of UNAFF. UNAFF is an independent project of the Midpeninsula Chapter of the UNA-USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing community involvement in global issues.
• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided funding for Barbara Trent's travel to UNAFF 1998 through the Academy Foundation. Demonstrates prestige and connections in the documentary film community.
• Bechtel International Center, Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides venue support for festival screenings and closing night reception. Co-sponsor of UNAFF through Stanford University partnership.
• Department of Communication, Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic department providing institutional support and venue access for UNAFF festival events.
• Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic department providing institutional support for festival programming focused on Slavic and Eastern European topics.
• Kepler's BookstoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicket sales location for UNAFF festival passes and individual screening tickets in Menlo Park.
• UNA Chapters (Various Cities)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUNAFF Extension Program partners with UNA chapters in San Francisco, Berkeley, Monterey, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Salt Lake City, Boston/Harvard, Las Vegas, New York/NYU, and Sonoma County to bring traveling screenings to local communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camden International Film Festival: Documentary festival in Camden, Maine focused on nonfiction storytelling with strong human-rights and global-issue orientation. Comparable thematic and small-festival operational profile.
• DOC NYC: America's largest documentary festival, held annually in New York. Comparable as a documentary-only film festival with thematic programming and a year-round community profile.
• Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: Non-competitive documentary film festival in Durham, NC dedicated to nonfiction cinema with thematic programming. Closely comparable non-competitive format and thematic curation model.
• Human Rights Watch Film Festival: Annual documentary film festival focused specifically on human rights issues in New York, London, and other cities. Directly comparable mission and content focus to UNAFF's UN-themed documentary programming.
• True/False Film Fest: Annual documentary film festival in Columbia, Missouri focused on creative nonfiction. Comparable as a documentary-only festival with strong community programming and traveling-style ancillary events.
• Margaret Mead Film Festival: Long-running documentary festival at the American Museum of Natural History focused on global cultures and social issues. Comparable in academic-institutional anchoring and global-issue documentary programming.
• Mountainfilm: Annual documentary film festival in Telluride, Colorado focused on documentaries about environmental, social, and cultural issues. Highly comparable thematic mandate around global issues and year-round outreach programming.

Broad incumbents

• Tribeca Film Festival: Major New York-based film festival with a significant documentary strand and social-impact programming. Comparable in festival-based distribution of social-issue documentaries, but operates at broader entertainment-film scale.
• Hot Docs: North America's largest documentary festival based in Toronto. Comparable documentary focus and year-round programming, but significantly larger scale and broader thematic mandate.
• International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA): World's largest documentary film festival. Comparable documentary-only focus and global-issue programming, but operates at vastly larger scale with industry market and international reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNAFF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UNAFilmFestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNAFF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unaff
• Instagraminstagram.com/unaff.film.festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Nations Association Film Festival