Sacramento International Film Festival

What Sacramento International Film Festival does

Sacramento International Film Festival (SFF) is a non-profit arts association that operates an annual 8-day, multi-venue film festival in Sacramento, California, serving independent filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinema audiences across Northern California. Founded in 1995 by Mayor Joe Serna and Ken Knoll with $80,000 in seed funding, the festival was originally launched as the Sacramento Festival of Cinema and is now operated by the California Film Foundation (CFF), the parent non-profit founded in 1993 as "Writers Block North." Under Managing Director Martin Anaya, who led the festival to independence from Access Sacramento in 2005, SFF has expanded into a portfolio that includes the flagship festival plus sister events Cine Soul (Black Film Festival), Cine Latino, Cine Asia, the Digital Odyssey conference, and the American Screenwriting Conference led by UCLA Screenwriting Chairman Emeritus Dr. Lew Hunter.

The organization's core product is the annual flagship festival, supplemented by genre and cultural sub-programs (Surreal Cinema, World's Greatest Shorts, NorCal All Stars), year-round educational programming, and an online viewing channel at californiafilm.net. Filmmaker submissions are processed through FilmFreeway, while audiences purchase tickets to in-person screenings at venues such as Crest Theater. The festival maintains strategic partnerships with California Film Foundation, Access Sacramento, Crest Theater, SAG-AFTRA, and the Mexican Consulate, and operates with a free basic membership model.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed and appears to be generated through ticket sales, filmmaker submission fees, and local/regional sponsorships. There is no disclosed headcount, no equity or venture funding, and no AI/ML capability present in the organization. The festival is positioned as Sacramento's only dedicated cinema-arts festival, leveraging 30+ years of brand history, a specialized curatorial team, and a culturally diverse programming slate as its primary competitive differentiators.

Name

Sacramento International Film Festival

Legal name

California Film Foundation

Website

https://sacramentofilmfestival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sacramento International Film Festival is a non-profit arts association that operates an annual 8-day, multi-venue film festival in Sacramento, California, serving independent filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinema audiences across Northern California. It runs a portfolio of sister festivals (Cine Soul, Cine Latino, Cine Asia) and educational conferences under the California Film Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival and Cultural Cinema Events

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Community Festivals & Cultural Events (Online Celebrations) (MPAGAOAK), Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers) (MPADAKAH)

Keywords

• Film festival events
• Independent cinema screenings
• Filmmaker education programs
• Cultural film showcases
• Screenwriting workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Film Festival Operations: The organization operates as a non-for-profit arts association. Basic membership is free of charge. Revenue appears to be generated through ticket sales, sponsorships, and filmmaker submission fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sacramento International Film Festival operates an annual 8-day, multi-venue film festival in Sacramento featuring curated film screenings, filmmaker showcases, and networking events. It also runs year-round sister events including Cine Soul (Black Film Festival), Cine Latino, Cine Asia, Digital Odyssey (film/tech conference), and the American Screenwriting Conference, plus specialized programs like Surreal Cinema and World's Greatest Shorts. Filmmakers submit work through FilmFreeway and audiences purchase tickets to in-person and online screenings.

Product overview

The Sacramento International Film Festival is a multi-day cinema event operated by the California Film Foundation. The core offering is the annual Sacramento International Film Festival (SFF), an 8-day, multi-venue event. This is supplemented by sister festivals including Cine Soul (Black Film Festival), Cine Latino, and Cine Asia, plus specialized programs like Surreal Cinema, World's Greatest Shorts, and NorCal All Stars. The organization also runs educational conferences including the Digital Odyssey and American Screenwriting Conference. Film submission services are facilitated through FilmFreeway integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sacramento International Film Festival (Main Annual Festival)
• Cine Soul (Sacramento Black Film Festival)
• Cine Latino (Sacramento Latino Film Festival)
• Cine Asia (Sacramento International Asian Film Festival)
• Digital Odyssey
• American Screenwriting Conference
• Surreal Cinema
• World's Greatest Shorts
• NorCal All Stars

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Film FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995The California Film Foundation (CFF) is the parent non-profit organization of the Sacramento International Film Festival. Founded in 1993, CFF supports filmmakers throughout California and beyond, promoting film as art and economic benefit. CFF provides year-round programming, workshops, and serves as the organizational backbone for SFF and sister festivals.
• Access SacramentocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccess Sacramento is the regional Public Access TV station that managed the Festival of Cinema from 1998 to 2004. The partnership continues today with Access Sacramento managing the spin-off event 'A Place Called Sacramento'. The festival originally operated under Access Sacramento's wing before becoming independent.
• Crest TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Sacramento venue where founders Ken Knoll and Mayor Joe Serna first viewed films together, inspiring the creation of the festival. The Crest Theater serves as a key screening venue for festival events.
• Mexican ConsulateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity stakeholder partner working with Cine Latino (Sacramento Latino Film Festival) to bring Latinx cinema to California audiences.
• SAG-AFTRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLabor union partnership providing casting breakdowns and industry connections for festival filmmakers and participants.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cleveland International Film Festival: Mid-sized American regional film festival comparable in scale, audience size, and mission. Strong analog as a non-profit arts organization with year-round programming, educational components, and filmmaker services in a mid-tier U.S. city.
• San Francisco International Film Festival: Long-running Northern California film festival operated by SFFilm, the closest geographic peer. Comparable mission of showcasing independent/world cinema to a Bay Area audience, though with significantly larger scale and longer history (since 1957).
• Austin Film Festival: Regional festival with a strong screenwriting and education focus that mirrors SFF's American Screenwriting Conference. Similar positioning as a creator-development festival serving a regional audience.
• Mill Valley Film Festival: California Film Institute–operated regional festival in Marin County, Northern California. Highly comparable in audience (culturally engaged Bay Area film enthusiasts) and programming mix of indie, documentary, and world cinema.
• Hawaii International Film Festival: Mid-sized festival with strong cultural-cinema and Pacific Rim/Asian cinema programming. Highly comparable to SFF's Cine Asia sub-festival in audience development approach for under-served cultural film communities.
• New Orleans Film Festival: Regional non-profit festival comparable in scale, cultural-community orientation, and emphasis on diverse local storytelling. Operated by a local film society with similar revenue mix of tickets, sponsorships, and filmmaker fees.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW Film Festival: Large multi-disciplinary festival with a film track that overlaps SFF's indie and screenwriting focus. Sets industry trends and attracts filmmakers/sponsors that regional festivals must position around rather than against.
• Sundance Film Festival: The dominant U.S. independent film festival and brand. Not a direct competitor for Sacramento audiences but sets the programming bar, filmmaker expectations, and sponsor benchmarks that SFF must operate beneath.
• Tribeca Film Festival: Major U.S. film festival with strong cultural-cinema and filmmaker-development programming. Comparable in mission but vastly larger in scale, budget, and brand recognition.

Regional players

• Napa Valley Film Festival: Northern California film festival serving an adjacent geographic market to Sacramento. Comparable regional scope and audience demographic, though differentiated by wine-country/luxury positioning rather than cultural-niche programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SacFilmFest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxceBSpzt-HpsM2sjRsNgSw
• Facebookfacebook.com/SacFilmFest
• Instagraminstagram.com/sacfilmfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sacramento-international-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sacramento International Film Festival