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Our mission is to present unique and quality cinema in a festival atmosphere for the purpose of educating, stimulating, and entertaining audiences.
The Festival will support and encourage the filmmaker by supplying essential networking opportunities and open dialogue with intelligent, creative and inquisitive consumers of film.
The Festival will attract audiences from local, national and international markets, as well as promote Sarasota, Manatee and surrounding Gulf Coast communities as cultural centers that contribute to the financial and cultural success of our region.
The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) was founded in 1998 as a non-profit arts organization designed to offer a balanced program of foreign, domestic, independent and studio films that engage the commercial film industry and local audiences. In 1999, SFF’s first annual mini-festival included eight feature films, symposiums and a gala fundraiser.
In 2000, SFF added documentary, animated, short & student films and the inaugural KIDSFEST program. Recognized as a driver for economic development and tourism in only its second year, festival organizers strengthened its impact in the community by utilizing the medium of film to advance media literacy and bring exposure to social service organizations. In 2004 and 2005, admissions to the Festival averaged 40,000 - and 2006 attendance is projected to reach 42,000!
SFF offers programming and events for film enthusiasts of all economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. With the support of a passionate arts community, the Sarasota Film Festival attracts the best filmmakers, today's hottest stars, distinguished industry guests, and thousands of film enthusiasts from around the world.
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