22nd Annual San Diego International Film Festival 'Celebrating the Power of Film' with Line-Up of Premieres from Around the World

The 22nd Annual San Diego International Film Festival is ‘Celebrating the Power of Film’ with curated screenings that inform, inspire and entertain.  

Count on the Festival to get the conversation started with compelling Social Impact Films and Q&As including: Environmental Sustainability, Fighting Government Oppression, Individuals with Disabilities and Inclusion, PTSD in the Military,  Native American Issues, LGBTQAI+ Rights, Opioid Crisis and other topics affecting our world and our communities.

Film lovers will enjoy features, documentaries and shorts on the big screen. The Opening Night film premiere and party will be held at The Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park on Wednesday, October 18th. The festival will then continue from October 19th through October 22nd at the AMC14@ UTC Westfield, La Jolla, CA. The most up to date festival information is available here. 

According to Tonya Mantooth, CEO/Artistic Director of the San Diego International Film Festival, “This year, our slate has been curated from over 3200 film submissions from 85 countries with compelling Social Impact Films and Q&As including Fighting Political Oppression, Environmental Sustainability, LGBTQAI+ Rights, Opioid Crisis and other topics affecting our world and our communities.”  Mantooth announced the following partnerships aligned with the Festival’s mission to use the experience of film to explore issues of global impact, to create dialog, and ultimately to develop empathy and understanding in an increasingly diverse and complex world.

The Gary Sinise Foundation.  The Festival will present the world premiere of ‘Brothers After War’ following three brothers and their experiences in the military both while serving and navigating reintegration.  The 12 main characters from the film and military dignitaries will be in attendance for the screening.  Preceding the film, will be a panel: Brothers at War, using film as a catalyst for healing.   

Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films.  Back by popular demand, the Festival continues its longstanding partnership with the screening of ‘Lights, Camera, Friendship! – Lodi’ that follows 16 young adults on the autism spectrum including a panel discussion focused on inclusive hiring practices in the entertainment industry.

 Women’s Museum of California. In its second year, the Women’s Film Series and The Unstoppable Women’s Panel continue its shared mission to discover, cultivate and amplify diverse voices of women filmmakers who help shape our cultural landscape through the art of cinematic storytelling.

Wild & Scenic Film Festival.  A new partnership for the Festival, Wild & Scenic is celebrating over 20 years of inspiring environmental activism through film.  We are proud to partner with them to co-present ‘The Oil Machine’ - a British documentary on worldwide dependence on oil.                                          

 San Diego County Native Indian Tribes.  We are honored to once again have the support of the Jamul Indian Village, Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Nation, Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians and Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians to bring a powerful Native American Film Track to this year’s film festival.

Now in its 22nd year, the San Diego International Film Festival is the region’s premier film festival and one of the leading stops on the film circuit. The Film Festival is proud to screen narrative, documentary and short films, both in and out of competition, vying for top award honors. The lineup below includes 91 films total, 21 Narrative Competition films, 9 Documentary Competition films, and 61 Short films. 

More additions will be added to the program and announced soon.

PASS PACKAGES:

The Festival’s signature events (Opening Night Film and Pre-Reception and Culinary Cinema) typically sell out.  The best way to guarantee reservations at these events is to purchase a VIP pass.

2023 SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Narrative Competition (21)

A Kind of Kidnapping, Dir. D. G. Clark, UK, San Diego Premiere

A Letter from Helga, Dir. Ása Helga Hjorleifsdottir, Iceland, San Diego Premiere

Ariel - Back to Buenos Aires, Dir. Alison Murray, Canada & Argentina, San Diego Premiere

A Three Storey Comedy, Dir. Sandra Mitrovic, Serbia, West Coast Premiere

Blood for Dust, Dir. Rod Blackhurst, USA, Southern California Premiere

Brave the Dark, Dir. Damian Harris, USA, San Diego Premiere

Fresh Kills, Dir. Jennifer Esposito, USA, Southern California Premiere

Isle of Hope, Dir. Damian Romay, USA, San Diego Premiere

Junction, Dir. Bryan Greenberg, USA, World Premiere

LÍMITE, Dir. George Nicholas, Mexico/USA/Bulgaria, World Premiere
Miranda’s Victim, Dir. Michelle Danner, USA, San Diego Premiere
Peafowl, Dir. BYUN Sung-bin, South Korea, San Diego Premiere
Peak Season, Dir. Henry Loevner & Steven Kanter, USA, San Diego Premiere
Scarlet Winter, Dir. Munjal Yagnik, USA, San Diego Premiere
Simón, Dir. Diego Vicentini, Venezuela & USA, West Coast Premiere
Sunlight, Dir. Claire Dix, Ireland, San Diego Premiere
The Accidental Getaway Driver, Dir. Sing J. Lee, USA, San Diego Premiere
The Holdovers, Dir. Alexander Payne, USA, San Diego Premiere
The Taste of Things, Dir. Anh Hung Tran, France, West Coast Premiere
The Portrait, Dir. Simon Ross, USA & UK, World Premiere
To Fall In Love, Dir. Michael Lewis Foster, USA, West Coast Premiere

Documentary Competition (9)

Aitamaako'tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun Film, Dir. Banchi Hanuse, Canada, San Diego Premiere

A Revolution on Canvas, Dir. Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder, USA, West Coast Premiere

Brothers After War, Dir. Jake Rademacher, USA, World Premiere

Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes, Dir. Sam Shahid, USA, San Diego Premiere

King of Kings : Chasing Edward Jones, Dir. Harriet Marin Jones, France, Southern California Premiere

Lights, Camera, Friendship! - Lodi, Dir. Joey Travolta, USA, World Premiere

Stella, Dir. Tyler Doehring, USA, California Premiere

The Grab, Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite, USA, San Diego Premiere

The Oil Machine, Dir. Emma Davie, UK, North American Premiere

Shorts Tracks Competition  (61)

Animation Filmmaking:

American Sikh, Dir. Ryan Westra & Vishavjit Singh, USA, San Diego Premiere

Awakening: The First Day, Dir. Jos Diaz Contreras & Santiago Carrasquilla, USA, San Diego Premiere

Charge, Dir. Hjalti Hjalmarsson, Netherlands, San Diego Premiere

Driftwood, Dir. Christopher Hills Eaton, USA, San Diego Premiere

Flutter, Dir. Adam Reed Levy, USA, San Diego Premiere

Gene’s 6th Symphony, Dir. Jordi Garcie, USA, World Premiere

I Am From Palestine, Dir. Iman Zawahry, USA, San Diego Premiere

Liv&Bell “Hearty Soup of Fruitful Forest”, Dir. Natsuki Kida, Japan, United States Premiere

Morning Joy, Dir. John Henry Hinkel, USA & Serbia, San Diego Premiere

My Tiny Friends, Dir. Jiyoung Park, USA, San Diego Premiere

Stories to be Remembered, Dir. David Calderon, Canada, San Diego Premiere

Docudrama:

Forgiving Johnny, Dir. Ben Proudfoot, USA, San Diego Premiere

KINGDOME, Dir. Shawn Antoine II, USA, California Premiere

Our Children’s River, Dir.Dominic Gill, USA, West Coast Premiere

Running With Emilio, Dir. Lynn Ellenberg & Sholom Ellenberg, USA, West Coast Premiere

Squid Fleet, Dir. Ed Ou & Will N. Miller, USA, San Diego Premiere

The Night Doctrine, Dir. Almudena Toral & Mauricio Rodriguez Pons, USA, Southern California Premiere

For Shorts & Giggles

Confessions, Dir. Stephanie Kaznocha, USA, San Diego Premiere

Favourites, Dir. Nick Russell, Australia, World Premiere

HALMONI'S POT (GRANDMA'S POT), Dir. A. L. Lee, USA, San Diego Premiere

MANBAG, Dir. Pieter De Cnudde, Belgium, North American Premiere

Scream Gardens, Dir. Jenson Titus & Sam Nulman, USA, World Premiere

The Breakthrough, Dir. Daniel Sinclair, USA, San Diego Premiere

The Firefighter's Ball, Dir. Baptiste Drapeau, France, United States Premiere

Global Consciousness:

Every Five Miles, Dir. Vincent Lambe, Ireland, North American Premiere

JA (Water), Dir. Christian Cavazos, Mexico, United States Premiere

Lambing, Dir. Katie McNeice, Ireland, Southern California Premiere

Our Males and Females, Dir. Ahmad Alyaseer, Jordan, San Diego Premiere

Teddy, Dir. Thom Lunshopf, Netherlands, North American Premiere

Evocative Storytelling

Demon Box, Dir. Sean Wainsteim, Canada, San Diego Premiere

Each Lovely Thing, Dir. Paloma Nozicka, USA, San Diego Premiere

Motherland, Dir. Christina Yoon, USA & South Korea, San Diego Premiere

nothing, except everything., Dir. Wesley Wang, USA, San Diego Premiere

TIAN HEI HEI, Dir. Jina Miao, USA, World Premiere

Short & Sweet:

Goodbye Persil,  Dir. Ugo Savouillan, France, North American Premiere

Under Refurbishment, Dir. Griffin Douglass, USA, San Diego Premiere

Share For Me, Dir. Alexander Georges, USA, San Diego Premiere

Sweet Refuge, Dir. Maryam Mir, USA, San Diego Premiere

Desi Standard Time Travel, Dir. Kashif Pasta, Canada, San Diego Premiere

Student Showcase:

DISCHARGED, Dir. Bridget Taylor, USA, World Premiere

iCare, Dir. Bruno Urzi, UK, San Diego Premiere

Rickshaw, Dir. Raphaël Hernandez, UK, San Diego Premiere

Starstruck, Dir. Jonathan Gotlib, Israel, San Diego Premiere

The External-Internal Monologue of an Interdependent Insomniac, Dir. Julian Felix Aaronson, USA, San Diego Premiere

TOM & CINDA, Dir. Eva Neuwirth, USA, World Premiere

Virgins for Satan, Dir. Ashlynn Judy, USA, San Diego Premiere

Waves Apart, Dir. Josh Greene, USA, San Diego Premiere

Unhinged

CORNERBOY, Dir. Kai Kurve, Germany, San Diego Premiere

Feng Shui, Dir. Kamran Rathod, USA, San Diego Premiere

Ice Cream. Sladoled, Dir. Steve Spremo, USA, San Diego Premiere

Kakor (Cookies), Dir. Alessandro Stigliano, Sweden, North American Premiere

Pushover, Dir. Brian Lederman, USA, World Premiere

Room Tone, Dir. Michael Gabriele, USA, San Diego Premiere

The Wondrous Worlds of Piero Maria, Dir. Helena Guerra, Brazil, North American Premiere

Trundle and the Lost Borscht of Atlantis, Dir. Laura Lee, USA, San Diego Premiere

Zae is Zendaya, Dir. Tyler Davis, USA, San Diego Premiere

When Worlds Collide:

A Wedding Day, Dir. Brendan Beachman, USA, San Diego Premiere

Cataract, Dir. Jonatan Egholm Keis, Denmark, Southern California Premiere

Motherland, Dir. Christina Yoon, USA & South Korea, San Diego Premiere

Faranak, Dir. Mehrnoush Alia, Iran, San Diego Premiere

THINGS UNHEARD OF, Dir. Ramazan Kilic, Turkey, West Coast Premiere

About The San Diego International Film Festival:

The San Diego International Film Festival is the region’s premier film event and one of the leading stops on the independent festival circuit. The Festival offers a totally unique film experience; including world premieres, never before seen studio releases and the best in independent filmmaking. We believe cinema is a catalyst for positive change.

The festival programming is diverse – however everyone has a genre that speaks to their heart – including us. With a passion for social impact topics, we’ve focused the lens on curated independent films that explore the issues affecting our world including homelessness, prejudice, pollution of the world’s rivers, animal and environmental extinction, sustainability, sex-trafficking, military stories and more. 

About the San Diego Film Foundation:

CREATING EMPATHY IN A COMPLEX WORLD….

Our mission is to use the experience of film to explore issues of global impact, to create dialog, and ultimately to develop empathy and understanding in an increasingly diverse and complex world.  We leverage these important conversations via our partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education and the San Diego Unified School District to use cinematic storytelling to help educate future leaders on key issues affecting our communities and world. 

A 501c.3. The San Diego Film Foundation brings the finest independent cinematic storytelling from around the world to San Diego each year. We present films that make a difference through a variety of events and programs. We have a created robust infrastructure to continue sharing film and discussion safely including:

●      FOCUS on Impact Film Series for all High School Students in San Diego County (Fall and Spring 2023/2024)

●      Film Insider Series (May - August 2023)

●      2023 San Diego International Film Festival (October 18-22, 2023)

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