SIFF believes in film’s unique power to share original stories, diverse perspectives, and rich emotional journeys. Beginning in 1976 with the annual Seattle International Film Festival, then expanding into year-round programming, and our five-screen SIFF Cinema, we have offered experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world for nearly five decades. Our audiences allow us to take risks, host complex conversations, and truly appreciate film.

Our three theaters, SIFF Cinema Egyptian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and the SIFF Film Center, screen arthouse and mainstream films, the latest international works, one-of-a-kind special events, and festivals.

SIFF hosts the annual Seattle International Film Festival— traditionally attracting nearly 150,000 attendees to celebrate films from more than 80 countries and regions around the world. Many of the features, short films, and documentaries we screen will not have a return to US cinemas, making it an amazing event to discover new and underrepresented voices and stories.

We go beyond our screens to provide more opportunities for our community to be inspired by and learn from film and filmmakers. SIFF’s education and engagement programs cultivate community and support lifelong learning, cultural literacy and creative expression. Through partnerships, we host a variety of special screenings and mini-festivals – many of which are open to the public at no charge.

SIFF’s Programmers create a mix of screenings and gatherings that offers escapism, entertainment, and enrichment. Through thoughtful curation – we continually captivate audiences, strengthen our community, and support independent filmmakers.

SIFF believes that valuing and promoting diversity is vital to our mission. We are dedicated to improving racial equity within our organization and our community. SIFF uses our unique position to share diverse perspectives in visual storytelling while empowering new voices to share their own stories and promoting accessibility for all people. We strive to foster diversity in all facets of our organization, from board to volunteer, from artist to audience and beyond.