Never miss an update from us. Sign up to receive email updates from the Sonoma International Film Festival!
Short Film Competition
The Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) celebrates the art of short-form storytelling with its Short Film Competition, showcasing an exciting lineup of compelling and innovative short films. This competition brings together a diverse selection of outstanding works across three categories: Live Action Short, Animation Short, and Documentary Short.
Dedicated to emerging filmmakers, SIFF provides a premier platform for new voices to connect with audiences, industry professionals, and fellow creators. From gripping narratives to visually stunning animations and thought-provoking documentaries, these films exemplify the power of storytelling in a concise and impactful format.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of California’s wine country, the Sonoma International Film Festival offers an inspiring and dynamic space for short filmmakers to gain recognition, network, and celebrate the best in independent cinema.
Complete information on our short competition jury members and the films.
Jury Members
Greg Ellwood
Gregory Ellwood is a critic and journalist who has covered the world of film and television for two decades. Currently an Editor-at-Large at The Playlist, Ellwood is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and has written for Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Vox, The Telegraph of London, among others. In 2009, he co-founded the entertainment news outlet HitFix, which was acquired by Woven Digital in 2016.
Daniela Michel
Founding Director of the Morelia International Film Festival. She holds a degree in English Literature from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and studied film-making at Mexico’s Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. Michel has curated major retrospectives of Mexican classic cinema in and outside Mexico. She has also served on the Jury for the Un Certain Regard and La Semaine de la Critique sections of the Cannes Film Festival and many other renowned and internationally established film festivals such as Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam, and San Sebastian
Mike Plante
Mike Plante started working for film festivals in 1993 and is currently the Senior Programmer for Shorts at the Sundance Film Festival. He also makes strange non-fiction films, including Giuseppe Makes a Movie, The Polaroid Job, We Were There to Be There, and the feature And With Him Came the West, which premiered at MoMA Doc Fortnight.
Competition Films
Amos, Vogel
Amos relives heartfelt conversations with his late friend, Vogel, through fragmented memories.
Arlo
A trans teen’s world is shaken when he stumbles upon a missing poster of his pre-transition self.
Belly Belly
A queer date spirals into a feast of self-discovery and untamed cravings.
Como si la Tierra se las Hubiera Tragado
A woman returns to her Mexican hometown, seeking a past that may no longer exist.
Crónicas Azules
A therapist’s attempt to decode a painter’s inner demons leads her to question her own identity.
Daughter Of Wands
A teenage girl’s identity is tested at a skatepark as she balances rebellion and family.
Dolores
A little girl’s game turns eerie when she meets playful corn husk mummies in a forbidden field.
The Eating of an Orange
In a world of eerie uniformity, one woman’s fate shifts after receiving an orange.
Ella Se Queda
One night in Tijuana, Laura waits for destiny to arrive—whatever that means.
Embracing Instabililty
A filmmaker turns Super 8 footage into a personal reckoning with Parkinson’s disease.
The Final Copy of Ilon Specht
The woman behind "Because You’re Worth It" gets her long-overdue spotlight in this inspiring portrait.
Foxhole
A meditative groundskeeper finds tranquility among the idyllic Virginian countryside - until his past catches up to him.
Good Boy
A struggling man’s attempt to get his life together is repeatedly sabotaged by his chaotic past.
Hurikán
A Prague local scrambles to save his beloved beer stand—and impress his crush—before it's too late.
In the Moonlight: A Painter's Journey Through Memory and Nature
Painter Ann Craven unveils her luminous moonlit portraits and artistic process in this intimate doc.
Jane Austen's Period Drama
A Regency-era proposal goes hilariously awry when Miss Estrogenia gets her period mid-proposal.
Loser
A yogurt shop worker’s seemingly mundane shift turns into an unforgettable day.
A Modern Family
A man’s world unravels after discovering the truth about his parentage.
The Night Inside
A nurse fights to prove her innocence after a tragic medical mix-up in this tense thriller.
Oh, Christmas Tree
The Duplass family brings humor and heart to a holiday short exploring mental health and family ties.
On the 8th Day
In one day, the delicate balance of the world is shattered.
Our Neighbors, The Peacocks
Suburban Californians try to live in harmony with a flamboyant invasion of wild peacocks.
Out For Delivery
A terminally ill woman’s fight for a dignified death reveals the system’s painful flaws.
RAT!
A pop star faces a PR disaster when a journalist accuses them of queerbaiting.
Remember Me
Claire just turned 40 years old, got dumped, and moved home to take care of her dying dad. She decides it’s time for her to go on a date.
Sandwich Cat
A man’s mundane day takes a bizarre turn thanks to his unexpected visitor—and his cat, Sandwich.
Saturday Ritual
A soccer team’s post-game psychic reading reveals more than they bargained for.
Ser Semilla
Women, witches, and resistance collide in this haunting tale of gender violence and strength.
Such Good Friends
A recovering people pleaser struggles to escape a toxic friendship’s lingering grip.
Susana
A lonely American woman in Mexico City finds adventure in an unlikely group of young tourists.
Sweet Talkin' Guy
A trans woman’s three dates with straight men reveal masculinity’s fragile facade.
Tanagokoro
An inspiring documentary of Japanese chef Yoshinori Ishii of restaurant Umu.
Teen Mary
In a bold, hilarious twist on the Nativity story, Mary and her gay bestie Joseph must convince the world that God is behind her pregnancy—or risk a deadly fate.
Tennis, Oranges
Burned out and seeking purpose, a robotic vacuum ditches hospital duty for a quiet street, where two lonely rabbits might just change its life.
They Call Me The Tattoo Witch
A Vietnamese tattoo artist turns scars into stunning works of art in this intimate portrait of healing and self-expression.
Trokas Duras
A lyrical ode to L.A.'s Latino day laborers and their old pickup trucks—where dreams, struggle, and community take the front seat.
Undrown (Desahogarme)
A young Guatemalan immigrant fights to stay afloat, undrowning in the weight of his past and present.
Wingspan
High above Pinnacles National Park, a wildlife photographer risks it all to capture the rare and majestic California condor.