Join us in fostering the next generation of storytellers and artists to provide the proper tools and instruction to assist young filmmakers in honing their skills to tell their story on their way to higher education. – because the future of film starts here!

SIFF/EDU AT WORK SINCE 2001:

• Belief in the power of storytelling and the arts to inspire, educate, and transform lives in Sonoma and beyond.
• Launched in 2001 by Kevin W. McNeely, SIFF Director Emeritus, and Ginny Krieger, SIFF Executive Director, with class instruction by Peter Hanson.  The program continues to support young creatives in their journey to bring stories to life with instruction by local filmmaker, videographer, and SVHS graduate Austin Smith.
• For more than two decades SIFF has been a proud supporter of the Sonoma Valley High School Media Arts Program by providing media lab equipment, internships, scholarships, and sustaining funding.
  
  The program has graduated hundreds of students, with some actively working within the industry.
  
  
• PROVIDING FOUR YEAR SCHOLARSHIPS SINCE 2023
  SIFF in collaboration with Sonoma Valley High School, and Sonoma State University, launched the program to inspire the next generation of visual artists and creators and to provide the needed resources to make the dreams of deserving high school students a reality.
  
  The 2023 inaugural recipients of the first full SSU scholarships were Sonoma students Jacob Ceron Echeverría and Sakcham (Sam) Mishra.