2026 Santa Fe International Film Festival Events

16 - 18 October 2026 
Overview
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Lecture crowd
SFiFF "Dark Winds" Panel at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art in 2025
435 S. Guadalupe St.

The 18th Annual Santa Fe International Film Festival returns to Zane Bennett Contemporary Art October 16–18! Join us for a three-day series of free discussions with filmmakers, actors, directors, and industry professionals. From documentary and short filmmaking to acting, distribution, post-production, and marketing, these panels reveal the creative process and business of film. The weekend concludes with conversations highlighting New Mexico and Indigenous filmmaking that explores place and representation. To learn more about the international film festival, visit santafe.film.

 

Event Schedule

 

Friday October 16

Stranger than Fiction (Panel) | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Documentary filmmakers with films at the festival discuss their craft. 

 

Who Likes Short Shorts (Short Filmmaker Panel) | 1–2 p.m.

Short filmmakers with films in the festival discuss how they created films and what inspires them.

 

You made a film, what's next? (Panel) | 3–4 p.m.

Guests with experience in post-production, distribution, and marketing spill the details.

 

 

Saturday October 17

Your Name in Lights (Actor's Panel) | 12:30–1:30 p.m.

Cassidy Freeman (The Righteous Gemstones), David Madigoff (Dexter: New Blood), and Natalie Benally (Dark Winds) share their mindsets, practical strategies, and daily routines for working as actors.

 

Distribution (Panel) | 2–3 p.m.

Hear from distribution experts Danielle McCarthy-Boles (Magnolia Pictures), Alexandra Fredricks (Oscilloscope), Jim Brunzell (Dark Star Pictures) and Max Geschwind (CAA Finance), about what it takes to bring films to the public.

 

The Director's Chair (Panel) | 3:30–4:30 p.m.

Directors with films at this year’s festival discuss their craft.

 

 

Sunday October 18

Red, Green or Xmas: New Mexico Film Salon |  12–1 p.m.

New Mexico filmmakers with films in the festival discuss creating a film in the unique New Mexico scenery.

 

Indigenous Filmmaking (Panel) | 1:30–2:30 p.m.

Moderated by Gary Farmer, Indigenous filmmakers share their experiences working in the industry, including Native and Indigenous representation in film.