Sioux City International Film Festival

Sioux City International Film Festival The Siouxland Institute of Film has promoted independent film since 2004 with its annual Sioux City International Film Festival in Sioux City, Iowa, USA

Official page of the Sioux City International Film Festival. For over a decade bringing interesting, challenging and exciting short films to the people of Sioux City and surrounding areas.

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉 Documentary🎞 Hoops of Heritage | Yinzhi Peter Pan, Kaylee Smith, & Minja Zeljkovic📖 ABOU...
09/03/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉 Documentary

🎞 Hoops of Heritage | Yinzhi Peter Pan, Kaylee Smith, & Minja Zeljkovic

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: Hoops of Heritage shows how Serbia’s turbulent past—wars, sanctions, and hardship—forged a national identity around basketball. From street-corner hoops to packed arenas, the game unites the country’s seven million people and fuels a talent pipeline that produced NBA stars like three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. The story builds to the thunder of the Eternal Derby—Red Star versus Partizan—where the roar of fans proves that basketball is Serbia’s shared heartbeat.

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 2 | 3:00 PM

📅 OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉 Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi/Fantasy🎞 The Veil | Gabriel Motta📖 ABOUT THE FILM: A religious cu...
09/02/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉 Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi/Fantasy

🎞 The Veil | Gabriel Motta

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: A religious cult with fake possession rituals spirals into darkness when the pastor's daughter is truly taken by an entity, forcing her brother to choose between blind faith and a terrifying freedom.

FRIDAY | OCTOBER 2 | 2:00 PM

💛 DIRECTOR BIO: Gabriel Motta is a Brazilian film director and screenwriter whose work has screened and won awards at major international festivals. His previous short, Pastrana (2023), co-directed with Melissa Brogni, became one of the most acclaimed Brazilian shorts of 2023-2025, winning Best Film at the Festival de Brasília do Cinema Brasileiro and the Festival de Cinema de Gramado, as well as Best Latin American Short Film at BAFICI. The film was also selected for the official program of the Tribeca Film Festival.

📅 OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉 Drama🎞 RIPPLE | Erick Juarez📖 ABOUT THE FILM: Three interconnected people tell a tragic ...
09/01/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉 Drama

🎞 RIPPLE | Erick Juarez

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: Three interconnected people tell a tragic story of loss and regret, connecting a mother, her estranged daughter facing her own struggles, and a remorseful man in a heartbreaking chain of events.

SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3 | 3:00 PM

👀MIDWEST MENTION: RIPPLE was filmed entirely in Chicago, Illinois. Our cast is made up of Chicago-based actors, and our crew consists entirely of Illinois residents. The film was written, directed, produced, and completed in the Midwest.

💛 DIRECTOR BIO: Born in Guatemala and raised in Chicago, Erick Juarez is a multidisciplinary filmmaker with a B.F.A. in Acting from Northern Illinois University, training from the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, a previous ensemble member of Teatro Vista 2006-2022. He serves on the board of Mass Epiphany Studios and is the Founder of Deep Focus Entertainment. With four completed films, 1 in post-production, and 1 in pre-production, Erick works as a director, writer, producer, and actor, establishing himself as a rising creative force in the independent film industry.

📅 OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉 Drama🎞 Arman | Farzad Kiyafar📖 ABOUT THE FILM: Overwhelmed and isolated on his wedding d...
09/01/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉 Drama

🎞 Arman | Farzad Kiyafar

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: Overwhelmed and isolated on his wedding day, a closeted immigrant speaks to his family on the phone moments before walking down the aisle.

SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3 | 3:00 PM

👀MIDWEST MENTION: A couple of the actors are from Midwest.

💛 DIRECTOR BIO: Farzad Kiyafar is an Iranian - American filmmaker based in Seattle. He got his BFA in Cinema and MFA in Dramatic Literature from University of Cinema in Tehran, Iran.

After immigrating to the US, he pursued his second MFA in Editing at American Film Conservatory in Los Angeles. His body of works explore different areas of filmmaking from directing shorts to editing.

📅 OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉MIDWEST🎞 Redacted | Pat Janssen📖 ABOUT THE FILM: At a time when governments withhold info...
08/31/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉MIDWEST

🎞 Redacted | Pat Janssen

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: At a time when governments withhold information and restrict expression from their citizens, each word becomes more important than the increasingly blunt instruments used to censor them.

SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3 | 10:00 AM

👀MIDWEST MENTION: Director and actor Pat Janssen lives in Winside, NE and teaches at his alma mater Wayne State College in Wayne, NE. He also is the executive director of the Great American Comedy Festival in Johnny Carson’s hometown of Norfolk, NE. He is originally from Auburn, NE, and his family is from Coleridge, NE.

💛 DIRECTOR BIO: Pat Janssen is an assistant professor in the Communication Arts Department at Wayne State College. He has worked in television for over two decades, contributing writing and performance work for entertainment programs, while also working in news and sports. He has written, directed, and produced multiple films, both narrative and documentary. He is also the board chair for the Great American Comedy Festival in Johnny Carson’s hometown of Norfolk, Neb. Much of his work is largely informed by the animal rescue efforts he and his wife have taken on since moving back to northeast Nebraska in 2020.

Janssen's academic interests include journalism ethics, sports and popular culture, social commentary in comedy, ethical film production, Midwestern narratives, and the relationship between politics and mass media.

📅 OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

Pat Janssen

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉COMEDY🎞 Switcheroo! | Kristin & Justin Schaack📖 ABOUT THE FILM: A new body swap device, t...
08/31/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉COMEDY

🎞 Switcheroo! | Kristin & Justin Schaack

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: A new body swap device, the Switcheroo!, promises ""new perspectives and fun!"" but yields hilarious workplace hi-jinks with potentially irreversible consequences. It’s a real out-of-body experience.

SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3 | 1:00 PM

👀MIDWEST MENTION: The Cast & Crew are entirely from Minnesota and the film was shot in Minneapolis, MN!

💛 DIRECTOR BIO: We are a comedy directing duo that have been making films and collaborating on visual media for over 25 years. Our creative partnership started in the theater waaaaaay off-broadway: 6th grade, middle school productions. This probably explains why we remain wide-eyed, playful, and imaginative. We craft stories that are fun and poignant. We love to explore universal themes and aim to make the absurd feel real and funny.

Our films have screened as official selections at 350+ international film festivals and received dozens of audience choice, best comedy, and best film awards over the years. While we never rest on our (festival) laurels, we like to think that they are a testament to our storytelling and creative ex*****on. Our film "Fairy Tail" received "The Fun Is Good Bill Murray Comedic Shorts Award" at the Twin Cities Film Fest, handpicked by living legend Bill Murray. Not only is it humbling to receive such a prestigious accolade, but the uniquely quirky name of the award speaks perfectly to our overall artistic objective. Fun IS good, and we’re proud to be the purveyors of FUN.

📅 OCTOBER 2-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

Above-the-Line Entertainment

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉👉Drama🎞 The Rebirth | Connie Shi📖 ABOUT THE FILM: An overworked waitress takes a black mar...
08/30/2026

🎬 2026 Selection Announcement🎉

👉Drama

🎞 The Rebirth | Connie Shi

📖 ABOUT THE FILM: An overworked waitress takes a black market abortion pill that gives her an unexpected side effect.

SATURDAY | OCTOBER 3 | 3:00 PM

💛 DIRECTOR BIO: Connie Shi is a q***r, mixed Chinese-American actor and filmmaker with a tendency to overshare. She believes in telling raw, intimate female-led stories that explore vulnerability and shame in order to nurture a more empathetic and understanding world.

📅 OCTOBER 2-4, 2026 | RE/MAX City Centre
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

Selections for the 2026 Sioux City International Film Fest have been finalized!We appreciate our amazing judges which in...
08/23/2026

Selections for the 2026 Sioux City International Film Fest have been finalized!

We appreciate our amazing judges which include over 30 community and industry members...we couldn't do it without their help!!

Stay tuned....we'll start announcing our selections soon!!

📅 OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 | RE/MAX CITY CENTRE
Visit siouxcityfilmfest.org for more info and updates as we count down to !

🎞️✨ More stories, more pride! ✨🎞️Join us for a sample of film shorts at SUX Pride 2026! 🌈🗓 Saturday, June 6th📍 Sioux Ci...
06/05/2026

🎞️✨ More stories, more pride! ✨🎞️
Join us for a sample of film shorts at SUX Pride 2026! 🌈

🗓 Saturday, June 6th
📍 Sioux City Convention Center Meeting Room 1

🕐 Showtimes:
-Family Friendly (Under 12): 12PM and 2PM
-Family Friendly (12+): 1PM
-2025 Winner Selections (adults): 3PM

Come experience powerful stories that inspire, educate, and entertain!

SUX Pride - Sioux City

🎬 THE REGULAR SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS TOMORROW!📽️ Submit your short film on FilmFreeway today!👉 https://filmfreeway.com/S...
05/31/2026

🎬 THE REGULAR SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS TOMORROW!

📽️ Submit your short film on FilmFreeway today!
👉 https://filmfreeway.com/SiouxCityFilmFestival

📅 FESTIVAL DATES: October 1–4, 2026
SCIFF is the longest continuously running shorts film festival in Iowa!

🎭 This year’s theme for workshops & guest artists: The Craft of Acting

As part of our educational outreach, we invite short films from high school students in the Midwest.

🎞️ High School films Screening:📆Saturday, October 3, 2026 🕙10:00 AM

🌐 Learn more: siouxcityfilmfest.org

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