Science Fiction Fantasy Short Film Festival facts for kids

The Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF) is an exciting event held every year in Seattle, Washington, USA. It's a special festival that celebrates short movies about fantasy and science fiction from all over the world.

The festival happens each winter at the famous Seattle Cinerama Theater. It brings together people who make movies, along with fans of science fiction and fantasy. The goal is to encourage new and creative films in these amazing genres. The SFFSFF is a team effort between the EMP Museum and the SIFF.

About the Festival

When the festival first started in 2005, it was called the Science Fiction Short Film Festival. The word "Fantasy" was added later for the 2009 festival. This change made the festival even bigger, including more types of imaginative stories.

The main goal of SFFSFF is to help people learn about and enjoy science fiction and fantasy movies. It wants to show how creative filmmakers can be. The festival helps filmmakers, writers, and producers connect with audiences. It's a great way to celebrate new ideas and amazing stories in film.

Films submitted to the festival are judged on many things. These include how original they are, their quality, and how artistic they look. Judges also look for new ideas, unique styles, and good storytelling. A group of experts from film, TV, books, and science fiction industries chooses the winners each year.

Past Festivals

The SFFSFF has been held every year since 2006. Each festival showcases many short films. It also gives out awards to the best movies.

2006

The very first Science Fiction Short Film Festival took place on February 4, 2006. It was held at the Seattle Cinerama Theater. Twenty short films competed for a chance to work with the SCI FI Channel. Many directors came to the festival, some from far away countries like Israel and Ireland.

Awards

• Grand Prize: They're Made Out of Meat (Ireland), Director: Stephen O'Regan
• Second Place: Red Planet Blues (USA), Director: David H. Brooks
• Third Place: Microgravity (USA), Director: David Sanders
• Honorable Mention: Cost of Living (Canada), Director: Jonathan Joffe
• Honorable Mention: Circus of Infinity (USA), Director: Sue Corcoran
• Honorable Mention: Heartbeat (Israel), Director: Omri Bar-Levy
• Audience Favorite: Cost of Living (Canada), Director: Jonathan Joffe
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Microgravity (USA), Director: David Sanders

Festival Jury

• Richard Hutton
• Douglas Trumbull
• Thomas Vitale
• Craig Engler
• Kathleen Murphy
• Vonda McIntyre
• Lawrence Krauss
• Jacob McMurray
• Beth Barrett

2007

The second festival was on February 3, 2007. It was also at the Seattle Cinerama Theater. The event was completely sold out, just like the first year. Short films from the USA, England, Australia, and Taiwan were shown. A jury of media experts picked the best films. Filmmakers answered questions from the audience, who also voted for their favorite film.

Awards

• Grand Prize: Transgressions (USA), Director: Valerie Weiss
• Second Place: The Un-Gone (UK), Director: Simon Bovey
• Third Place: 13 Ways to Die at Home (USA), Director: Lee Lanier
• Audience Favorite: Maklar, Anyone? (USA), Director: Phil Guzzo
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: 13 Ways to Die at Home (USA), Director: Lee Lanier

2008

On February 2, 2008, the festival returned to the Seattle Cinerama Theater. The festival continued to promote science fiction cinema. The top prize was a meeting with SCI FI Channel executives. This could lead to writing or directing a two-hour film for the network.

Awards

• Grand Prize: Forecast (USA), Director: Erik Courtney
• Second Place: Four Corners (USA), Director: Douglas Mueller
• Third Place: Escape! From Robot Island (USA), Director: Tim Thompson
• Audience Favorite: E:D:E:N (Italy), Director: Fabio Guaglione
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Operation: Fish (USA), Director: Jeff Riley

2009

The Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival was held on February 7, 2009. This was the first year the festival included "Fantasy" in its name. It continued to support new and creative films in both genres.

Awards

• Grand Prize: F A D E (Australia), Director: Vincent Taylor
• Second Place: Outsource (USA), Director: Daniel Trezise
• Third Place: Notes from the Acrid Plain with Burton Hoary, Vol. 7 (USA), Director: Jonathan Ashley
• Audience Favorite: Hirsute (Canada), Director: A.J. Bond
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Outsource (USA), Director: Daniel Trezise

Festival Jury

• Erik Courtney
• Jesse Harris
• Daniel Myrick
• Marc Scott Zicree
• Daniel Thornton
• Aristomenis Tsirbas
• Chris Weitz

2010

On January 30, 2010, the festival took place again at the Seattle Cinerama Theater. It continued its mission to promote science fiction and fantasy films. Ten short films were shown in an afternoon session, and another ten in an evening session. An awards ceremony followed the second session.

Awards

• Grand Prize: The Control Master
• Second Place: Alma
• Third Place: Charlie Thistle
• Audience Favorite: Charlie Thistle
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Hangar No. 5

Festival Jury

• A.J. Bond
• Jesse Harris
• Susan LaSalle
• Howard McCain
• Daniel Myrick
• Vincent Taylor
• Marc Scott Zicree

2011

The festival was held on January 29, 2011, at the Seattle Cinerama Theater. It continued to be a place for creative science fiction and fantasy films. Like the previous year, films were shown in two sessions, followed by an awards ceremony.

Awards

• Grand Prize: The Astronomer's Sun
• Second Place: Schizofredric
• Third Place: All the Time in the World
• Audience Favorite: Hectors Corps.
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Cockpit: The Rule of Engagement

Festival Jury

• Barbara Brown
• Ben Kasulke
• Howard McCain
• Annalee Newitz
• Bragi Schut Jr.
• Lindy West
• Daniel Wilson

2012

The festival in 2012 featured many new and exciting short films. It continued to be a popular event for fans of the genre.

Awards

• Grand Prize: The Hunger and the Swan Discuss Their Meeting
• Second Place: Time Freak
• Third Place: Terminus
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Terminus
• Audience Choice: Time Freak

Festival Jury

• Jon Landau
• Simon Cartwright
• Jessica Cope
• Howard McCain
• Ilona Rossman Ho
• Adam Sekular
• Paul Constant
• David Goldberg

2013

The 2013 festival showcased a diverse collection of short films. The awards recognized outstanding achievements in storytelling and visual effects.

Awards

• Grand Prize: Lucky Day Forever
• First Runner-up: Tumult
• Second Runner-up: Luminaris
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: The Gate
• Audience Award: Small Time

Festival Jury

• Sue Corcoran
• Robert Horton
• Bear McCreary
• Charles Mudede
• Andrew Allen
• Jason Sondhi
• Rider and Shiloh Strong

2014

The ninth annual Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival was held on January 11, 2014. It was a partnership between SIFF and EMP Museum.

Awards

• Grand Prize: Sleepworking
• First Runner-up: Louder, Please
• Second Runner-up: Night Giant
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Voice Over
• Audience Award: RPG OKC

Festival Jury

• John Joseph Adams
• SJ Chiro
• Laura Jean Cronin
• Cheryl Henson
• David Barr Kirtley
• Marc Laidlaw
• Seth Sommerfeld

2015

The 15th annual festival took place on Saturday, February 7, 2015. There was also an Encore presentation on Sunday. For the first time, special events were added on Friday, February 6. These included a screening of Escape from New York with live music. There was also "SFFSFF The Dark Side," which showed horror-themed short films with their own awards.

Awards

• Grand Prize: Caldera
• First Runner-up: In the Beginning
• Second Runner-up: Little Quentin
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects: Gumdrop
• Audience Award: In the Beginning

The Dark Side Awards

• Grand Prize: Carn
• First Runner-up: Kekasih
• Audience Award: Malaria

Festival Jury

• Gregg Hale
• Andrew Bowler
• Chris Harrison
• Meg Humphrey
• Ben Kasulke
• Mark Shapiro
• Tom Tangney
• Gavin Williams

2016

The 16th annual festival was held on Saturday, March 19, 2016. An Encore presentation followed on Sunday.

Awards

• Grand Prize Winner: Aden
• Second Place Winner: Frost
• Third Place Winner: Juliet
• Douglas Trumbull Award for Visual Effects: Aden