San Diego International Film Festival

San Diego International Film Festival

Festival co-hosts Jeffrey Lyons, Ben Lyons and Scott Mantz at a Critics Panel in 2016.
Location	San Diego and La Jolla
Established	2001
Founded by	Karl Kozak, Robin Laatz
Awards	Golden Eagle, Kumeyaay Eagle, Gregory Peck Award, Chris Brinker Award
Artistic director	Tonya Mantooth
Website	sdfilmfest.com

The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival in San Diego, California, produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla, and Balboa Park.

The festival hosts celebrity awards banquets, panel discussions, retrospectives, parties, premieres, and contemporary independent narrative, documentary and short film screenings. Competitive juried categories vary year to year and have included foreign language, animated, Native American, military, social justice, equestrian, thrillers, and local films made in San Diego.

Special advanced screenings for VIP members^[1] and educational programs^[2] for San Diego area high schools are held year round in addition to an annual formal "Oscar watch party" in the winter.^[3]