The Spanish drama Maspalomas and the documentary State of Firsts have won the Grand Jury Awards at the 2026 Sonoma International Film Festival.
Sonoma International Film Festival
Sonoma International Film Festival takes place in the heart of Northern California’s Wine Country and features more than 90 hand-selected films including independent features, documentaries, world cinema, shorts and a showcase of Spanish language films.
Sonoma International Film Festival started in 1997 and takes place in Sonoma Valley, CA
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‘Maspalomas’ and ‘State of Firsts’ Win Sonoma International Film Festival Grand Jury Awards | List of Winners
Maspalomas directed by Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi
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Maude Apatow’s ‘Poetic License’ to Headline 29th Sonoma International Film Festival Lineup
Poetic License by Maude Apatow Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) has revealed a 104-film lineup spanning 37 countries for its 29th annual edition, taking place March 25–29, 2026.
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‘DJ Ahmet’ and ‘Mistress Dispeller’ Win Top Jury Awards at 2025 Sonoma International Film Festival
DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski (courtesy SIFF) DJ Ahmet has won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Mistress Dispeller wins for Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Sonoma International Film Festival.
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World Premiere of ‘Sweet Störy’ to Open 28th Sonoma International Film Festival Lineup
Sweet Störy by Sarah Justine Kerruish and Matt Maude (courtesy Sonoma International Film Festival) The 28th Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) returns to wine country from March 19-23, 2025, featuring a lineup of 39 narrative features, 16 documentaries, and 38 short films from over 21 countries alongside an array of filmmakers, actors, and culinary icons.
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‘Goodbye Julia’, ‘Invisible Nation’ Win Jury Awards at 27th Sonoma International Film Festival
Goodbye Julia (courtesy Sonoma International Film Festival) Goodbye Julia directed by Mohamed Kordofani walked away with the Grand Jury Award, Best Narrative Feature at the 27th Sonoma International Film Festival. The film follows the story of Mona, a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage, who is wracked by guilt after covering up a murder.
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Widow Clicquot Starring Haley Bennett to Open 27th Sonoma International Film Festival Lineup
Widow Clicquot (courtesy: SIFF) The U.S. Premiere of Thomas Napper’s Widow Clicquot starring Haley Bennett will kick off the 27th annual Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) taking place March 20-24, 2024, and featuring 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features, along with 48 short films representing more than 25 countries.
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Chef Susan Feniger Honored at Sonoma Film Festival and Premieres Susan Feniger. Forked
Susan Feniger. Forked James Beard Award-winning American chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and media personality Susan Feniger will be honored at the upcoming Sonoma International Film Festival (March 20-24, 2024) with the festival’s Culinary Excellence Award along with the Bay Area Premiere screening of Susan Feniger. Forked, directed by her partner, filmmaker Liz Lachman, on Thursday, March 21 at 5 pm at Hanna Center in Sonoma.
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BURNING DAYS and A STAGE OF TWILIGHT Win Top Filmmaker Jury Prizes at Sonoma Film Festival 2023
Burning Days directed by Emin Alper Burning Days directed by Emin Alper won the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature at the 26th annual Sonoma International Film Festival which ran March 22-26, 2023. The Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to The Grab by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
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CHASING CHILDHOOD, Documentary Explores the Changing Landscape of Childhood and Parenting
Chasing Childhood directed by Margaret Munzer Loeb and Eden Wurmfeld Following the world premiere at DOC NYC, the documentary Chasing Childhood will screen at upcoming film festivals across the country in March and April, including Portland International Film Festival (March 5-14) and Sonoma International Film Festival (March 24-28).
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Coronavirus Forces Film Festivals Cancellations and Postponements (LIST)
San Francisco International Film Festival The coronavirus, (COVID-19) pandemic is having a devastating impact on film festivals with many postponing or cancelling outright. Major festivals such as San Francisco International Film Festival and RiverRun International Film Festival have canceled, while others such as Richmond International Film Festival and Florida Film Festival have been postponed until the Summer or Fall.
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‘IN THE ORCHARD’ ‘SALYUT-7’ ‘THE NEED TO GROW’ Win at 21st Sonoma International Film Festival
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IN THE ORCHARD[/caption]
The 21st annual Sonoma International Film Festival came to a close over the weekend with the awards ceremony, and IN THE ORCHARD directed by Christopher Knoblock won the prize for Best American Independent Feature. In the film a grief-stricken woman befriends a Marine Veteran with PTSD, and the two begin a relationship which may lead them towards tragic consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv3eTd7rEYU
Other winners include SALYUT-7 directed by Klim Shipenko snagging the prize for Best World Feature; and THE NEED TO GROW directed by Rob Herring & Ryan Wirick won for Best Documentary Feature.
In SALYUT-7, Astronauts are sent to the rescue of Salyut 7, an unresponsive Soviet space station in what will become one of the most complicated mission in the history of space navigation. The documentary THE NEED TO GROW follows the personal journeys of solution innovators as they fight to localize sustainable food systems and regenerate Earth’s dying soils.
The SIFF 2018 winners are:
SIFF JURIED AWARDS
Best American Independent Feature: IN THE ORCHARD / Directed by Christopher Knoblock Best World Feature: SALYUT-7 / Directed by Klim Shipenko Best Documentary Feature: THE NEED TO GROW / Directed by Rob Herring & Ryan Wirick Best Animated Short: TWO BALLOONS / Directed by Mark C. Smith Best Comedy Short: SAM DID IT / Directed by Dominic Burgess Best Dramatic Short: WOODMAN / Directed by Mike Jackson Best World Short: INTO THE BLUE / Directed by Antoneta Alamat KusijanovicSIFF AUDIENCE AWARDS
The A3 Audience Award: Best Documentary: THE PUSH / Directed by Grant Korgan & Brian Niles (co-directors Geoff Callan) The Stolman Audience Award for Best American Indie: FUNNY STORY / Directed by Michael Gallagher SIFF Award for Best World Cinema: TULIPANI / Directed by Mike van DiemAUDIENCE SHORTS AWARDS
Best Animated: THE DRIVER IS RED / Directed by Randall Christopher Best Comedy: GRAHAM’S MATE/ Directed by Andy Hill Best Dramatic: WOODMAN / Directed by Mike Jackson Best Documentary: EMPIRE ON MAIN STREET / Directed by Jessica Congdon Best World Cimena: CROSSING FENCES / Directed by Annika Pampel Best Delicious: SAFRON / Directed by Andreas Ewels
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THE PROMISE Starring Christian Bale to Open 20th Sonoma International Film Festival
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The Promise[/caption]
The Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) highly anticipated 20th Anniversary celebration will open on Wednesday, March 29 with The Promise starring Christian Bale and Angela Sarafyan. Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, The Promise follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris – a renowned American journalist based in Paris.
The five-day event takes place in the heart of Northern California’s Wine Country and will feature more than 130 hand-selected films including independent features, documentaries, world cinema and short films.
”We are excited and prepared for an unprecedented number of filmmakers and festival attendees to come to Sonoma and experience the very best in film, food, wine and spirits,” enthused Executive Director Kevin McNeely.
One of the festival highlights is the Student Showcases on Thursday, March 30 and again the following Sunday afternoon. Peter Hansen, the director of the Media Arts Program at Sonoma Valley High School has selected Owen Summers stop action claymation film Magic Beans to be accepted into the Sonoma International Film Festival. Owen is a senior at Sonoma Valley High School.
Kiara Ramirez will be awarded the inaugural SIFF Emerging Artist Award. This award has been selected for post-high school filmmakers who exemplify the spirit of independent filmmakers with career aspiration in the film arts. Kiara is a 2016 graduate from Mendocino High School. Her first film, which she has produced and directed, is “mini-doc” Behind the Wall.
Cook Up A Storm will close out the festival on Sunday, April 2. A Cantonese street cook and his chief rival, a French-trained Michelin-starred chef, discover they have a lot in common as they prepare for a world-famous culinary competition. An international culinary competition becomes a battleground between rival cooks, one famous for his Cantonese street food and the other a Michelin-starred chef trained in France. But their rivalry takes an unexpected turn when they discover a common foe and combine their skills in a fusion of East and West.