By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and use of cookies and similar technologies. We store cookies and similar technologies on your computer or device to provide you with a great experience and help our website run effectively.
Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF, or “siff-siff” for those in the know) is THE must-see event for fans to experience the latest and greatest of sci-fi and fantasy cinematic arts.
With a record number of submissions from more than 60 different countries, we are geeking out at MoPOP about this year’s SFFSFF lineup. Plus, this is our second year featuring a Youth Showcase winner, carefully selected by MoPOP’s Youth Advisory Board. Throw in a live Q+A with filmmakers from around the world, and we have quite an awesome program.
With amazing films and the option of virtual screenings for folks who can’t make it, this unique festival (in partnership with SIFF) is an accessible way to celebrate the best of the best in fresh/nerdy/awesome cinema.
2022 Winners
Grand Prize - Other Half
Directed by Lina Kalcheva (United Kingdom, 13:20)
As an Individual Being in a world comprised of Merged Couples, Ren longs to find their other half and become complete.
Second Place - Jettison
Directed by JJ Pollack (USA, 11:13)
A restless young woman ships off to fight an interstellar war, only to struggle with the effects of being cut off from her home by both time and space.
Third Place - Clean Slate
Directed by Olubajo Sonubi (USA, 12:28)
After a botched proposal, an apprehensive Jay agrees to try AI counseling in hopes of healing her faltering relationship.
Audience Award - Celebritas Ex Machina
Directed by Joe Nicolosi (USA, 12:30)
Rosa makes robots. Living within the robots’ cold metal bodies are the souls and personalities of her favorite fictional characters from the worlds of film and television. Rosa believes this perfect life can continue forever, some of the robots have other ideas. The short features some cameos.
Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Visual Effects + Youth Showcase Award - El Camino
Directed by Jamie Jasso, Fernando Campos (Mexico, 14:49)
In order to sustain his family a troubled pilot accepts one last crooked deal to transport a dangerous cargo inside his spaceship.
A Look Back at SFFSFF 2022
2021 Winners
An important message from last year's SFFSFF screening:
A Message From SFFSFF and MoPOP’s Core Alliance for Racial Equity:
Before the program begins, we want to address a glaring error on our part. This slate of films does not feature Black or Native-American led or directed films. We sincerely apologize for the egregious oversight. This is an issue that SFFSFF will address from the bottom up, understanding that this error is systematic racism coming to full fruition. We thank the community member who brought this to our attention and for holding us accountable. We need to think about why there were no Black or Native-American led or directed films and why it took so long to address. To address this issue is not to just add a quota of Black, Indigenous and People of Color led or directed films in our selection process. A band-aid solution will only do a disservice to our community and would not address the root issue of systematic racism and white preference, both of which SFFSFF operates within. Along with Black and Native American folks, other marginalized groups/minorities were affected during the film selection process as well, and will continue to be if we do not do the work. It requires us to completely take apart every aspect of SFFSFF and rebuild with access and inclusion as the driving force of the program. Which is exactly what we will do.
SFFSFF is a community program at its heart, celebrating Sci-Fi and Fantasy films as well as those that love them. We completely missed that mark this year. And we apologize to all of those that love this festival and to our Black and Native American community who we have failed.
Additionally, we want to acknowledge that the contributions from Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Sci-Fi/Fantasy make it what it is today, Afrofuturism and Black Speculative fiction work in particular is a pillar of the genre and in excluding these narratives we cannot fully tell the story of Science Fiction or Fantasy. We take full responsibility for our actions, and we take full responsibility to do the work. To put in the resources, time, and money that is required of us to do better. Again we want to thank the community member that called us in, and for believing that SFFSFF can and will do better.
We hope that you will join us next year for a SFFSFF that is truly reflective of our community.
Thank You.
SFFSFF 2021 Program
Grand Prize - uTransfer
d. Giorgio Miraflor
uTransfer is a new device that allows for certain United States Citizens to transfer their consciousness into a utopia called the New World. Though it is unknown to us as to why, Dean Flores is wildly determined to get to the other side.
Second Place - It's Okay
d. Justin Giddings & Ryan Welsh
In this Black Mirror-esque tale, a couple revisit key moments of their past, only for their memories to take an unexpected turn.
Third Place - Pipo and Blind Love
d. Hugo Le Gourrierec
In a dezhumanized world where emotions are rationed and measured by a gauge, Pipo, a factory worker falls in love with a woman sitting on a bench. He will try anything to attract her attention and seduce her with his own « language ».
Audience Award - Cabin For Two
d. Sam Hoiland
Harold, a hermit living in a remote cabin, uses a self-made dating tape to talk about his search for love. As he bears his soul to the camera, we see a montage of his daily activities and it becomes clear that all is not right in the world. A lurking threat is just out of sight, but not even the apocalypse can dampen Harold’s spirit.
Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Visual Effects + Youth Showcase Award - Sunshine Room
d. Nick Lopez
Cutting-edge technology allows a young woman to grow up alongside her beloved Abuela. But on the verge of leaving for college, her financial realities threaten to erase their relationship for good.