Premiere Status

Premiere status has absolutely no bearing on whether your film will be accepted or screened at SLFF, however we will not accept any film that has played at any film festivals in Eastern, WA, or North Idaho, with few exceptions. We will not accept any film that has ever played for a public audience in the town of Sandpoint, Idaho.

That said, SLFF has hosted World Premieres for terrific independent films such as Die Besucher (short, Germany), Kayfabe (feature, Canada), and The Giving (short documentary, USA), many of which have gone on to win awards on the festival circuit. SLFF takes World Premieres seriously and we will do our best to accommodate as many representatives of the film that can attend as possible. SLFF has also been the host of many USA, regional and over a hundred state premieres, and equal attention is given in those categories.

In the end, however, SLFF treats all films that are accepted and screened as the masterpieces they are, and reveres and celebrates the talent it took to create such works, so whether a film has never played before or this is the fiftieth time it has played, the film is very special to us and is held in high regard.

Also, please note that SLFF is willing to treat your film as a Sneak Peak Preview, but it must be declared ASAP before our final deadline. Sneak Peak Preview status will remove the film from competition.

A quick definition of Premiere status, shown in hierarchal form:

• World: The film has never been screened before, in its current completed form, for a public audience.
• USA: The film has never been screened before, in its current completed form, for a public audience in the United States.
• West Coast:The film has never been screened before, in its current completed form, for a public audience on the west coast of the United States
• Northwest: The film has never been screened before, in its current completed form, for a public audience in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming.
• Idaho: The film has never been screened before, in its current completed form, for a public audience in the state of Idaho