National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) finds a new home at SIFF

SEATTLE – NFFTY, the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, and SIFF, home of the Seattle International Film Festival, announced a new phase of their partnership at opening night of NFFTY’s 2025 Festival this evening at the SIFF Cinema Uptown.

“NFFTY has a new permanent home and producing partner with SIFF” Robert Bojorquez, NFFTY’s Board President, announced to the audience on opening night, “We truly believe this has been a long time coming, where NFFTY will supplement and support SIFF’s youth and educational programming and SIFF will provide a robust foundation of infrastructure for NFFTY to continue to flourish for another 18 years and more.”

NFFTY has grown into the world’s largest film festival for emerging directors. Each year the festival showcases films by directors 24-and-under and supports young filmmakers by offering professional-level workshops year-round. NFFTY’s 2025 Festival runs April 3-6 at SIFF Cinema Uptown.

"As our festival enters adulthood with this 18th edition, NFFTY officially moving in with SIFF is an exciting new chapter in our coming-of-age story," says NFFTY Managing Director Ryan Saunders. "It is the perfect opportunity for us to honor our mission of uplifting the next generation of filmmakers, seeking to build a more inclusive film landscape by creating a pipeline for young artists to jumpstart their journey into the industry. I'm excited to see how the program grows under the SIFF umbrella."

“SIFF is very proud to be announcing this exciting development, which has long been in the works,” says SIFF Executive Director, Tom Mara, “It makes so much sense for NFFTY to join SIFF’s existing programs, and it provides an incredible opportunity for SIFF to build on our strategic commitment to invest more deeply in youth and education programs. To support and champion youth filmmaking alongside the incredible NFFTY team will be a real source of inspiration for our organization and for the SIFF community.”

NFFTY joins SIFF’s existing youth programming including Summer Filmmaking Camps for students aged 9-14, and the Futurewave youth jury panels for the Seattle International Film Festival.

Tickets and passes are on sale now for NFFTY’s 2025 Festival, which continues virtually April 3-13.

The 51st Seattle International Film Festival will play in person May 15-25 at venues across Seattle and virtually on the SIFF Channel May 26-June 1. Passes and ticket packages are on sale now at siff.net/passes. Individual tickets will go on sale to SIFF members on April 23, and to the general public on April 24, 2025.

About SIFF: 

Beginning in 1976 with the annual Seattle International Film Festival, then expanding into year-round programming, SIFF is a 501c3 cultural arts organization dedicated to the creation of vibrant experiences and spaces that champion film discovery and arts education. SIFF envisions a thriving arts ecosystem where film discovery encourages a more empathetic, joyful, and connected world.

In its four theaters, SIFF offers year-round screenings, Film Talks and a series of spotlight festivals throughout the year. SIFF also serves the community through educational programs and SIFFsupports, a partnership program that hosts and provides technical support to a variety of special screenings and festivals.

For showtimes and event updates, visit siff.net.