Six Feature Films Make U.S. Premiere At Largest International Documentary Film Festival In Massachusetts

Salem Film Fest celebrates 16 years of sharing independent documentaries and shorts to Boston’s North Shore, March 23 - April 2. 

Festival highlights include the world premiere of George Gittoes’s Ukrainistan Artist War, along with the U.S. premieres of Lindsey Hagen’s Fight or Flight, Sebastián Alfie’s The Kaiser of Atlantis, and Kinodopomoha Collective’s Overcoming the Darkness. 

The 16th annual Salem Film Fest (SFF), the largest international documentary film festival in Massachusetts, takes place March 23 - April 2 throughout Salem and Beverly, Massachusetts with in-person and virtual screenings, filmmaker Q &As, as well as other special events. Individual tickets are $13, five-ticket packs are $60 and ten-ticket packs are $110, all available at www.salemfilmfest.com 

Since 2007, Salem Film Fest (SFF) has brought the world's best independent documentaries and their makers to Boston's North Shore. The festival is mostly run by volunteers through a non-profit entity, Salem Community Arts Center, Inc. This year, over 30 filmmakers will be attending. 

“Our selection committees pour over films for nearly five months, looking for stories that intrigue and captivate,” Program Director Jeff Schmidt said. “Sometimes a film grabs our attention immediately, sometimes it's a slow build that develops over many conversations.”  

SFF was founded on the principle of putting filmmakers first. Unlike many film festivals, SFF does not charge filmmakers a fee to submit their work to the selection committee.  Additionally, SFF pays filmmakers a screening fee, covers their lodging, several meals, and assists with parts of their travel for the festival.  

“When I got involved in the beginnings of SFF, I had just gotten off the festival circuit with a documentary of my own, and found that experience a mixed bag,” Founder Joseph Cultrera said. "I'm proud of the fact that SFF has never been a financially losing proposition for any filmmaker. We’re clearly breaking the model that other festivals run on. A film fest is nothing without the content that filmmakers bring to it.” 

SFF is completely funded by local businesses and with grants provided by the Mass Cultural Council (MCC), Local Cultural Councils under the MCC, and Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF). Sponsors can choose a film they would like their business associated with, and often end up promoting the film and fostering a relationship with the filmmaker.  

?Volunteers also bring a sense of community to the festival, united in their passion for SFF.  

“I volunteer for SFF because I believe in the power of documentary film to educate and inspire people,” Fest Director Joe Ferrari said. “Bringing a group of thought-provoking documentary films to Boston's North Shore each year elevates the public discourse about the social issues presented in our films, and I know what an important service this is to our community." 

VIEW THE SFF PROGRAM GUIDE HERE. 

ABOUT SALEM FILM FEST 

Since 2007, Salem Film Fest (SFF) has brought the world's best independent documentaries and their makers to Boston's North Shore. Now the largest international documentary film festival in Massachusetts, the event annually presents features, shorts and special events to a loyal audience of thousands.  

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