Founded in 1997, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) is the world’s first and longest-running transgender film festival. We build strong, thriving, diverse transgender community by conducting media arts programs that strengthen awareness of transgender history, identity, rights movements, and culture; stimulate community dialogue about local and global transgender issues; challenge transphobic representation and under-representation of trans people in film; support independent trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) filmmakers; provide opportunities for trans artists, audiences and communities; and forward racial and trans justice in media arts.

When TGNC rights activists and media artists founded SFTFF in 1997, government agencies and foundations did not fund TGNC arts groups. We organized our initial event for the same reason many marginalized communities have staged film festivals: the absence of authentic media depictions of our lives.

Challenging transphobic representations is vital to our work, since they compound the enormous societal and economic challenges trans people already face: a disproportionate percentage of hate crimes and police brutality, economic marginalization and overt discrimination. 30% of transgender people earn less than $20,000/year; 97% have experienced employment discrimination and harassment; 47% have been fired for being trans.

SFTFF’s long-range goal is to build a strong multi-racial SF Bay Area TGNC community that centers those who are most marginalized by promoting intersectional dialogue and understanding through the arts.

Once again this year, our festival will be online and FREE, as a reflection of our values and to support our communities during COVID. Even though we are losing so much of our earned income, we know that our communities are suffering and need access to our festival more than ever! CAC support will make this free access possible.