Santa Fe Film Festival


The Santa Fe Film Festival is a Non-Profit Organization which presents important world cinema in a non-commercial context that represents aesthetic, critical and entertainment standards highlighting New Mexican film, new American and foreign film including revivals, retrospectives, independent productions and mini-festivals. They partner with educational groups, schools and non profits and also provide a forum for filmmakers, critics, educators and historians. The award is in the form of a mounted original sculpture.

Festival and awards

The festival is generally run between Thanksgiving and Christmas time in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area and was inaugurated in 1999 but began an institutionalized schedule starting in the year 2000 which sold over 9,000 tickets and passes. The festival was founded by Kurt Young and Joanna England The awards varied over the years. Initial categories included: Best Short, Best Documentary, Best Feature, Best Native American Film, and Best Latino Film. By 2006 the awards became the Milagro Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the Audience Award, Honorable Mention, Creative Spirit Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Major contributors to the event Robert O'Connor, Ben Mason, Jon Bowman and John Armijo serving as the board of directors, Linda Horn.
Kurt Young was the first director of the festival and appointed Jon Bowman. Jon Bowman was the director of the festival for ten years.
Individuals awarded include:

1999

2005