Come to Salem, see the world.

The largest international documentary film festival in Massachusetts, the event annually presents features, shorts and special events to a loyal audience of thousands.

The 17th edition of our fest is returning to an all in-person screening format, with filmmaker q&as as well as parties and other special events.

Schedule of Events

March 21, 2024

5 - 7 PM: SFF Kick-Off Party at Old Town Hall

Meet visiting filmmakers and friends on Opening Night at Salem's historic Old Town Hall for light bites from Bambolina and brews from Ipswich Ale Brewery and Bent Water Brewing .Join in on the fun with our photo booth provided by Boston Photo Booth Services. FREE ADMISSION.

7:30 - 10 PM: FIRST WE BOMBED NEW MEXICO & IN EXILE at Cinema Salem

In a New Mexico community whose land and water was radiated by the Trinity Bomb, a cancer survivor catalyzes a movement for justice. This is the story that “Oppenheimer” doesn't tell. Exploring the U.S. nuclear legacy in the Pacific through the lens of the Marshallese community in Springdale, AR who gather annually to commemorate Bikini Atoll bombing in 1946.

March 22, 2024

11:30 AM - 1:45 PM: INUNDATION DISTRICT at Peabody Essex Museum

INUNDATION DISTRICT explores the implications of one city's decision to ignore the threats posed by climate change and spend billions of dollars on building a new waterfront district — on landfill, at sea level.

2 - 4 PM: NATHAN-ISM & ANYUKA at Cinema Salem

Daring to question an artist's stories, NATHAN-ISM is a fascinating look at one man's need to share truths with a world that doesn't always want to listen. A daughter embarks on an immersive journey into the remarkable life of her indomitable grandmother, a writer, WWII refugee and Holocaust survivor.

2:30 - 4:10 PM: SHORTS BLOCK: EARTH ECHOES at Peabody Essex Museum

Co-presented by GLOBEDOCS and The Engagement Lab at Emerson College. Sponsored by Stan Franzeen, Spinale Automotive, and Thai Place. The residents of a small, quintessential but neglected British seaside town grapple with new research suggesting that their home could disappear within 30 years due to the climate crisis. On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers Birta and Selma trade late night parties for nocturnal puffin rescues in this coming-of-age story for young adults and puff...

4 - 6 PM: Filmmaker Happy Hour at East Regiment Beer Co.

Grab a brew with some of our visiting filmmakers. FREE ADMISSION. CASH BAR.

4:30 - 6 PM: MAESTRA at Cinema Salem

Five incredible women from around the world are boldly breaking glass ceilings in the male-dominated world of orchestral conducting, taking center stage.

4:45 - 6:30 PM: BETWEEN THE RAINS at Peabody Essex Museum

Filmed with stunning cinematography over four years, BETWEEN THE RAINS explores a childhood caught within a traditional culture that is a casualty of climate change.

6:45 - 8:45 PM: THE BODY POLITIC at Cinema Salem

THE BODY POLITIC follows Baltimore's idealistic young mayor into office where he puts his personal and political future on the line to save his city from chronic violence.

9 - 11:59 PM: SFF Social at Longboards at Longboards Restaurant & Bar

Join us upstairs at Longboards on the wharf! Mingle with film fest fans and filmmakers. FREE ADMISSION. CASH BAR.

9:15 - 11 PM: BREAK THE GAME at Cinema Salem

After coming out as a trans woman, world record–holding gamer, Narcissa Wright loses her massive fanbase. To win them back, she attempts to set a new world record in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, while live-streaming every minute of her mythic quest.

March 23, 2024

10:30 AM - 12 PM: Keeping It Reel at National Park Service Visitor Center

THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Our doc shorts showcase for Massachusetts high school students, sponsored by Boris FX. A jury will award software packages provided by our sponsor to the top three films. The showcase will feature the films below and be followed by a Q&A with attending student filmmakers: FAME AND FORTUNE Bennett Ross, Buckingham Browne and Nichols This is a film about Squash. The sport. Not the vegetable. Why is squash an underdog sport? BEY...

11 AM - 1 PM: BROTHER HORSE & END OF THE ROAD at Cinema Salem

Santí Serracamps has an innate ability to communicate with animals. During a trip to Morocco, he discovers Mabrouk, a severely injured horse whom he decides to rescue. Zeljko and Viki sacrifice all they have to ensure a gentle end of life for relinquished horses on their land. Grappling with mortality and compassion, empathy and dignity.

12:45 - 2:43 PM: Mass Reality Check at National Park Service Visitor Center

THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Our doc shorts showcase for Massachusetts college and university students and recent graduates. An industry jury will award software packages provided by Boris FX to the top three films. The first place winner will also be awarded "Mass Reality Check Best Short," and receive complimentary one-year memberships from Women in Film and Video New England (WIFVNE) and Mass Production Coalition (MPC). The first place winner will a...

1 - 3:15 PM: SUBTERRANEAN at Peabody Essex Museum

Two gritty teams of hobbyist cavers are poised to break records for the longest and deepest caves in Canada.

1:30 - 3:20 PM: SHORTS BLOCK: RELATIONS at Cinema Salem

Co-presented by RPM Festival. Sponsored by Lulu's Bakery and Pantry, and King Lewis Engraving and Gifts. When photographs fail, can a painting or an embroidery function as a memory? A family reconstructs the fragments of memories forgotten by a loved one, in this kaleidoscopic animated documentary. This 16mm film captures a mother's profound love for her family, poignantly humanizing the challenges faced by migrants. Central American dairy workers in the Northeast reminisce abou...

3:30 - 5:30 PM: LA LUCHA at National Park Service Visitor Center

A caravan of people with disabilities cross the Andes in a battle for their civil rights.

3:45 - 5:50 PM: QUEENDOM at Peabody Essex Museum

Gena (she/her), a queer artist from rural Russia, stages radical performances in the streets of Moscow that become a new form of art and activism, and put her life in danger.

4 - 5:50 PM: CITIZEN SLEUTH at Cinema Salem

A true crime podcaster from Appalachia blurs the line between fact and entertainment as she investigates the mysterious death of a local girl. CITIZEN SLEUTH examines the ethics of the true crime genre and how the power of narrative affects truth, victims, and communities.

4 - 6 PM: Wine Tasting with Filmmakers at Salem Wine Imports

Join us for an afternoon event of fine wines and engaging conversation with our filmmakers at Salem Wine Imports. $5 for the General Public.

6:15 - 8 PM: OUT THERE: A NATIONAL PARKS STORY at National Park Service Visitor Center

Two childhood friends embark on a 10,000 mile road trip through the U.S. national parks, revealing a profound tapestry of stories from the people they meet along the way.

6:30 - 8:45 PM: THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES at Cinema Salem

On a handmade set recreating her Casablanca neighborhood, a young Moroccan filmmaker enlists family and friends to help solve the troubling mysteries of her childhood.

9 - 11:10 PM: KNIT'S ISLAND at Cinema Salem

Somewhere on the Internet is a land where communities simulate a survivalist fiction. The “players” reveal their fears and fantasies, in an at times unsettling blurring of the real and the virtual.

9 - 11:59 PM: SFF Soiree at Sea Level at Sea Level Oyster Bar

Head to the waterfront with our Fest filmmakers and friends to nibble a selection of appetizers from the fabulous Sea Level kitchen. FREE ADMISSION. CASH BAR.

March 24, 2024

10 - 11:55 AM: STORY & PICTURES BY at Peabody Essex Museum

A story about the picture book creators who are changing the narrative for the next generation.

12 - 1:55 PM: ALL WE CARRY at Cinema Salem

A young couple and their baby flee violence in Honduras only to find themselves caught in the complexities of the US immigration system, before finding shelter in an unlikely place.

12 - 2:10 PM: LUCHA: A WRESTLING TALE at National Park Service Visitor Center

A transformative story of a high school women's wrestling team, from the high hopes of its inaugural season through the uncertainty of graduation.

12:30 - 2:30 PM: SKIN OF GLASS at Peabody Essex Museum

A journey to reckon with Brazil's harsh inequality begins when a filmmaker discovers her late father's architectural masterpiece is occupied by hundreds of unhoused people.

2:30 - 4:20 PM: BYE BYE TIBERIAS at Cinema Salem

Years after leaving her Palestinian village to pursue an acting career in France, Hiam Abbass (Succession) returns home with her daughter, in this intimate film about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation.

2:45 - 4:20 PM: BRING THEM HOME / AISKÓTÁHKAPIYAAYA at National Park Service Visitor Center

The story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species' near-extinction.

3 - 4:45 PM: THE NITA & ZITA PROJECT at Peabody Essex Museum

An extraordinary story of two sisters and burlesque artists, Nita & Zita, who blazed a trail to international stardom while weaving their mythology into the very fabric of New Orleans.

5:15 - 6:50 PM: CALL ME DANCER at Cinema Salem

A journey from the streets of Mumbai to the stages of New York, this is a story of an unlikely friendship between a street dancer and a curmudgeonly ballet teacher who inspires him to follow his dreams.

7 - 9 PM: SFF Wrap Party at Village Tavern

Come next door to Cinema Salem after the final screening of the weekend to celebrate another fantastic film fest!

Date: March 21-24, 2024

Location: Various Venues in Salem, MA 01970

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