About the Social Justice Film Festival and Institute
The Social Justice Film Festival is a home for social justice storytelling and filmmakers. Through our educational programming, a network of professionals, and a national film festival, we offer meaningful community-building experiences that mobilize social change in Seattle and beyond. The Festival and Institute is a trusted place to discover social justice films and nurture storytelling skills. We host grassroots events for filmgoers, community groups, and activists to explore social justice films.
The Festival and Institute harnesses the power of social justice storytelling to inspire, empower, and educate. The Festival and Institute serves as a community resource and a critical lens to democratize filmmaking and to make available brave, cutting-edge documentary and narrative stories otherwise absent from the mainstream media. It is a place for activism, where content creators use visual storytelling to imagine and inspire transformational change.
Team Members
Sam Hampton, PhD, Executive Director
sam@socialjusticefilminstitute.org
Marisa Reyes-Pacheco, Program Manager
marisa@socialjusticefilminstitute.org
Board Members
David Trieweiler, Chair
AJ Musewe
Alex Johnston, PhD
Lauren Taubman
Jody Cole
History
The Social Justice Film Festival (SJFF) began as a group of individuals committed to furthering social justice issues who recognized the value of art and film to educate and raise awareness about such matters. Their first activity was to create a premier film festival in the U.S., introducing, featuring, and promoting social justice issues to ever-growing local, national, and international audiences. While the Social Justice Film Festival has been held every year since 2013, the Social Justice Film Institute received its 501c3 status in the fall of 2021. Through collaborations, the Institute has engaged in various advocacy efforts by shedding light on matters relating to social justice efforts worldwide and the importance of supporting the creative community, including but not limited to social justice filmmakers, community-based nonprofits, and civic-minded community members.