The Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival gets real

Mark your calendars, SDFF returns March 27 with the tagline, "Engage in what's real"

On a recent Thursday evening, a crowd of 40 or so people gathered at Sebastopol Center for the Arts to attend the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival 2025 Preview, where festival producer, steering committee member and 16-year volunteer Cynthi Stefenoni introduced fellow staff, talked film and previewed SDFF website features. The 90-minute event also included movie trailers and ended with the online film-catalog launch.

In a recent interview, Stefenoni said, “The films at our festival are more than just given information. They have entertained as well as informed. They have been created by professionals who are dedicated to truth and craft and have been masterful at delivering both.”

SDFF 2025 comes to Sebastopol over the long weekend of March 27-30, bringing with it 57 new movies from around the world. The Virtual Edition follows directly on its heels with a program of streaming movies, March 31 through April 9.

The film fest began in 2007 with 44 curated films from Sonoma County and the San Francisco Bay Area. This year, 57 films were chosen from almost 700 submissions worldwide, a new record. The steering committee and many additional volunteers, as well as the staff at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, worked tirelessly all year to bring the project to fruition. Together with the support of donors, sponsors and attendees, organizers say this event is set to be the best yet.

According to lead programmer and longtime festival volunteer Jean McGlothlin, we should expect two new things this year, besides the film line-up.

“We did take off a year so that we could regroup and start a different kind of focus,” she said. “There are two significant parts to that. One is outward facing. That’s the Lens of Power [Tribute] Award, and we have chosen filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk as the honorees who will receive that award on the opening night, the 27th, with their film, The White House Effect.”

Per the website, “The Lens of Power Award honors celebrated documentary filmmakers whose body of work has made a lasting impact on our culture. This award recognizes those who use the documentary lens to examine power structures, challenge dominant narratives, and inspire change through bold and influential storytelling.”

McGlothlin continued, “The other thing that is fresh about SDFF 2025 is that it truly incorporates and involves the entire Sebastopol Center for the Arts. In the past, the entire festival has largely been handled by volunteers such as myself and the producer and the associate producer, and everything that it takes to put on a city-wide event.”

SebArts employees fill several key positions this year. They include Facility Manager Danny Foster, covering AV tech for the SebArts building and technical production for the festival; Open Studios/SebArts Art Trails/Art At the Source Manager Penelope Lenaerts, in charge of ticketing, scheduling and more; and Executive Director Serafina Palandech, acting as ED for the festival, too, now that it is a program of SebArts.

Under Palandech’s guidance, SebArts has launched a wide publicity campaign for the film fest across various platforms. “Fabulous graphics are coming out, energized PR and social media, and great presence,” McGlothlin said, adding, “I really want to emphasize Serafina and what she’s brought; the energy and the leadership that she’s brought to the Art Center and offering so, so many real gifts to the community. After this year, I think we’ll be very visible.”

This year’s many improvements also include an updated website replete with clickable subject tags in the online Schedule and Film Guide; mobile-friendly features that allow attendees to purchase tickets and access their ticket QR codes via their phones; scheduled events called “Conversations,” some of which feature panels and/or filmmakers in attendance; and a Documentary Poetry Challenge class hosted by Sonoma County Poet Laureate (2024-26) Dave Seter.

Two staff film favorites include Democracy Noir (90 minutes) by Connie Fields, an exposé chronicling the dismantling of Hungarian democracy under Viktor Orbán’s decades-long leadership, and Bad Hostage (39 minutes) by Sebastopol Director Mimi Wilcox, which “investigates the pernicious origins of Stockholm Syndrome.”

Three must-see music-oriented films include Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me (88m) by Robert Clem, about one of the greatest blues singers ever; The Opener (72m) by Jeff Toye, about a street performer who makes it to the big stage; and The Road Home (21m) by Bria Light, about San Francisco-based fiddler Brandon Godman.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this year’s film fest, though, is its overt political and social conscience and its ongoing quest for truth.

The festival’s tagline — “Engage in what’s real” — remains a poignant statement during these turbulent political times when funding for the arts is vanishing at a record rate, the internet is rife with fake news and “alternative facts,” and democratic American institutions find themselves under attack from Capitol Hill and the White House. In response to these threats, the SDFF website further states, “Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival is proudly progressive, often featuring spotlights on social justice, journalism, current issues.”

The staff embraces these values.

“In a time where we see history being swept under the rug or ignored altogether, it’s important for us to remember who and what came before us, and what we can learn from it,” said Submissions Coordinator Lori Solomon.

SebArts’ Danny Foster’s motivation for working for the project includes “helping get all of this incredible content shown to more people in the world,” he said, adding, “We’re a faucet of truth to the people, and it’s a rare thing in this day and age.”

But SebArts/SDFF Executive Director Palandech may have summed up the importance of this year’s film fest most effectively: “The Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival embodies everything Sebastopol Center for the Arts stands for—thought-provoking storytelling, community engagement, and artistic excellence. As we look ahead to the next four years under the current White House administration, our vision remains clear: to champion truth, creativity, and dialogue through the arts. SDFF is a vital space where real stories inspire action, foster understanding, and remind us of the power of documentary film to shape culture and community. This festival isn’t just about watching films—it’s about engaging with what’s real.”

For all things Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival 2025, visit sebastopolfilmfestival.org. To learn more about the Virtual Edition, visit: watch.eventive.org/sdff2025.