Be a part of film festival history! Welcome to the internationally recognized "Longest Student-Run Film Festival in the World"!

What began as a way to show their own films, two Humboldt State University students--here in the beautiful redwoods on the coast of northern California--began the festival way back in 1967.

For 54 years, the student-body of Humboldt State University has been inviting independent filmmakers (working in traditional and experimental modes) to enter their film shorts for the event.

The students enrolled in the university's unique film festival course are trained and certified to pre-screen and judge the wide variety of domestic and international entries from sent in from May through the end of February. The finalists in each category are screened in April at the historic Minor Theatre in Arcata, California for guest industry judges (such as Frank Capra, Walter Murch, Marcia Lucas, Alexander Payne, Patricia Cardoso, and Udi Aloni) as well as community film enthusiasts. Winners are announced and awarded at the Best of Fest by the judges at the fun and exciting final night.

HIFF is proud to promote the art of film, not only as a means of entertainment, but also as a vehicle for self-expression and a stimulus for dialogue about social, political and cultural issues. The Humboldt State University community as a whole invites and embraces the voices and stories of diversity and inclusion. It's a venue where the hidden faces and stilled voices can be seen and heard.