about GIFF.
Community. Education. Entertainment.
History
Mission
Buenas yan Håfa Adai.
The Guam International Film Festival proudly presents an international event exhibiting a dynamic source of cross-cultural artistic presence, bridging gaps among the U.S., Asia and the Pacific’s multi-cultural population and region. GIFF is the first and only annual U.S. film festival in the western pacific.
Building upon its growing success with an abundance of creative talent and worldwide recognition emerging from Asia and the Western Pacific, GIFF aims to unify, celebrate and showcase to the region and the world, the collective experience through the universal medium of film. GIFF strives to capture the passion and spirit of independent filmmakers and their films.
Community, Education and Entertainment.
Guam International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to foster the growth of cross-cultural understanding through the art of filmmaking. We achieve this by providing free film education and promoting cultural understanding throughout our communities. GIFF achieves this through community outreach, education through festival programs and efforts to build awareness for social responsibility through our carefully curated film programming.
Program collaborations have included Pixar Animation Studios, Adobe, Warner Archive Collection, Pacific Islanders in Communications and more.
“It’s so exciting for me to attend because it reminds me ofthe early festivals that I attended back in the eighties,where film festivals were really for sharing the culture.”
Education and Support
Sponsor / Donate / Volunteer
Enriching our local community through film is essentially what GIFF is all about. Your financial contributions and in-kind donations will help the Guam International Film Festival bring together cultures and traditions through the universal language of film.
With your involvement in the Guam International Film Festival, you demonstrate social responsibility and support of the Pacific Island and Asian cultures and arts.
All gifts will be acknowledged and are fully tax-deductible. Gifts made online will be confirmed electronically within 24 hours. You will not receive any goods or services in exchange for your gift. We are currently working on providing an annual GIFF Membership Program in exchange for an annual membership fee.
Please sign up for the GIFF Newsletter on our site’s homepage to be informed once the program is available. For more information, please email Kel Muña at: info[at]guamfilmfestival.org
Your financial information and e-mail address are completely confidential and will not be shared with any third party.
For more information on becoming a sponsor of the Guam International Film Festival, please email us at: info[at]guamfilmfestival.org
Si Yu’os ma’åse’ para i sinapotten-miyu. Thank you for your support.
One of the best ways to get involved with the Guam International Film Festival is through joining the group of individuals who make up our Volunteers, or, as we refer to them, “Team GIFF”.
Team GIFF is the driving force of our operations serving in various positions, such as hospitality coordinators, theatre ushers and media managers. GIFF is always looking for friendly, committed and passionate individuals to join the TEAM year-round.
Opportunities include volunteering at our annual festival or community programs. We welcome individuals with unique personalities and skill sets to join our diverse Team.
We at GIFF do our very best to find and make opportunities for members of our Team to develop and showcase those skills. Volunteers can expect to gain new relationships and more confidence in themselves as they move forward in their careers.
Additional Volunteer perks include:
- Networking prospects with filmmakers and possible career connections
- Exclusive access to GIFF Screenings and Events
- Opportunities to build skills and learn new ones
- Life-long connections and relationships
We recruit all walks of life into our Team. If you are interested in giving back to your community by volunteering with GIFF, please click the button below to fill out the Volunteer Application.
Si Yu’os ma’åse’ para i sinapotten-miyu. Thank you for your support.
(Note: If you are under 18 and interested in volunteering as a student or as part of a class, please email: volunteer[at]guamfilmfestival.org)
GIFF Educational Programs
Your contribution helps the GIFF Cinemaolek Discussion Series to provide critical discussion with featured guests, filmmakers and educators engaging the community with in-depth dialogue in various humanities topics relevant to our society.
Your contribution provides our GIFF Student Film Club the chance to reinforce media literacy, critical viewing skills and multi-cultural understanding among Guam’s students as they navigate through today’s media-heavy landscape.
Your contribution helps our Islandwide Youth Film Competition to provide a platform for young filmmakers currently enrolled in middle and high school, to create dialogue and share stories from their culture and communities. The IYFC provides cash prizes and festival screenings to the top films.
GIFF Community Programs
Your contribution helps our TEAM GIFF Volunteer program provide onsite exposure to industry skill-sets such as tourism and hospitality, marketing and promotions, advertising, event administration and operations, food and beverage, graphic design, film production and more all within a safe, team-oriented environment designed for personal and professional growth. extending invitations to filmmakers and industry film professionals to film workshops.
Your contribution helps our community outreach programs such as the Pixar AnimationRecruitment Outreach which served as a learning opportunity for our island’s youth and current workforce in film development and industry. The PIC Filmmaker’s Lab provided opportunities for production funding to local established and aspiring filmmakers.
GIFF Annual Film Festival
Your contribution to our annual film festival secures socially responsible film programming such as cultural, environmental and educational films for Guam’s audiences. This is a very significant component of the festival process as it involves working with filmmakers, distributors, and hundreds of film submissions.
Your contribution secures Festival transportation for visiting guests, Festival venues for exhibition in additional to providing meals for TEAM GIFF Volunteers.
“The film traveled to the Guam International Film Festival in September…we worked with the festival organizers and the USO to get families free tickets to our screenings…the film went over wonderfully, we won the Grand Jury Prize”
Organizers
Staff
Lyka Santos
Social Media Manager
Lyka Santos is an experienced graphic designer who also developed a passion for digital marketing. She aims to put the fun in functional and build brands/images for the digital age.
Cianna Yanger
Volunteer Manager
Cianna Yanger is a Guam-based graphic designer and illustrator. She truly believes that if her work can brighten someone’s day, it’s the best thing that can happen with her art.
Lawrence "Encho" Lizama
Technical Coordinator
As a storyteller and an advocate for our region’s cultural sustainability, Lawrence is passionate about telling the stories of the Marianas and the Pacific through film, music, and food.
He works as the Production Coordinator for the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and is a creative partner for House 5 Productions.
Myracle Mugol
Program Manager
Myracle wears several hats. She is currently the Guam Green Growth Circular Economy Coordinator. But is known as a community/event organizer, entrepreneur, filmmaker, artist, sociologist, and mother to two boys.
Kel Muña
Program Director
A filmmaker and educator, Kel is the founder and Program Director of the Guam International Film Festival and is an adjunct instructor of film and media at the University of Guam.
Funding has been provided to Guam International Film Festival, Inc. from Humanities Guåhan and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the federal ARP Act of 2021.
Address
P.O. Box 326686
Hagåtña, GU 96932, USA
info [at] guamfilmfestival.org