Draft:Student World Impact Film Festival

The Student World Impact Film Festival or SWIFF is an annual international film festival founded by student Mark Leschinsky that focuses on showcasing films created by filmmakers with a strong emphasis on social issues. It is the world's leading platform for broadcasting films for students. In 2023, the organization received the Diana Award for its commitment to humanitarian work in the arts.

History
The Student World Impact Film Festival was first established in 2020 by Leschinsky to encourage student filmmakers to tackle pressing social and environmental issues through their creative storytelling. In March of 2022, it was certified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since then, it has grown to become a prominent event among other student film festivals, attracting entries from young filmmakers in 149 countries.

Location
The Student World Impact Film Festival is based in the United States in the State of New Jersey. It has a Post Office Box in Waldwick, New Jersey. On March 11, 2023, the festival received the support and recognition of the Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy.

Festival
The festival typically runs for about a week, during which a wide variety of films are screened. These films cover a broad range of topics, including but not limited to environmental sustainability, social justice, human rights, and cultural diversity.

In addition to film screenings, SWIFF often hosts panel discussions, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, workshops, and other events that facilitate conversations about the themes explored in the films. Speakers are typically students from colleges or universities in the United States. In the past, SWIFF has hosted speakers from Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Princeton University, and the American Film Institute.

This format enables attendees to engage with the issues raised in the films and encourages a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The festival has partnered with Amazon Prime Video to encourage young filmmakers to distribute their films. SWIFF award winners are given the opportunity to distribute their feature films free of cost (if they have made any) to Amazon Prime Video.