SFist wants to encourage all of you Bay Area folks to get out there and actually use your degrees in film for something other than the local pub quiz. That's right, people. it's time to put your money where your auteur theory is and enter your magnum opus in the 7th Annual SF Independent Film Festival.

The application is here, so with your movie, the completed application and the 20 or 30 buck entry fee ($20 for shorts, $30 for features over 50 minutes), you can put in your time at your crappy job secure in the knowledge that you're finally acting on your greater purpose.

The festival itself will take place from February 4-14 of 2005, so you can time your distribution deal exactly with your dramatic exit from work. Check out last year's festival for an idea of the entries that are tyypically succesful, and don't forget that SF Docfest and (our favorite) Horrorfest are creeping around the corner.

Good luck to all the entrants - we look forward to saying that we knew you when!