CASCADIA International Women's Film Festival is entering its ninth festival season dedicated to showcasing the exceptional work of women directors from around the world. To date, CASCADIA has proudly presented the work of more than 250 women directors worldwide. Approximately 30-40 films will be screened over the course of the four-day in person festival. An online festival version afterwards is also planned.
We are located in beautiful Bellingham, WA, USA. Our area of the Pacific Northwest is an ideal location for both film making and viewing. Bellingham is a city of approximately 100,000 on the shores of Puget Sound and lies halfway between Seattle, WA. And Vancouver, BC, Canada.
CASCADIA presents separate programs for short subject films, feature narrative and documentary films. We showcase women filmmakers from throughout the world as well as local directors, considered to be those working in the region extending from Vancouver B.C., Canada to the Seattle, WA. metropolitan area. CASCADIA also searches for films by Indigenous women filmmakers and emerging and student filmmakers. Please let us know if you qualify for consideration in this area.
Festival film programs are followed by Q & A with the attending filmmakers and/or an industry or subject panel discussion. The festival also hosts networking and social opportunities specifically for our directors. Directors are our guests at CASCADIA's Saturday night Directors' party. The festival also stages a reception and program with its Honored Guest. Past Honored Guests have been legendary director Catherine Hardwicke, her films include: "Twilight," "Thirteen," "Lords of Dogtown" among others. Academy Award-winning Documentary Director Barbara Kopple, renown director Martha Coolidge, first woman DGA president; Cheryl Boone Isaacs, past president of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Oscar-winning Documentary Director Freida Lee Mock. The 2020 festival honored the centennial of the 19th Amendment with a special online screening and discussion of the HBO film, "Iron Jawed Angels" directed by Katja von Garnier.
The festival added an online version of the festival in 2020 during the pandemic and has continued since with a hybrid festival showing its films both in person at the theatre give our films and filmmakers greater audience exposure and make them accessible to those who unable to attend an in-person festival.
All filmmakers selected for the festival receive a screening fee and laurels.
