The Cascade Festival of African Films is the longest running African Film Festival in the United States, located in the unique city of Portland Oregon, and completely free to the community. Our festival is dedicated to providing a platform for showcasing African cinema of Africa through African lenses. As a primarily non-competitive festival, we aim to feature creators from diverse perspectives with stories from across the continent and its diaspora, while celebrating the power and impact of storytelling with the community and beyond.

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Awards & Prizes

The festival runs five weeks annually from February through the first week of March at the Hollywood Theatre and Portland Community College. From red carpet reception to film screenings, visual arts exhibit, panel discussions, live performances, African food, marketplace, etc., the entire festival offers unique social engagement opportunity to form new connections and cultural experiences.

A selected number of feature filmmakers will be invited to the festival all expenses paid including honorarium.

Rules & Terms

Cascade Festival of African Films will continue to be a hybrid event with some special programs outside of those selected in this process being screened online. Filmmakers have the opportunity to present a screening of their film at CFAF 34th festival in 2024.

Films can be of any genre -- drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc.

CFAF Terms:
1. Filmmakers must be of African decent, but do not have to be based in an African country.
2. Films made by non-African or African diaspora directors are NOT encouraged to submit.
3. We encourage filmmakers to submit films completed in production in 2020 or later.
4. As a non-competitive festival, ALL feature length films will receive a screening fee.
5. The official festival language is English. The festival accepts films in any language from around the world, but films not in English language MUST have subtitles in English to qualify for submission and screening. Films in other languages not subtitled in English will be disqualified.
6. All entries should be sent via FilmFreeway. Please don’t send discs or any downloadable files to us.
7. Selection for screening: All submitted films will be assessed by the CFAF film selection committee and the Festival Directors. This committee will have access to all films and they vote without sharing your work publicly.
8. If your film is selected for the Festival, you will be sent an email confirmation.
9. Marketing Materials: If selected, filmmakers will provide the following materials: Hi-Res digital images, Press Kits, Downloadable electronic copy of the film, Hi-Res picture and short bio/filmography of the director(s).
10. The festival also requires that if selected, films should be supplied as both hi-resolution MPG4 (or pro-res or similar) and DCP for physical screenings.
11. Priority Submissions or Now Submitting Invitations do not have any guarantee to be selected.

By submitting to the CFAF festival, you confirm that you own all the rights of the film and accept all the Rules & Terms. The submitter is responsible to provide the correct data on FilmFreeway in each section about the film and the team.

1 Review
Overall Rating
Quality
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  • Roja Matelja Mugabirwe

    Its a Fair Festival with room for growth

    March 2018
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your feedback! We really value your ratings and are working to become the best we can be. Looking forward to a great festival in Feb 2023!