Highlands-Cashiers Film Festival

The Highlands-Cashiers Film Festival will be held September 18 - 21, 2025 in the towns of Highlands and Cashiers, North Carolina. The festival’s aim is to promote film, filmmakers, actors, directors, producers, and writers.

Our festival consultant is Film Critic and University of Colorado film professor Walter Chaw. You can find his work in the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Post, LA Times, Criterion and various other publications. He is a frequent guest on NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour," and has authored books on the film Miracle Mile and the career of Walter Hill.

In addition, noted Art Director and Production Designer, Bill Brzeski will also be a guest contributor to the festival. Bill is known for films such as Aquaman, Jumanji; The Next Level, and the Hangover films as well as the television shows Growing Pains, The Nanny and Sister, Sister, just to name a few.

The towns of Highlands and Cashiers are a high-end resort communities set in an intimate, mountain, environment, very much like Telluride. Most of the population of Highlands-Cashiers are from surrounding metropolitan cities such as Atlanta, Charleston, Nashville, Greenville, and the entire state of Florida.

The Performing Arts Center in Highlands is hosting our inaugural Film Festival on the plateau. We have a top-of-the-line projection system, state-of-the-art presentation capability, and an experienced and enthusiastic team of technical specialists and volunteers.

We are encouraging filmmakers with Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Thriller and Action/Adventure short films to apply for our festival. Our vision includes a small slate of new and curated archival screenings. We will invite industry professionals to serve as judges and to provide mentorship in a Director and Film Critic workshop to take place over a long weekend at the end of September. Monetary awards will be presented.

We value our small community and want to welcome artists into a nurturing environment to interact with their peers in comfort without fear of interruption or harassment.

All proceeds from the Highlands-Cashiers Film Festival will be used to support the PAC Educational Theatre programs at the Highlands Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.