The 2018 2nd Annual CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival will be held from April 12-15 at the Pickford Film Center. There will be a special pre-festival event on Wednesday April 11 on the WWU campus as part of the Reel World Series presented by the Institute for Global Studies. That film is open to the public and free of charge.

The mission of the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival is to present a yearly international film festival showcasing films directed by women, provide educational opportunities related to the viewing, making and distribution of films, and to help represent Bellingham and the Pacific Northwest as a destination for film makers and enthusiasts.

CIWFF was started after organizers initially wanted to join the Toronto Film Festival with a Bellingham, WA event, but realized it would be too complicated to cross borders and to see the vision of something uniquely pacific northwestern in that context. So executive director Cheryl Crooks, Polly Miller and a small group of individuals decided to start a separate film festival using Toronto as a model, but that was able to be uniquely Cascadian.

To help achieve their goal of representing women directed, as well as highlighting women POC voices, CASCADIA is bringing in former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cheryl Boone Isaacs for a free and open pre-festival discussion. She is a strong advocate for women and for people of color in the industry. You can view their 2018 Official Selection and view trailers of each of the 25 trailers here. Learn more about their Official Selection Directors too!

CASCADIA Festival tickets are on sale now. Although festival passes are not available this year, you can get your tickets now for individual films via the Pickford website. Many will sell out so plan to get your tickets well in advance. Check out the full festival schedule for all the details about Q & A’s, panel discussions and more.

How to get involved with the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival

How else can you support this awesome community project and advocate for films by women directors? Check out the CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival website, view the films and think about making a donation, or helping to provide a scholarship for those unable to otherwise attend.