highly attended film festivals in the United States. The event features 250 feature/documentary films and 125 short films, and boasts an audience of over 155,000 annually. SIFF is consistently cited as one of the best “audience festivals” in the world.

JULY

48 Hour Film Project July TBD www.48hourfilm.com/seattle A worldwide phenomenon, the 48 Hour Film Project has teams of filmmakers creating short films in just two days. The Seattle edition takes place in July, though the dates hadn’t been announced at press time.

AUGUST

Columbia Gorge International Film Festival August 1-17 www.angaelica.com Held in Vancouver, the seventh annual CGIFF showcases a variety of local, national and international films, aiming to share a broad range of films representing current affairs and relevant topics that affect our communities. Filmmakers are invited to submit both films and screenplays for consideration.

1 Reel Film Festival/Bumbershoot August 30-September 1 www.bumbershoot.org Curated by SIFF, Bumbershoot’s 1 Reel Film Festival is one of the best-attended short format festivals in the U.S., drawing nearly 10,000 cinema fans annually. 1 Reel Film Festival features themed collections of short films from around the world.

guests, and many other events.

Irish Reels Film Festival September TBD www.irishreels.org Held in Seattle, the Irish Reels Film Festival celebrates Irish film in the Northwest, providing an annual festival of new works by independent Irish filmmakers. The festival’s focus is on independently produced films that introduce Seattle audiences to more typical stories that reflect the uniqueness of Irish life.

Local Sightings Film Festival September TBD localsightings.nwfilmforum.org Presented by Northwest Film Forum, Local Sightings is an annual showcase of current narrative, documentary and experimental film by Northwest artists. Held in late September/early October every year, the week-long festival also features panel discussions, historic NW films, parties, juried awards for a winning short and feature film, and national industry scouts looking for strong new work.

OCTOBER

Ellensburg Film Festival October 3-5 www.ellensburgfilmfestival.com Since its inception in 2004, the Ellensburg Film Festival has grown into a major film and arts event in the Northwest with over 2,000 people in attendance. The three-day festival features local and international feature, documentary, and short films, honored guests, special events, live musical performances, and much more.

festival and attend.

Gig Harbor Film Festival October TBD www.gigharborfilmfestival.org Now in its sixth year, GHFF includes local, regional, and international filmmakers to advance a variety of creative ideas and bring the community a diverse range of appealing films, giving aspiring filmmakers an opportunity to present their efforts to a sophisticated audience and gain recognition beyond the local level.

Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival October TBD threedollarbillcinema.org/programs/SLGFF/ Held annually since 1996, The Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival has grown into the largest event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, gaining industry and audience recognition for showcasing the latest and greatest in LGBT film, from major motion picture premieres to emerging talent. The festival provides unique opportunities for visiting and local filmmakers to engage and entertain over 10,000 attendees. Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival October TBD www.mifff.org The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival (MIFFF) is the Pacific Northwest’s premier weekend-long event devoted towards independent and international genre filmmaking. The event was created to offer exposure to films that traditionally are overlooked by the festival circuit from genres including action, fantasy, horror, and science fiction.

SEPTEMBER

Port Townsend Film Festival September 19-21 www.ptfilmfest.com The 15th annual Port Townsend Film Festival is dedicated to connecting great films, filmmakers and communities. PTFF is billed as “a film lover’s block party,” featuring both indoor and outdoor screenings, meet-and-greets, special 40

WASHINGTON FILM MAGAZINE 2014

Tacoma Film Festival October 9-16 www.tacomafilmfestival.com The Tacoma Film Festival is an eight-day celebration of current independent film from around the globe. Held at The Grand Cinema, the primary focus of the festival is on art house, foreign language, independent, documentaries and numerous short films. TFF especially encourages filmmakers from the Pacific Northwest area to submit to the

Seattle Polish Film Festival October TBD www.polishfilms.org Seattle Polish Film Festival (SPFF) is an annual event showcasing the best of Polish cinema since the early 1990s. SPFF showcases critically acclaimed films alongside inde-