Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival is returning for its 10th year of celebrating women filmmakers from Bellingham to Hollywood and beyond.
The festival will be held April 30 – May 3 at various locations around downtown Bellingham before offering online screenings May 7 – 17.
Eight feature films and 22 short films will be featured, including the opening film “Tenor: My Name is Pati” following a Samoan man’s opera career and “Hijra,” Saudi Arabia’s Oscar entry that depicts women spanning multiple generations as they journey to Mecca.
Festival Executive Director and Co-Founder Cheryl Crooks said the nonprofit will bring people across the world to celebrate women’s contributions in film.
“Frankly, what we’ve accomplished in 10 years when you look at it is pretty astounding,” Crooks said. “When you make it to 10 years, it generally means you'll make it as a film festival.”
Former Bellingham resident Polly Miller started the festival, hoping to bring a women’s film festival to the area that was similar to Toronto’s Female Eye Film Festival where she served as president. Crooks, along with other dedicated volunteers, helped Miller lead that charge to build the festival into what it is today.
The idea was simple: Give a platform to women filmmakers, who are historically underrepresented, while building their professional network and showcasing local scenery that could inspire future films.
Statistics support the festival’s mission. The University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which tracks representation of women in Hollywood, found that of the top 100 U.S. box office films in 2025, only 8.1% were directed by women. Not only that, but the number of women directors for top films in 2025 decreased from 13.4% in 2024 and remained about the same as 2008.
The festival has brought in well-known names in the film industry over the years, including “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke and Freida Lee Mock, an Academy- and Emmy Award-winning director known for “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision” and “Anita: Speaking Truth to Power.”
This year’s honored guest is director Ondi Timoner, known for receiving the Sundance Grand Jury Award twice. Timoner, who has directed “Dig!” and “We Live in Public,” will give a presentation on making documentaries and screen her latest film, “All The Walls Came Down,” about the 2025 Los Angeles fires. The ticketed event starts at 7 p.m. at Mount Baker Theatre.
Bay Area producer Chelsea Matter will show a documentary at the festival for the first time, bringing the work she and director Dana Nachman created to Matter’s hometown of Bellingham.
Matter’s 2026 film, “The Second Life of Freddie Nole,” is a 21-minute documentary that follows the day of a formerly incarcerated man who picks up people from prison without anyone to call. He gives them a cell phone, clothes and a warm meal.
Nearly all of the 80 people Freddie Nole has helped have remained out of prison, which Matter notes is a stark contrast from the national recidivism rate that’s above 65%.
“It’s about the power of second chances,” Matter said. “And how small acts of compassion can make a huge difference, which is something that we can all do.”
“The Second Life of Freddie Nole” will be shown during the short film program at 1 p.m. May 2 at the Pickford Film Center Bay Theatre. The film will then be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.
The Bellingham festival will also include panel discussions, a script workshop and red carpet parties.
While the festival reaches its 10th year, Crooks has her eye on the festival’s future. And what that entails, she said, could include hosting a summer workshop with directors, building on its partnership with Western Washington University and becoming an Academy Award qualifying film festival.
“We didn’t want to do a lookback for 10 years,” Crooks said. “We wanted to look forward.”
For more information and tickets, visit cascadiafilmfest.org.
