Well, it isn’t fun to go outside anymore. The time of year when the Pacific Northwest’s gorgeous wilderness can be explored has ended. All those places are now underwater. So what else is this area of the country good for? That’s easy: We have a ton of filmmakers making good films!
The NW Film Center’s annual Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival is the longest running film fest in the Pacific Northwest (the baby-faced Portland International Film Festival is only 40, and its big brother to the north, the Seattle International Film Festival, is 43). Now in its 44th year, the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival is still going strong, thanks to a wealth of interesting, well-curated selections.
This year’s NWFF leans hard towards documentary—out of the 16 films playing, seven are docs. Since the world is falling apart, this year’s focus on personal histories, social justice, and small communities feels appropriate: Unlike most fictional narratives (and definitely unlike the news), documentaries can offer fresh perspectives and new information, but still provide a check-out from our immediate reality.
