Festivals

Northwest Film Forum produces core film festivals ByDesign, Cadence, Children's Film Festival Seattle, and Local Sightings, in addition to hosting many community festivals.

Current

Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents and future of design in motion.
ByDesign Festival
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence Video Poetry Festival
Since 2005, Children’s Film Festival Seattle has grown to become the largest film festival on the West Coast dedicated to children and families.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2024 [Hybrid]
Created to highlight and augment the work of the Lightpress Grants offered twice yearly by Interbay Cinema Society, Engauge Experimental Film Festival presents only films that originated on film.
Engauge Experimental Film Festival
Northwest Film Forum serves as the venue for numerous local festivals throughout the year, accommodating and collaborating with a wide variety of Seattle communities.
Local Festivals Hosted at NWFF
Northwest Film Forum’s annual festival for Pacific Northwest film and mediamakers! The 27th edition invites regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.
Local Sightings Film Festival

Past

Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents and future of design in motion.
ByDesign Festival 2023 [Hybrid]
Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents, and future of design in motion.
ByDesign Festival 2022 [Hybrid]
Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents and future of design in motion.
ByDesign [Online] Festival 2020
Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents and future of design in motion.
ByDesign Festival 2019: Cross-Cultural Design Thinking
Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents and future of design in motion.
ByDesign 2018
Through films, presentations, and conversations, ByDesign explores the intersections of design and the moving image and illuminates the roots, currents and future of design in motion.
ByDesign 2017
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence Video Poetry Festival 2023 [Hybrid]
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence Video Poetry Festival 2022 [Hybrid]
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence: Video Poetry Festival 2021 [Online]
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence: Video Poetry Festival 2020 [Online]
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence: Video Poetry Festival 2019
Verse meets visuals during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.
Cadence: Video Poetry Festival 2018
Capitol Hill Arts District Streaming Festival 2020 [Online]
Since 2005, Children’s Film Festival Seattle has grown to become the largest film festival on the West Coast dedicated to children and families.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2023 [Hybrid]
Children’s Film Festival Seattle is the West Coast’s largest and most highly-regarded festival dedicated to children and their families, and shows over 190 films a year.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2022 [Virtual + In-Person]
The 16th annual Children's Film Fest Seattle is themed "Love and Light," with short and feature films to uplift and inspire families, youth and adults through the pandemic.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2021 [Online]
Cut short in March 2020 by coronavirus closures, Children’s Film Festival Seattle returns in May 2020 with seven web-based short film packages for families!
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2020 [Online]
Children’s Film Festival Seattle is the West Coast’s largest and most highly-regarded festival dedicated to children and their families, and shows over 180 films a year.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2020
Children’s Film Festival Seattle is the West Coast’s largest and most highly-regarded festival dedicated to children and their families, and shows over 180 films a year.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2019
Children’s Film Festival Seattle is the West Coast’s largest and most highly-regarded festival dedicated to children and their families, and shows over 180 films a year.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2018
The 2017 edition of Children’s Film Festival Seattle will feature more than 188 films from 50+ countries.
Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2017
The Disabled List presents the Northwest's only disability-focused comedy festival at Northwest Film Forum, Jan. 25 & 26, and at Theatre Off Jackson on Jan. 27, 2024.
The Disabled List Comedy Festival 2024 [OC] [In-Person Only]
The Disabled List announces the first-ever disability-focused comedy festival in the Pacific Northwest, hosted at Northwest Film Forum Jan. 27–28, 2023.
The Disabled List Comedy Festival 2023 [In-Person Only]
Engauge is a film festival that screens only work that originated on film, by both international filmmakers and PNW locals.
Engauge Experimental Film Festival 2023 [In-Person Only]
Engauge is a film festival that screens only work that originated on film, by both international filmmakers and PNW locals.
Engauge Experimental Film Festival 2022 [In-Person Only]
Engauge is a film festival that screens only work that originated on film, by both international filmmakers and PNW locals.
Engauge Experimental Film Festival 2021
The Portland German Film Festival and Northwest Film Forum present the 2nd annual KINOFEST Seattle 2017, with German language films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
KINOFEST Seattle 2017
Lights Dance Festival, Toronto's only festival that bridges the worlds of dance and film, comes to NWFF and UW-Othello Commons in 2023.
2023 Lights Dance Festival [Hybrid]
Lights Dance Festival, Toronto's only festival that bridges the worlds of dance and film, comes to NWFF in 2022 for its first in-person Seattle screenings.
Lights Dance Festival 2022: Remnants [Hybrid]
Northwest Film Forum’s annual festival for Pacific Northwest film and mediamakers! The 25th edition invites regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.
Local Sightings Film Festival 2022 [Hybrid]
Northwest Film Forum’s annual festival for Pacific Northwest film and mediamakers! The 24th edition invites regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.
Local Sightings Film Festival 2021 [Hybrid]
Northwest Film Forum’s annual festival for Pacific Northwest film and mediamakers! The 23rd edition invites regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.
Local Sightings Film Festival 2020 [Online]
Northwest Film Forum’s annual festival for Pacific Northwest film and mediamakers! The 22nd edition invites regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.
Local Sightings Film Festival 2019
The 21st Edition of Local Sightings, featuring filmmakers from throughout the Pacific NW!
Local Sightings Film Festival 2018
The 21st Edition of Local Sightings, featuring filmmakers from throughout the Pacific NW!
Local Sightings Film Festival 2017
Critically-acclaimed films that celebrate the rich cultural fabric of Romania while exploring current topics with unflinchingly honest perspectives.
The Romanian Film Festival 2023: One Eye Laughing, One Eye Crying [Hybrid]
The 2022 edition of RFF celebrates the power of film to map out new meanings in a world of displacement, eco-crises, and political instability.
The Romanian Film Festival: HomeLands [Hybrid]
Through the eyes of masterful filmmakers, audiences will encounter a diversity of Arab stories, circumstances, histories, visions and voices.
Seattle Arab Film Festival 2020 [Online]
Seattle Deaf Film Festival (SDFF) is one of the biggest Deaf film festivals in the world. SDFF features long and short films that span all genres to showcase the Deaf and hard of hearing experience. All films will be captioned for accessibility. We believe in cultivating a vibrant community of emerging and experienced Deaf filmmakers, actors, and producers. Join us to see various short and feature films by members of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing community!
Seattle Deaf Film Festival 2020 [Online]
Join filmmakers, film lovers, and activists around the world to celebrate the mission of social justice in film for the 10th annual Social Justice Film Festival!
Social Justice Film Festival 2022 [Hybrid]
Explore highlights from the 9th Social Justice Film Festival, the first-ever online iteration of the fest, which took place online in October of 2020.
Best of the Fest: Highlights of Social Justice Film Festival 2020 [Online]
Seattle Arab Film Festival 2023 showcases 13 remarkable short films that will surprise, challenge, and delight audiences with their insight into a rich diversity of Arab voices, experiences, and talent.
Seattle Arab Film Festival 2023 [In-Person Only]
Join filmmakers, film lovers, and activists around the world to celebrate the mission of social justice in film for the 9th Social Justice Film Festival!
Social Justice Film Festival 2020 [Online]
7 independently owned arthouse cinemas across the United States ave been selected by Sundance Film Festival as Satellite Screen partners to connect with local audiences.
Sundance Film Festival 2022 @ NWFF
A groundbreaking film festival that provides the Pacific Northwest with a venue for films by, for, and about transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people.
TRANSlations Seattle Transgender Film Festival 2022 [Hybrid]
A groundbreaking film festival that provides the Pacific Northwest with a venue for films by, for, and about transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people.
Translations Seattle Transgender Film Festival 2020 [Online]
An annual showcase of remarkable contemporary filmmakers from Brazil whose transgressive films address race, gender and sexuality.
Travessias Brazilian Film Festival 2022 [Hybrid]
An annual showcase of remarkable contemporary filmmakers from Brazil whose transgressive films address race, gender and sexuality.
Travessias Brazilian Film Festival 2020
Remarkable contemporary women filmmakers from Brazil address race, gender and sexuality through transgressive docs, animation, and fiction.
Travessias Brazilian Film Festival 2019
Three days of stand-up and performance events featuring comedians from the Great PNW and beyond, hosted at Northwest Film Forum, Club Comedy, and other Seattle venues.
Upper Left Comedy Festival 2022 [In-Person Only]

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Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave,

Seattle, WA 98122

206 329 2629


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