Local Sightings Film Festival - Pacific Northwest

** COVID-19 UPDATE: As the state of film exhibition and physical gathering remains uncertain during the pandemic, Local Sightings Film Festival will take place in September as scheduled, though most likely primarily in virtual space. We will host in-person events to the best of our ability given public health recommendations, but it cannot be guaranteed. Regardless, whether we gather online, in-person, or some hybrid variation of the two, community, dialogue, and education through media arts WILL persist, during Local Sightings' 24th year serving the Pacific NW filmmaking community! ** Northwest Film Forum’s annual Local Sightings Film Festival showcases the growing complexity of creative communities in the Pacific Northwest. Featuring a competitive selection of curated shorts, feature film programs, 360 video and VR180 projects, Local Sightings 2021 invites regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition. The 2020 edition of the festival featured 135 shorts, features, web series, and music videos, incorporating a wide range of stories, perspectives, and approaches to filmmaking. Past festival successes have included animated GIF storytelling, interactive site-specific video installations, virtual reality dance films, and educational offerings, including the region’s first-ever Sundance Institute Artist Services Workshop. Working in conjunction with Pacific Northwest film centers and community partners, Local Sightings will use screenings, panels, workshops, performances and more to encourage critical discourse around the medium, with an eye towards a regional elevation of the industry. The 2021 edition will again invite additional expertise from local collaborators. NOTE: A limited number of waiver codes are available to those from communities that have historically lacked access or equitable representation in media. Please contact vivian@nwfilmforum.org for details. Image: "Face to Face" (Christian Krantz, Portland, OR) ABOUT NORTHWEST FILM FORUM Founded in Seattle in 1995 as an independent film and arts nonprofit, Northwest Film Forum incites public dialogue and creative action through collective cinematic experiences. Each year the Forum presents hundreds of films, festivals, community events, multidisciplinary performances, and public discussions. As a comprehensive visual media organization, the Forum offers educational workshops and artist services for film and media makers at all stages of their development. More information is available at nwfilmforum.org.