CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival goes into full swing on Thursday, April 24, at Bellingham’s Pickford Film Center.
CASCADIA, an annual film festival founded in 2017, celebrates women-directed films from all around the world. For its ninth year, they are showcasing 27 films from 10 different countries. The festival runs until April 27 and offers an online version from May 1 through May 11 for audiences unable to attend the festival in person.
“We exist because our mission is to create awareness and call attention to the fact that women are still vastly underrepresented in the film industry,” Cheryl Crooks, executive director of CASCADIA, said.
CASCADIA has presented the films of 280 women directors since its founding.
“We provide a platform to give exposure to the films that have been made and to call attention to the fact that these women are talented, and they need to have the opportunity to be able to direct a film and get it made,” Crooks said. “It makes it really gratifying to know that you really are making a difference, even in a small way.”
In 2024, women accounted for 16% of directors working on the top 250 grossing films and 11% of those working on the top 100 films in the United States, according to The Celluloid Ceiling, a report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.
“There are so many structural inequalities in the film ecosystem,” said Eren Odabasi, an associate professor in film at Western Washington University. “Even though we have all of these initiatives and efforts to make a positive change, and maybe we are [moving] in a positive direction, the current situation still is that female filmmakers have more difficulty in accessing funds, getting their projects off the ground, finding distributors and sustaining film careers in the long term beyond that initial project.”
CASCADIA selected Yvonne Russo, award-winning producer and director, as their 2025 Honored Guest.
“VIVA VERDI!” is a feature documentary directed by Russo, along with her producing partner Christine La Monte, who is a producer, director and opera enthusiast. Their film takes place in a retirement home in Milan, Italy, created and funded by retired composer Giuseppe Verdi. The home, called "Casa Verdi," housed aging opera singers and musicians, as well as the young music students they mentored. It's a home where they can continue to age with dignity and purpose by continuing their craft of music, performing and expressing themselves without having to worry about money, Russo said.
“It's about the residents who live within the house and really how music saved their lives,” said Russo. “Creativity has no age limit. People in their third stage of life should live with that dignity and purpose and continue to create.”
“VIVA VERDI!” will be presented at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 25, at the Mount Baker Theatre.
“I think the festival honors women, and that's a rarity,” said Russo. “It's a real honor. It takes a lot to do that, especially during difficult times. But CASCADIA, they're a powerful movement. They're a powerful group of women who are just esteemed and have been working in the industry for quite some time, and I'm really excited to be a part of their film festival.”
Along with the film festival, CASCADIA is presenting an art exhibition titled “Women Rising: Expanding Visions/Diverse Perspectives.” It showcases the work of 55 women artists from the Pacific Northwest. The exhibit is on display at the Dakota Art Gallery from April 4 to May 24.
Western students can get involved by volunteering, attending the festival or participating in the Script Studio Workshop, a free event offered by CASCADIA.
“It is not very often that we have opportunities like these in Bellingham where a group of filmmakers come to our city,” Odabasi said. “A really interesting, carefully curated and selected roster of films becomes available to us. So when we get the opportunity, why not make use of it? Take advantage of it.”
Claire Mayne (she/her) is a city life reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a second-year at Western majoring in public relations and minoring in philosophy. When she’s not working on a story, she likes baking, listening to audiobooks and enjoying the outdoors with friends. You can reach her at clairemayne.thefront@gmail.com.
