Film fans will have a chance to rub shoulders with award-winning filmmakers from all over the world at this year’s CASCADIA International Women's Film Festival April 16-19 in Bellingham, Washington.
The year 2020 is the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in the United States and CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival is working locally with Bellingham's League of Women Voters to plan activities during the festival to celebrate this historically important event.
As part of the celebration, CASCADIA presents their Red Carpet Gala featuring a special screening of the award-winning HBO film, "Iron Jawed Angels,” an American historical drama film about the story of suffragette Alice Paul played by Oscar-winning actress Hillary Swank, who is originally from Bellingham. The event will include a catered Gala reception with special guests from the film prior to the film’s screening in the Mount Baker Theatre’s Walton Theatre, receive seating in a reserved section for the film and stay for the audience discussion with the filmmakers afterward.
The Gala reception starts at 5:30 p.m., film at 7:30 p.m. followed by a discussion with special guests from the film. Tickets for the Gala include the reception, the reserved seating section, and the discussion and are $100 a person through the Mount Baker Theatre. Admission to the film and discussion alone is free and is open seating. Donations are appreciated.
The film tells a key chapter in the suffrage movement, focusing on two influential women, Alice Paul (Swank) and Lucy Burns (played by Frances O’Connor). These defiant activists broke from the mainstream movement and created a radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure women’s voting rights in 1920. Paul is played by Oscar-winning actress Hillary Swank, who is originally from Bellingham, WA.
The film’s director, Katja von Garnier will be one of our honored guests at the event and will participate in a discussion about the film, her work, and the challenges women continue to face in the film industry.
Von Garnier has numerous directing credits including “Bandits,” and several films from her native Germany such as “Lautlos” (Noiseless), “Denk’ ich an Deutschland Kix” (Making Up) and “Tagtrauma.” She founded VELA-X Filmproduktion company with Ewa Karlstrom, and studied film at the prominent Academy for Television and Film (HFF) in Munich. “Iron Jawed Angels” tells a key chapter in the suffrage movement, focusing on two influential women, Alice Paul (Swank) and Lucy Burns (played by Frances O’Connor). These defiant activists broke from the mainstream movement and created a radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure women’s voting rights in 1920. The title of the film, a nod to their tremendous dedication, was a nickname given to the women of the movement after they organized a protest at the White House, were imprisoned, and led a hunger strike.
“Hilary brings a tremendous performance to a pivotal story in Women’s Rights. And Katja’s remarkable flair as a filmmaker sheds light on important moments of this nation’s history with a distinctive modern touch,” said Colin Callender, president, HBO Films.
This year’s festival also includes feature-length and short documentaries, narratives and animated films that will take audiences around the globe with issues and questions that will stir thoughtful discussion. Official selections have been made and will be announced soon.
Tickets for all other films will be sold individually for $12 through the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St., Bellingham). Showtimes are not yet confirmed but will be available at the end of February on CASCADIA's website and the Pickford website.
CASCADIA’s missionis to showcase and celebrate exceptional films by women directors and make Bellingham a destination for both lovers of film and filmmakers from around the world. To do this, CASCADIA targets its outreach efforts towards those markets where filmmakers are concentrated: New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver, B.C., in addition to more nearby film centers of Seattle and Portland.
“The festival promotes women, supports local and global ideas and creates opportunities for community members, as well as filmmakers, to participate in the collaboration of the art that is film,” Crooks said. “CASCADIA is part of a larger movement that empowers women’s voices to be heard.”
In 2019, CASCADIA hosted Academy Award-winning director Freida Lee Mock (Anita; Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision, for which she won anOscar and “Rose Kennedy, A Life to Remember” Her forthcoming film is “RUTH: Justice Bader Ginsberg In Her Own Words.”
A complete list of CASCADIA’s 2020 official selections including updates appears on the CASCADIA website. The complete festival schedule and ticketing information will be available on the website, as well as on the CASCADIA’s Facebook Page, Twitter, and Instagram. Film tickets will be sold individually through the Pickford Film Center.
CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and showcasing the work of women filmmakers, was formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 2015. CASCADIA will host its fourth annual independent film festival in Bellingham April 16-19, 2020. The organization also works year-round to provide film production, exhibition and distribution education. More information about CASCADIA may be found on their website at www.cascadiafilmfest.org.
