Featured in MovieMaker Magazine: 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2022

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Portland Film Festival

Portland, Oregon / October 12-22

“You can throw axes, get a tour of the world’s largest book store or learn about writing TV scripts and more,” says festival executive director Joshua Leake, who is constantly iterating on new ways to make Portland even more fun. (He had us at “throw axes,” but Powell’s Books is pretty wonderful, too.) This festival is also great in terms of press exposure and devoted audiences, and a close relationship with Comcast means it also has its own on-demand channel with films, TV shows, and workshops, accessible to millions. In addition to helping as much as it can with airfare and lodging, the festival provides plenty of food, including breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, and drinks. (But leave room for Portland’s exquisite culinary scene.) All the good times are in service to the festival’s strongly held belief that, as Leake eloquently puts it: “Independent voices are more vital to our culture and more in need of support than ever before.” To that end, it accepted most of its films from submissions, and programmed another bloc focused on filmmakers with disabilities.

Entry Fee: $35-80