“Original thought is like original sin: both happened before you were born to people you could not have possibly met.”
These observant words, written by Fran Lebowitz in 1981, could just as easily come out of the mouth of today’s movie patron. If you don’t take the effort to look beyond the multiplex, it is increasingly rare to find new ideas and to overcome the feeling that you’ve see it all before. Yet that rarest of qualities, original vision, is exactly what independent filmmakers excel at providing in their work, and we’ve grown to not only expect it, but demand it. It is strange in some ways that we expect the most from the filmmakers that have the least-the least money, the least prestige, the least to gain from their work. Luckily, the one thing that the independent filmmaker wants the most is the one thing that we can do for them most easily: show up, take a seat, and see that they have to say. Original thought isn’t gone forever, but when it makes a brief appearance, you owe it to yourself not to miss it.

The Northwest Film & Video Festival has, for 32 years now, provided the opportunity to see and honor, the community of regional artists who provide just such fresh perspective. As always, we thank our Festival Judge, Michael Almereyda, and hope you’ll come and meet him during the Festival. Our thanks also go to the multitude of filmmakers who share their work and of course to the many sponsors who continue to make the Festival possible. This year we welcome the newly born Laika Entertainment as a new Presenting Sponsor, joining Willamette Week, The Allen Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and a host of other partners who share belief in the richness of this celebration. Whether you attend the Festival in Portland, or in the coming year as the “Best of the Festival” Tour makes its rounds throughout the region, we hope you enjoy the maverick sensibilities.

Andrew C. Blubaugh
Festival Coordinator

Bill Foster
Director, Northwest Film Center