Portland Panorama is a new festival for Portland, Oregon opening in April 2025 that draws from a team that spent years garnering festival experience and producing countless other events of all sizes. In addition to a larger celebration of the arts, at its heart, Portland Panorama is a two-part film festival bringing important international cinema to our well-informed and cinematically adventurous audiences and then pivoting mid-week to a celebration of the work of our beloved filmmakers living right here in Northwest North America.
We are looking for a well-rounded survey of films offering our audiences panoramic and intimate views of foreign and familiar lives and culturally unique styles of storytelling. We approach our programming from a transparent and inclusive angle, while also inviting established arts organizations to program screenings based on their own cultural expertise.
We formed our non-profit to serve artists, fellow arts organizations, and adventurous audiences. Our team, composed largely of filmmakers, has some ideas about how to make Portland Panorama different—in a good way. Just one small example: We will use the modest entry fees to equitably offer honoraria to filmmakers attending the festival. We pledge to subject our filmmakers only to moderated Q & A’s led by skilled conversationalists. We’ll build not-awkward-at-all filmmaker events where you can share ideas and inspiration and connect with future friends and collaborators. You’ll be refreshed by our festival staff’s clear communication and this overwhelming sense that we care about your experience and how your film is received. You’ll help us build audiences for your film with our tireless direct outreach to unearth and entice your future biggest fans. Portland is a great city to just be let loose in, but we’ll have some fantastic events planned for the Festival that you with your artist’s pass can freely browse or burrow into. We love our sponsors and audiences, but we want there to be no doubt that those who make the art are our first priority.
The festival begins with a survey of under-seen international cinema on Portland’s West Side beginning with our Opening Night at Cinema 21.
Mid-week, the festival pans to Portland’s East Side to launch the Northwest Filmmakers’ showcase at the Hollywood Theatre.
Our diverse programmers will ensure pointedly diverse films, music, workshops, panels and a full schedule of entertaining and informative events.
2025 Submissions are now open!
Visit our Film Freeway page to learn more
