The Portland Film Festival is excited to announce its inclusion in the voting for USA TODAY’s Reader’s Choice list of “Ten Best Film Festivals” Readers can vote once daily to support Portland’s unique and over decade long support of indepedent voices.
USA TODAY has compiled the list of film festivals for several years, Portland Film Festival’s inclusion marks the first-time an Oregon film festival has been included. The criteria for selection includes a complex analysis over a broad range of topics.
According to USA TODAY, “Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards.”
Experts this year included Allison Levine, Amanda Mactas, Dave Stamboulis, Jacky Runice, Jenny Peters, Kristen Lummis, Laurie Lyons-Makaimoku, Marla Cimini, Melanie Reffes, Melissa Curtin, Melissa Locker, Melody Pittman, Nicholas Dekker, Shea Peters, Skye Rodgers, and Wendy O’Dea.
USA TODAY then ranks the selected festivals on a point system from readers votes. Readers can vote once per category, per day. Vote today to support independent voices at Portland Film Festival.
This is the first year that the Portland Film Festival was included on the prestigious list.
“It’s always an honor to be noticed. And knowing that others appreciate our efforts is heart warming—the real people we need to thank are the countless volunteers and thousands of hours they have donated to make the festival a reality,” said Executive Director Josh Leake, “and let’s not forget the sponsors and the filmmakers themselves—together we support our mission of bringing more independent film, cast, crew, filmmaking events, workforce development, youth programs, education and more to Portland.”
Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared Oregon the “State of Independent Film” as well as former Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler added to the city’s designation of the “City of Roses,” by also naming Portland the “City of Film” during the week-long event.
The upcoming year’s festival is scheduled October 1-5. Last year, hundreds of filmmakers associated with over 140 screened films made the trek to Portland, making it one of the largest film festivals for filmmakers by filmmakers in the state.
The Portland Film Festival has already established itself as Portland’s leading film non-profit, with hundreds of screenings, events, education programs and community partnerships providing a unique opportunity for our diverse audience to connect with filmmakers working in all different genres and forms.
In addition, the festivals hosts dozens of film and television professionals, offering filmmakers a chance to forge new relationships across the industry. MovieMaker has also named the Portland Film Festival as one of the “25 coolest film festivals of the world,” as well as one of “50 film festivals worth the entry fee,” among other awards.
Submission Platforms
- Film Freeway
- Direct Submission
Deadlines
- Berlin Deadline – February 12, 2025 (PST Midnight)
- Discount Deadline – March 12, 2025 (PST Midnight)
- Early Bird Deadline – April 9, 2025 (PST Midnight)
- Regular Deadline – May 7, 2025 (PST Midnight)
- Late Deadline –June 11, 2025 (PST Midnight)
- Extended Deadline – March 12, 2025 (PST Midnight)
- Final Deadline – July 1, 2025 (PST Midnight)
Notification date
- August 31, 2025 (PST Midnight Approximately)
Link to USA TODAY’s Portland Film Festival’s Voting Page
https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-film-festival-2025/portland-film-festival-portland-oregon/
Link to MovieMaker Magazine article on 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World:
http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/festivals/25-coolest-film-festivals-world-2014/
