Christina Wardwell for the Tribune
EVERETT — More than 200 people gathered in the Everett Performing Arts Center to commemorate the 25th Everett Film Festival featuring the work of local filmmakers and women creators.
This year featured several films centered around resilience and the environment including “Daughters of the Forest” and “How Trees Talk.”
One standout was the feature-length comedy/drama “You Hurt My Feelings,” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a novelist who navigates through comedic and dramatic situations after overhearing her husband criticize her latest book.
Established in 1998, the yearly festival was the idea of Annie Lyman, a resident, and educator in Everett, who aimed to establish a platform supporting women filmmakers. Its inaugural screening coincided with March, celebrated as Women’s History Month, under the name Everett Women’s Film Festival.
The focus on women filmmakers makes the Everett Film Festival special, volunteers Robin and Kirsten Foster said.
The festival’s committee tries to select films that are not seen in mainstream media.
Some participants have attended every year since the festival started. Some commend the festival’s array of movies from all over the world.
“You don’t know what to expect. Each film is very moving and each one has a different perspective,” said festival attendee Barbara Campbell.
Though the film festival’s participation has dropped since the pandemic, more volunteers and young people continue to participate.
“The Everett Film Festival is for the community. We need to have the energy of people to make it what it is,” festival director Teresa Henderson said.
Henderson has volunteered for the Everett Film Festival for nearly 14 years and hopes to find someone younger to take her place as director.
“I would like to see somebody with younger ideas,” Henderson said.
This story was produced by a journalism student at the UW News Lab for the Snohomish County Tribune.
