03/27/2025
A note from Founder and Executive Director Laura Bettelheim
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Lake Stevens Film Festival launched in 2022 in partnership with the City of Lake Stevens. Since then, filmmakers converged from all corners of the PNW and as far as England, to screen short films and features.
Our goal was to provide local audiences with high-quality cinematic storytelling in their own backyard. For many, it was their first time experiencing a film festival, and it was an honor to help make the introduction. Some walked out of the festival with the realization: "I want to be a filmmaker."
Another goal of the fest was to grow the arts community at large in Lake Stevens and Snohomish County. I envision a creative, connected community in Lake Stevens that adds purpose and inspiration to our city.
October 5th 2025 was to be the 4th edition of our festival. Along with a short film lineup, we were looking forward to Green Light Lake Stevens, a screenplay competition for shorts set in Lake Stevens which Chris Pratt helped us announce via video at our last fest.
Ultimately, our team decided we need to take a step back and pause the festival this year as we consider how to make its operation more sustainable in the future, including growing our small team, deciding on the best event format for our audience and setting up a non-profit dedicated to the festival.
Thank you to all our community partners, sponsors, audiences and families for supporting this venture! Seeing a dream come to reality has been wonderful.
We are grateful for the city of Lake Stevens for supporting our project, and for the crucial support we received from the Lake Stevens Arts and Parks Foundation, whose fiscal sponsorship, experience and mentorship were invaluable to the festival throughout our first three years.
We would especially like to thank Dru and Steve Miller, Thiago DaDalt, Ben Andrews, Lynelle Souleiel + Northwest Screenwriters Guild, Matthew Layson, Creator Zone, Lake Stevens Rotary, Lake Stevens Historical Society, Digital Face Media, Mama Kat Photography, L61 Productions and Chris Pratt.
For those of you who have a favorite memory from the fest to share, please do so in the comments. A significant conversation, film scene you saw, epiphany you had? We would love to hear how this community festival has impacted you.
We have limited edition festival merch for anyone who would like to purchase. Send me a pm! Tees are $20 and stickers are $5. This will help us cover the operating costs spent thus far this year.
Thank you,
Laura Bettelheim
A note from Artistic Director Emily Timmer
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It has been my distinct joy and honor to Emcee three Lake Stevens film festivals, and I couldn’t be more grateful to Laura for the space she created for cinema and for artists and for community. I intend to keep sowing into Washington filmmaking, and I look forward keenly to dreaming with Laura about planting rich creative community in Lake Stevens.
