English
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Thank you so much for attending the festival this summer! Our screenings were filled with community members and supporters of small, independent film projects, and we’re grateful to everyone who was able to watch with us! We will be publishing all the films, and planning more community screenings in the future! Get updates on our newsletter – subscribe here!
This summer, we invite you to experience a groundbreaking series of films created by local filmmakers, featuring the people, movements, and moments shaping the future of the North Sound region.
From food sovereignty to LGBTQ+ rights, from grassroots justice to cultural resilience, these stories offer a glimpse into our communities.
Join us in uplifting voices too often unheard, witnessing the impact of our collective work, and sharing these vital stories far and wide. Get your tickets, bring a friend, support a filmmaker, and make connections grounded in equity and belonging!
View a trailer below and share with your networks, its going to be a fun summer! If you have any questions reach out to us at Team@NorthSoundACH.org.
In the news: Check out this write up in the Cascadia Daily News (Whatcom & Skagit newspaper) about the film fest! https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/aug/13/film-festivals-hyper-local-documentaries-uplift-voices-too-often-unheard/
And a feature in the Salish Current (independent news site for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties)! https://salish-current.org/2025/09/02/local-voices-poetry-and-film-in-north-sound-film-festival/
Film Descriptions
Ceremony of Awareness ↓
My name is Remy Styrkowicz and I happen to be a Black bisexual, trans man adopted into a white family. I’ve survived years of drug addiction, OCD, anxiety and depression, racism, suicidal thoughts, transphobia, the death of my mom, a pandemic, sexual assault. Yet, none of that defines me. It’s shaped me, but it’s not me. I think about who I am, and I feel my hands being held. I feel my fingers intertwine, generating a warmth just before the point of fire – an ecosystem of expression, acceptance, and unconditional love. Somehow all balanced. I think about who I am and the words “I made it Mom” wrap their eternal arms around me. Remember, we are so free to think that we choose bondage.
- Directed by Remy Styrkowicz
11:54 minutes
Fascia ↓
Fascia is a look into love so deep and ingrained that shapes, angles, and all point of views disappear. Symmetrically, a look into the source of that love, centering and illuminating who Quaniqua is.
- Featuring Quaniqua Williams
- Directed by Remy Styrkowicz
8:20 minutes
Mi Barrio ↓
An open letter to a beautiful brown boy – a profile on coming home through radical religion, self roots, and a revealing of the civic netherworld of reentry.
- Featuring Alex Sanchez
- Directed by Remy Styrkowicz
15:56 minutes
West Shore ↓
West Shore follows the Westshore Canoe Family as they journey through their ancestral waters on the 2023 Paddle to Muckleshoot. The film celebrates Coast Salish culture and highlights how Tribal Journeys strengthens identity, community, and the ongoing cultural resurgence of Indigenous peoples across the region.
18:04 minutes
Resilience ↓
Born in Kabul, Ahmad Abid comes from a family of community leaders and at an early age followed in the footsteps of his elders as a youth leader at school. After arriving in America, he continued his community volunteer work, and met many Afghan refugee families who faced far more challenges than his own, recognizing one of the greatest challenges was learning English. So, he started teaching others.
- Featuring House of Wisdom
- Directed by John Riber
9:13 minutes
Love Me To Life ↓
A look into the wind and wings of people of color – storytelling. To look at the autonomy and anatomy of movements and change, we find ourselves screaming into the bowels of everything, arriving at the idiom of innovation; a language in which we all have different dialects.
- Featuring Northwest Youth Services
- Directed by Remy Styrkowicz
16:26 minutes
Storypole ↓
Story Pole is a documentary that follows the remarkable story of Jason LaClair, a Native American artist from the Pacific Northwest, as he restores a story pole started by an elder from his community. The film is a reflection on his life as he recovers from drug addiction, and finds healing in his art and community. His journey leads him into the public school district, where he teaches young people about his people’s history, art and healing.
34:28 minutes
P’al Corazon ↓
P’al Corazon – For the Heart – is a cross-cultural story recognizing that we are in a changing landscape, and how we approach, recognize, understand, appreciate, and respond appropriately to the needs of all communities when it comes to culturally-appropriate, nutritious food, and a thriving food system.
- Featuring Bellingham Food Bank, Northwest Agricultural Business Center, Silva Family Farm
- Directed by Burn the Box
17:54 minutes
Meet the Filmmakers
Children of the Setting Sun Productions
Storytelling with Purpose, Grounded in Tradition.
Children of the Setting Sun Productions (CSSP) is a Native-led media and cultural arts organization dedicated to uplifting Indigenous voices through the power of storytelling. Through film, books, podcasts, and community events, CSSP bridges the gap between Native and non-Native perspectives—cultivating understanding, unity, and activism.
Rooted in the values of gratitude, generosity, and respect, CSSP honors the responsibility of sharing Indigenous stories. Their work inspires, educates, and empowers future generations to carry these teachings forward.
Media for Development International
Entertainment for Education. Stories for Social Change.
Media for Development International (MFDI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing and distributing media that drives social change. Established in the 1980s, MFDI focuses on using film, radio, and print media to address critical issues such as public health, gender equality and social justice.
MFDI is best known for producing impactful, award winning African feature films, including Neria (Zimbabwe 1993) and Fatuma (Tanzania 2018) which highlight challenges in gender and inheritance rights in Africa. The organization collaborates with local writers, filmmakers and organizations to ensure authenticity and cultural relevance in its storytelling.
Now based in Washington State, MFDI continues to create and distribute media with social purpose. It also provides training and mentorship to emerging filmmakers. With a commitment to media as a tool for development, MFDI produces content that not only entertains, but also empowers and educates global audiences.
John Riber
Champion of African Storytelling and Socially Driven Cinema
John Riber is an independent filmmaker recognized for his impactful storytelling in African cinema. After decades of work in Asia and Africa, including producing acclaimed feature films Neria, Everyone’s Child and Bahasha, Riber relocated to Washington State. In his new base, he has continued his filmmaking journey, serving as the President of Media for Development International, a nonprofit organization established since 1989 dedicated to creating media addressing social challenges. Riber’s commitment to crafting impact entertaining narratives that inspire social change remains evident in his ongoing projects and mentorship within the filmmaking community.
Remy Styrkowicz
Filmmaker. Musician. Story Steward.
Remy Styrkowicz is a change agent restoring the ability to dream, approaching philosophy, models of care, and humanness as a syndemic. He is a Black trans and queer man and an award-winning filmmaker, musician, and humanist with over 15 years of working experience. Remy has worked and collaborated with a number of notable companies including Microsoft, The Grammy Museum, Washington State Syndemic Planning Group, and HBO both in film and music productions, and was named one of the Top 7 Under 40 awards by the 2024 Whatcom Young Professionals. He has taught in high schools and led workshops across the United States all centered around empowering young people to tap into their passions, reframe the heritability of trauma, and become leaders through visual, traditional, and audio storytelling
Burn The Box
Storytellers. Community Builders. Media Activists.
Burn The Box is a media collective founded by three friends with a shared vision: to use storytelling to serve and uplift others. What began in the winter of 2019 in a living room, has grown into a full-fledged production team rooted in DIY values, community building, and a commitment to quality. With over 8+ years of experience, Burn The Box creates documentary and commercial content that centers human connection, social impact, and meaningful change. Their mission is simple: to create media by the people, for the people—and to build stronger communities in the process.
Resource Library
To deepen your learning we encourage everyone to explore the Film Festival collection on our Resource Library! Here you will be able to find resources that accompany the films shown during the festival – you don’t want to miss this enriching opportunity. Click here to dive in now!
Thank you to our sponsors!
City of Bellingham
made possible in part by lodging tax revenue
