Save the date for next year:

September 17th-20th, 2026

The inaugural Highlands Cashiers Film Festival was a huge success — bringing over 1,500 film lovers together for four unforgettable days of movies, music, and community. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, donors, volunteers, filmmakers, and attendees, we raised over $150,000 to benefit the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Your support made this exciting new tradition possible.

September 17-20, 2026

The Highlands - Cashiers Film Festival is an annual film festival, showcasing influential & classic movies ranging from 1930 - present, as well as independent produced movies, submitted worldwide, and screened by our film committee.

Learn more

2025 Program Guide

Check out the program guide from this past year’s festival. It’s the go-to resource for the complete movie lineup and schedule, plus details on seminars, special events, and more. You’ll receive a paper copy at the theater during the festival.

View the 2025 Program Guide

Explore the festival

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Explore the festival *

2026 Tickets

The 2026 festival tickets will be available next year. Check back in!

We have a variety of ticket options that range from one show to the whole weekend.

Available next year
A neatly made hotel room bed with white linens, two pillows, and a decorative runner. There are two bedside tables with lamps on each side, and a window with curtains on the right side of the room.

Travel and Lodging

Stay in the charming Appalachian town of Highlands, North Carolina—where breathtaking nature meets small-town warmth. Make the most of your festival experience surrounded by scenic beauty and local hospitality.

Book your stay
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2025 Festival Schedule

The festival will include competition film screenings, workshops, emerging filmmakers, and panels with acclaimed industry presenters and award-winning professionals.

View Schedule

Meet our 2025 special guests

We’re thrilled to welcome a lineup of incredibly talented special guests to this year’s festival. From filmmakers and actors to industry professionals, these inspiring voices will be leading events, hosting seminars, and sharing their experiences throughout the weekend.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and bangs, smiling, wearing a black textured top, sitting with her hands clasped on a white surface against a white background.
Smiling older man with glasses and a beard, sitting indoors in a room with books and a grand piano in the background.

Bill Brzeski

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Catherine Wyler

Illeana Douglas

See full list

2025 Independent Film Reel

Logo for The BASCOM, A Center for the Visual Arts, featuring a circular, abstract, wire-like design with vertical elements to the left of the text.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Logo for Performing Arts Center Highlands, NC, with a stylized tree, a stage or water element, and bold red letters 'PAC'.
Logo with a tree illustration above the words 'Highlands North Carolina' and a motto 'The Height of Happiness' arched above.
Logo for Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival featuring stylized white flowers and text on a dark red background.
Heritage Productions logo with a film strip icon and contact information, including website and email address, along with the slogan 'Record your story for generations to come.'

Support the festival

Help us bring this festival to life! As a mostly volunteer-run event, your support goes a long way in making it all possible—from screening films to hosting events and welcoming artists. Every donation, big or small, helps us celebrate creativity and community.

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