Columbia Festival Of The Arts Continues To Deliver Columbia Film Festival As A Virtual Program

Everyone at Columbia Festival of the Arts knows the safety and wellbeing of our community comes first. Abiding by government guidelines and closely monitoring COVID-19, Columbia Festival of the Arts joins its community partners by making the difficult decision to suspend the Free LakeFest Weekend as well as all June indoor ticketed events.

Columbia Film Festival, however, will continue as scheduled June 17-26, 2020 having the flexibility and capability to deliver over 60 films to our community on an easy to use Virtual platform. Offering a variety of ticketing options, from nominal All Festival Passes to free events, participants can register online and watch films on any mobile device, computer or compatible home TV connection via the Columbia Film Festival's online Virtual Screening Room.

Juried content includes Feature Films, Documentaries, Shorts, Student films, Made in Maryland projects, plus Animated and International selections from over 130 submissions. At home audiences can also participate in a variety of live workshops and filmmaker Q&A's. Special thanks to the Horizon Foundation for serving as a leading sponsor of the Columbia Film Festival, making it possible to include a special mental health film series that will present two days of free films and live virtual Audience & Filmmaker conversations on the subjects of wellness and mental wellbeing.

The mission of the Columbia Festival of the Arts, (a 501 c 3 non-profit organization) is to present a world class celebration of the arts and entertainment that attracts, engages, and inspires the broad and diverse community it serves. We are proud and honored that we can continue this commitment to community, our partners, and our sponsors during these challenging times.

Columbia Festival of the Arts plans to return full force in 2021 with its free LakeFest Weekend, along with our unique brand of theatrical, music, and literary events. Columbia Festival of the Arts and Columbia Film Festival team members are dedicated to developing new ways to delight the community with online activities and live events throughout the year. Look for some exciting new Arts announcements coming soon!

Follow the Columbia Festival of the Arts & Columbia Film Festival on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for updates and special announcements on how to access upcoming film screenings, previews, artists interviews and more! Visit our newly launched & redesigned interactive website for more information and to sign up for our newsletter at www.columbiafestival.org or www.ColumbiaFilmFestival.org.