Presenting the best of new fiction, documentary and experimental filmmaking by national and international filmmakers, the Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival, one of the nation’s longest-standing university-based, grant-funded film festivals, seeks to cultivate an appreciation of film and the moving image, to inspire audiences to a deeper understanding of the world’s cultures through film, and to celebrate past, present and future achievements of international filmmaking within a university setting. Our culturally diverse films are screened for the benefit of students, faculty, and the interested public, with critical introductions by scholars and filmmakers.
Founded in 1993 by Professors Jacqueline Urla (Anthropology) and Catherine Portuges (Comparative Literature), the Festival was directed for 25 seasons by Catherine Portuges. Subsequent Directors include Shawn Shimpach (2017-2019) and Daniel Pope (2020-2023). In recent years, the Festival has featured Guest Curators such as Laura McGough (Art, 2021) and Mariana Ivanova (German and Scandinavian Studies, 2023), with the support of Assistant Curators Nefeli Forni Zervoudaki (2019-2022) and Celia Sainz Delgado (2023-on going).
Organizing Committee 2025 Edition:
Guest Curator: Jim Hicks, Comparative Literature, UMass Amherst
Assistant Curator: Celia Sainz, Spanish and Portuguese Program, Umass Amherst
Ian Sedelow, Financial Manager,
Lucía Gómez, Communication Specialist
Stephen Pielock, Festival Projectionist
Team of Interns:
Yasmiin Ali, Jaidyn Christanski, Paola Delmaschio, Danae Holmes, Ceeb Kennedy, Brian Licata
All events are free and open to the public