Four days. Over 10 selected films. One mountain town made for this kind of storytelling.

The Highlands–Cashiers Film Festival (HCFF) has been called a curated, boutique gathering in the spirit of Telluride and early Sundance — and this September, it returns for its second year, bringing documentaries, competition dramas, filmmaker conversations, and an unmistakably mountain-town social calendar to the Western North Carolina plateau.

Born from a love of film, creativity, and community, the Highlands–Cashiers Film Festival (HCFF) is an annual celebration of storytelling in all its forms.

The festival showcases curated and independent films from around the world in competitive categories, sharing stories that inspire, connect, and reveal our shared humanity.

Supported by volunteers and benefiting the Highlands Performing Arts Center, HCFF has quickly become a signature cultural gathering in the Western North Carolina mountains.

Purchase passes, see the schedule, and learn more about the festival at www.highlandscashiersfilmfestival.com.