Who we are
Born from a love of film, creativity, and community, the Highlands–Cashiers Film Festival is an annual celebration of storytelling in all its forms. By bringing together filmmakers, media artists, and audiences from around the world, the festival creates a unique in-person experience where stories inspire, connect, and ignite conversation. Supported by volunteers and benefitting the Performing Arts Center, it uplifts emerging voices, fosters artistic exchange, and honors film’s power to reveal the extraordinary in everyday life.
Our mission
The Highlands–Cashiers Film Festival celebrates the art of storytelling through film. We showcase curated and independent films from around the world in competitive categories, sharing stories that inspire, connect, and reveal our shared humanity. By creating a unique in-person experience that brings audiences and filmmakers together, the festival—supported by the Performing Arts Center and powered by community spirit—champions creativity and cinema’s enduring power to illuminate the extraordinary in everyday life.
Meet our Creative Director
Joy Jorgensen is an independent film producer and festival leader dedicated to building thoughtful, artist-centered spaces for storytelling and community connection.
Her career has been shaped by years of producing director-driven independent films and working closely within the international film festival ecosystem. Across projects and premieres, Joy has collaborated with filmmakers at all stages of their careers, helping films find audiences through festivals that value conversation, care, and creative point of view.
Joy’s producing work includes acclaimed independent features and shorts that have premiered at major international festivals including Sundance, SXSW, TIFF, and Rotterdam. Through this work, she has developed a deep understanding of how films live beyond the screen—and how festivals play a vital role in shaping that journey.
Joy has been coming to the Highlands–Cashiers area since childhood and maintains a close connection to the community.
As Creative Director of the Highlands–Cashiers Film Festival, Joy brings that experience to a community-focused festival model rooted in place. Her vision for HCFF emphasizes in-person experiences that can’t be streamed—shared screenings, conversation, and time together—while thoughtfully building new traditions that feel welcoming, intentional, and connected to the Highlands–Cashiers community.
Joy currently teaches film producing at the graduate level at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and serves in advisory and ambassador roles within international film organizations. Whether producing films or shaping festivals, her work is guided by the belief that storytelling is most powerful when it brings people together.
